Henry Philip Folland (1889–1954) was an English aviation engineer and aircraft designer.
Folland was born to Frederick and Mary Folland at 2 King Street, Holy Trinity, Cambridge.[1] His father was listed as a Stonemason.[1]
In 1905 he became an apprentice at the Lanchester Motor Company in Birmingham, then in 1908 he became a draughtsman at the Daimler Motor Company. It was here that he developed his interest in powered flying machines.[2] He worked at the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough from 1912,[3] where he was the lead designer on the S.E.5 during the First World War. He also designed the Ruston Proctor Aerial Target, an anti-Zeppelin pilotless aircraft to use A M Low's radio control systems.[4][5]
He left the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1917, joining the Nieuport & General Aircraft company as chief designer.[6], designing the Nieuport Nighthawk, which was adopted as a standard fighter by the Royal Air Force but did not enter service owing to the problems in development of its ABC Dragonfly engine.[7] Not long after starting at Nieuport, Folland was joined by Howard Preston - a design and stress man - and who was also to work with him at later at Gloster and Follands. Nieuport & General ceased operations in 1920 [5] and his services were taken up by the Gloster Aircraft Company, who had built Nighthawks under licence during the First World War, joining them in 1921.[8] He was the chief designer for Glosters for many years, producing a range of successful fighter aircraft such as the Grebe, Gamecock, Gauntlet and finally the Gloster Gladiator. He left the company in 1937, following the takeover of Gloster by Hawker, feeling that Hawker designs would be favoured over his own. He purchased the British Marine Aircraft Company at Hamble, near Southampton, renaming it Folland Aircraft Limited.[9]
Initially Folland Aircraft was mainly involved in sub-contract work for other aircraft manufacturers particularly during the Second World War. Some forty five civil and military projects were offered by Follands to meet Air Ministry requirements. Only one - the Fo.108 - a flying engine test bed nicknamed the "Frightful" from its appearance was accepted and twelve of these were built.[10]
By July 1951 Henry Folland was suffering from severe ill health and resigned as Managing Director being succeeded by the designer W.E.W. Petter who had left English Electric. Nonetheless he remained on the Board until his death on 4 September 1954. Three weeks earlier Petter's Folland Midge, the precursor to the Folland Gnat had made its first flight.[11] In his book 'Sky Fever', Sir Geoffrey de Havilland describes Henry as becoming a recluse after he retired as M.D.