Blackburn Aircraft

Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.

History

Blackburn Aircraft was founded by Robert Blackburn who built his first aircraft in 1908.

The Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company was created in 1914, established in a new factory built at Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire in 1916, where Robert's brother Norman Blackburn was later Managing Director. By acquiring the Cirrus-Hermes company in 1937, Blackburn started producing aircraft engines, the Blackburn Cirrus range. The company's name was changed to Blackburn Aircraft Limited in 1939, and the company amalgamated with General Aircraft Limited in 1949 as Blackburn and General Aircraft Limited, reverting to Blackburn Aircraft Limited by 1958.

Aircraft production operations were absorbed into Hawker Siddeley and its engine operations into Bristol Siddeley, as part of the rationalisation of British aircraft manufacturers, and the Blackburn name was dropped completely in 1963.

An American company, Blackburn Aircraft Corp., was incorporated in Detroit on 20 May 1929 to acquire design and patent rights of the aircraft of Blackburn Airplane & Motor Co., Ltd. in the USA. It was owned 90% by Detroit Aircraft Corp. and 10% by Blackburn Airplane & Motor Co., Ltd. Agreements covered such rights in North and South America, excepting Brazil and certain rights in Canada and provided that all special tools and patterns were to be supplied by the UK company at cost.

Aircraft

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Blackburn First Monoplane (1909) - single-engine, single-seat high-wing monoplane aircraft
• Blackburn Second Monoplane (1911) - single-engine midwing monoplane aircraft
• Blackburn Mercury (1911) - single-engine, two-seat midwing monoplane training aircraft
• Blackburn Type B (1912) - single-engine, two-seat midwing monoplane training aircraft. A development of the Blackburn Mercury
• Blackburn Type D (1912) - single-engine single seat mid-winged monoplane
• Blackburn Type E (1912) - single-engine, midwing metal-framed monoplanes, one single seater one twin
• Blackburn Type I (1913) - single engine 1/2 seat mid-wing monoplane built both as land- and seaplane
• Blackburn Type L (1914) - single engine two seat biplane seaplane
• Blackburn C.A.15C (1932) twin-engine ten passenger high-wing monoplane/ biplane airliner
• Blackburn C.B.2 Nile (1930) - three-engine, two-seat parasol-wing cargo transport, a variant of the Sydney
• Blackburn F.1 Turcock (1928) - single-engine fighter aircraft
• Blackburn F.2 Lincock (1928) - single-engine, single-seat biplane fighter
• Blackburn F.3 (1934) - single-engine single-seat biplane fighter: built, never flew
• Blackburn 2F.1 Nautilus (1929) - single-engine two-seat engine biplane fighter
• Blackburn R.1 Blackburn (1922) - single-engine, three-seat biplane naval spotter/reconnaissance aircraft
• Blackburn R.2 Airedale (1925) - single-engine three-seat high-wing monoplane reconnaissance
• Blackburn R.B.1 Iris (1926) - three-engine, five-seat biplane flying boat
• Blackburn R.B.2 Sydney (1930) - three-engine, four-seat parasol-wing long-range flying boat
• Blackburn R.B.3 Perth (1933) - three-engine, five-seat biplane flying boat
• Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo (1918) - twin-engine, three-seat biplane reconnaissance/torpedo bomber
• Blackburn T.1 Swift (1920) - single-engine, single-seat floatplane torpedo bomber
• Blackburn T.2 Dart (1921) - single-engine, single-seat biplane torpedo bomber
• Blackburn T.3 Velos (1925) - single-engine, two-seat biplane bomber floatplane
• Blackburn T.4 Cubaroo (1924) - single-engine, four-seat large biplane torpedo bomber
• Blackburn T.5 Ripon (1926) - single-engine, two-seat biplane reconnaissance/torpedo bomber
• Blackburn T.7B (1929) - single-engine three-seat biplane bomber/reconnaissance for Japanese Navy
• Blackburn T.8 Baffin (1932) - single-engine, two-seat biplane torpedo bomber
