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Dowty Rotol is the final incarnation of three major British aviation supply firms, Dowty Equipment, Rotol Airscrews and British Messier, which merged in 1960. The companies are based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and today they operate two independently-owned but associated plants, one as Dowty Propellers, the other as Messier Dowty. Their primary products are propellers and avionics.
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History
Rotol
Rotol Airscrews was formed in 1937 by Rolls-Royce and Bristol Engines to take over both company's propeller development, the market being too small to really need more than one company in this space. The name is a contraction of "ROlls-Royce" and "BrisTOL". Rotol props were always considered leading edge, their models equipping the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, and many other Second World War-era aircraft. By the end of the war they had introduced the first five-bladed propeller to see widespread use, used on late-model Spitfires. In 1968 the company introduced the first fibreglass propellers, which went on to see widespread use. Since then they have migrated to carbon fibre, and remain a leader in propeller design.
Dowty
Dowty Aviation, named for founder George Dowty, formed in 1935 to build landing gear systems, and later branched out in aviation hydraulic systems. Their work with the French firm Messier eventually led to the creation of Messier-Dowty which continues in France, with the British portions of the firm merging into Dowty Rotol along with Messier's UK operations. In the late 90's Messier-Dowty and Dowty Propellers diverged. Dowty continues to produce propellers and propeller accessories as part of GE Aviation Systems.
Dowty's current propeller lineup is used on many turboprop feederliners, including the Dash 8Q400, Saab 340 and Saab 2000, as well as turboprop transport aircraft such as the latest models of the C-130J and Alenia C-27. Dowty Propellers can also be found on military LCAC's from the USMC and other militaries. The National Air and Space museums' Udvar Hazy Center Virginia has one such propeller example (C130J) presently on display.
See also
External links
- Information and pictures: Dowty Propellers plant in Gloucester, UK, from Smiths Aerospace web site.
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 October 2008, at 14:12.
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