Dowty Group was a leading British manufacturer of aircraft equipment. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The firm ceased operating as an individual entity following its acquisition by TI Group in 1992.
The company has its origins as the Aircraft Components Company in 1931 and the work of British inventor and businessman George Dowty. In 1934, Dowty achieved its breakthrough sale of its innovative undercarriage designs, being contracted by the Gloster Aircraft Company to provide oleo struts for the Gloster Gauntlet biplane. In 1935, as the business expanded to meet demand, Dowty founded a new manufacturing venture to produce his aviation products, which was named Dowty Aviation.
It quickly secured numerous additional orders and manufacturing facilities to cope with the pressing demands of the Second World War, a significant majority of British aircraft production incorporating the firm's various products. By the end of the conflict, Dowty Aviation was a major British manufacturing interest, possessing many production plants at home and overseas in Canada and the United States. By the end of hostilities in 1945, Dowty had reportedly manufactured 87,786 landing gears and 984,388 hydraulic units. A major drive to apply its technology to other commercial ventures was taken in the post-war era.
Throughout much of its existence, Dowty Group specialised in the manufacture of hydraulic and actuation systems, advanced propellers, turbine engine components and tubular systems; it was also a long-term owner of the Hamble aircraft structures business. The Dowty Group also diversified into various commercial and industrial sectors, venturing into telecommunications, software, and becoming a market leader in the manufacturing of mining equipment.
History
Origins
What would eventually become Dowty Group was founded as the Aircraft Components Company in 1931 by British inventor and businessman George Dowty, who was working as a draughtsman for the Gloster Aircraft Company at that time. Initially, this entity was only a shell company, having no staff, no capital and being operated out of a registered office in Lloyds Avenue, London. It quickly became insolvent after the company's first order, for aircraft shock absorber struts from the Civilian Aircraft Co of Hull, was not paid in time.
In June 1931, Dowty decided to resign from Gloster to form Aircraft Components Ltd, which was based in 10 Lansdown Terrace Lane in Cheltenham. In November 1931, the first two employees were recruited. The company's first success involved Dowty's newly-invented internally sprung wheel; the first order for six of these wheels was placed by the Japanese Kawasaki Company, manufacturing was performed at the company's Lansdown Terrace premises. In 1934, Dowty achieved a major sale after approached aviation engineer Henry Folland of Gloster to demonstrate his own design for oleo struts; these were promptly ordered for the Gloster Gauntlet aircraft. This initial and sizable production order was rapidly followed by a similar order for the Gloster Gladiator.
In 1935, Dowty founded a new business to manufacture this aircraft equipment under the name Dowty Aviation. That same year, the company leased a factory and bought new premises in Arle Court, Cheltenham. In 1936, Aviation became a public company, Dowty himself only held a small stake in its overall equity. Dowty Aviation would secure numerous additional orders; amongst other customers, it provided landing gear for Frank Whittle's ground-breaking Gloster E.1/44, a jet-propelled aeroplane that first flew on 15 May 1941.
Second World War
Throughout the Second World War, Dowty Aviation's products were a key subsystem of nearly all British aircraft that were manufactured during the conflict. Its product range included hydraulic systems, undercarriage units, tail wheels, electrical instrumentation and warning devices. Specific aircraft incorporating Dowty products include the Hawker Hurricane, Bristol Beaufighter, Hawker Typhoon, Westland Whirlwind, Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Short Stirling, Short Sunderland, Blackburn Skua, Avro Anson, Miles Master, and the de Havilland Rapide. The first jet fighter to enter Allied service, the Gloster Meteor, also used Dowty Aviation technology.