• Blackburn T.9 Shark (1933) - single-engine, three-seat carrier-based biplane torpedo bomber
• Blackburn B-1 Segrave (1930) - two-engine, four-seat low-wing monoplane touring aircraft
• Blackburn B-2 (1932) - single-engine, two-seat biplane training aircraft
• Blackburn B-3 M.1/30 () (1932) - single-engine, two-seat biplane naval torpedo bomber
• Blackburn B-5 Baffin
• Blackburn B-6 Shark
• Blackburn B-7 (1934) - general-purpose biplane
• Blackburn B-9 (H.S.T. 10) (1936) - twin-engine twelve-passenger low-wing monoplane airliner: built, never flew
• Blackburn B-24 Skua (1937) - single-engine, two-seat low-wing monoplane naval fighter/dive bomber
• Blackburn B-25 Roc (1938) - single-engine, two-seat low-wing monoplane naval fighter/dive bomber with rear turret (built by Boulton Paul Aircraft)
• Blackburn B-26 Botha (1938) - two-engine, four-seat high-wing monoplane reconnaissance/torpedo bomber & crew trainer
• Blackburn B-20 (1940) - twin-engine, six-seat experimental monoplane retractable-hull flying boat
• Blackburn B-37 Firebrand F Mk.I (1942) - single-engine, single-seat propeller naval fighter
• Blackburn B-45 Firebrand TF Mk.II (1943) - single-engine, single-seat propeller naval strike fighter
• Blackburn B-46 Firebrand TF Mk.IV (1945) - single-engine, single-seat propeller naval strike figher
• Blackburn B-48 Firecrest (Y.A.1) (1947) - single-engine, single-seat propeller naval strike fighter
• Blackburn B-52 single-engined advanced trainer to meet Specification T.7/45, not built.
• Blackburn B-54 (Y.A.5, Y.A.7, Y.A.8) (1949) - single-piston-engine, two-seat contra-rotating propeller naval anti-submarine aircraft
• Blackburn B-88 (Y.B.1) (1950) - single-turboprop-engine, two-seat contra-rotating propeller naval anti-submarine aircraft
• Blackburn B-101 Beverley (1950) - four-engine, high-wing, propellers, transport airplane (designed by General Aircraft)
• Blackburn B-103 Buccaneer (Y.B.3) (1958) - two-engine, two-seat jet naval strike aircraft to specification NA.39
• AD Scout (1915) - Admiralty designed single-engine, single-seat pusher anti-Zeppelin aircraft. Built by Blackburn and by Hewlett & Blondeau
• Blackburn Beagle (1928) single-engine two seat two-seat biplane bomber
• Blackburn Blackburd (1918) single-engine, single-seat biplane torpedo bomber
• Blackburn Bluebird (1924) - single-engine, two-seat biplane training/touring aircraft
• Blackburn Bluebird IV (1929) - single-engine, two-seat biplane training/touring aircraft
• Blackburn General Purpose (1916) - twin engine three seat seaplane biplane anti-submarine patrol bomber
• Blackburn N.1B (1918) - single-engine single seat biplane flying boat escort bomber (started; not finished; never flew)
• Blackburn Pellet (1923) - single-engine single-seat biplane Schneider racer
• Blackburn Sidecar (1919) single engine two seat mid wing monoplane ultra light: may not have flown
• Blackburn Sprat (1926) single-engine two-seat biplane advanced trainer
• Blackburn Triplane (1916) - Blackburn designed triplane version of Scout
• Blackburn Twin Blackburn (1915) - twin-fuselage, two-engine, two-seat anti-Zeppelin seaplane
• Blackburn White Falcon (1916) - single engine two seat mid-wing monoplane
• Alula D.H.6 (1921) - experimental aircraft to test the Alula wing using an Airco DH.6 fuselage
• Alula Semiquaver (1921) - single-engine Alula wing conversion of the Martinsyde Semiquaver
• Handley Page HP.88 (Blackburn Y.B.2) - Experimental aircraft for Handley Page using a Supermarine-built fuselage.

Piston engines

• Blackburn Cirrus Bombardier
• Blackburn Cirrus Minor
• Blackburn Cirrus Major
• Blackburn Cirrus Midget

Gas turbine engines (with Turbomeca)

• Blackburn-Turbomeca Artouste
• Blackburn-Turbomeca Palas
• Blackburn-Turbomeca Palouste
• Blackburn-Turbomeca A.129

See also

• Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

External links

• The history of Blackburn Aircraft Ltd.