Stanley Aviation

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Stanley Aviation is an aerospace company started by Robert M Stanley, the aviation pioneer, in Buffalo, New York in 1948. The company has since acquired several other companies and has been most recently acquired by Eaton Corporation.

Stanley is also noted for its design and production of military aircraft ejection seats; originally located in Aurora, Colorado. The company's exhibit collection of ejections seats have been donated to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, Colorado.

1 History
2 Ejection seats
3 References

[edit] History

Section source: Stanley Aviation History Page ^[1]

1948 - Robert M. Stanley, founder and Navy test pilot started his company.

1954 - awarded an ejection seat contracts. Stanley opened a new 75,000 sq ft plant in Aurora, CO; then expanded to 140,000 sq feet in the mid 1950s.

1964 - acquired the Gamah Corp. of Santa Monica, California that designed and manufactured flexible 0-ring couplings and related aerospace parts and equipment.

1965 - GamahTM's products were licensed to Flight Refuelling, Ltd. of Wimborne, England for the Concorde, Airbus and Tornado aircraft programs. Also, for US companies, Boeing, Douglas Aircraft, NASA (Apollo program, Lunar Excursion Module).

1977 - Mr. Stanley died in a plane crash on July 16, 1977. This started the close-out of contracts id , bought to an end an era in the history of the Corporation, and contracts in the aerospace industry. On July 21, 1990, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

1981- Stanley Aviation was acquired by Flight Refuelling Limited, currently know as Cobham, plc. A new group of products of aircraft fuel system and components were developed and sold.

1986 - Stanley Aviation's name was kept and acquired two companies: Stang Manufacturing, Inc. and K&V Manufacturing to develop and sell aviation ground support equipment. This included engine shipping and handling equipment, aircraft towbars and special aircraft tooling.

1988 - Stanley Aviation also added sheet metal fabrication capabilities and new coupling devices for the C-17 program under the GamahTM product line. This included the Metal Seal coupling contract for the C-17 liquid oxygen (LOX) and OBIGG systems; and self bonding/self locking/flexible couplings products for the C-17 Fuel System.

1990 - C-17 aircraft development further awarded Stanley a GSE towbar and engine handling/positioning systems contracts.

1991 -- An electronic controlled lift trailer for GSE program was completed and delivered in December.

1995 - Stanley was awarded a large multi-year contract for the Gulfstream V aircraft's ECS tube assemblies.

1995 - Stanley developed new technologies in aircraft Fluid Delivery Systems (FDS).

Aircraft involvement:

Boeing X-32 Joint Strike Fighter (Demonstrator Aircraft)

Fairchild Dornier's D0728 Regional Jet

Gulfstream G450 Air Distribution System

Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter)

2003 - Stanley Aviation acquired the Harrison division of the Sierracin Corporation, expanding it services by adding a full complement on high pressure hydraulic fittings and design capabilities.

2004 - A corporate realignment with Cobham plc expanded Stanley to include the EBU and Bleed Air Ducting division to handle an entire aircraft's fluid system requirements.