Planes and Choppers Photos

The first English Electric aircraft were built by a company that was formed in 1918 by the amalgamation of Phoenix Dynamo, Dick, Kerr & Co., Coventry Ordnance Works and two other large companies. EE built aircraft in WW1, including flying boats designed by the Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe and aircraft designed by the Short Brothers. Aircraft manufacture under the EE name began in Bradford in 1922 with the English Electric Wren, but lasted only until 1926 after the last English Electric Kingston flying boat was built. As WW2 approached, EE was instructed by the Air Ministry to construct a "shadow factory" at Samlesbury Aerodrome in Lancashire to build Handley Page Hampden bombers. By 1942 another factory was built on the site to produce Handley Page Halifax bombers. In 1942, EE took over Napier & Son, an aero-engine manufacturer. Along with the shadow factory, this helped to re-establish the company's aeronautical engineering division. The design and experimental facilities were moved to the former RAF Warton near Preston in 1947. 1,300 de Havilland Vampires were produced at Samlesbury, while design of the Canberra proceeded, followed by the Lightning fighter. The aircraft division was formed into the subsidiary English Electric Aviation Ltd. in 1958, becoming a founding constituent of the new British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in 1960. The English Electric name vanished in 1964 when the facilities became known as the BAC Preston Division.