Blackburn Aircraft was founded by
Robert Blackburn and
Jessy Blackburn, who built his first aircraft in
Leeds in 1908 with the company's Olympia Works at
Roundhay opening in 1914. The Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company was created in 1914 and established in a new factory at
Brough,
East Riding of Yorkshire in 1916. Robert's brother
Norman Blackburn later became managing director. Blackburn acquired the
Cirrus-Hermes Engineering company in 1934, beginning its manufacture of aircraft engines. However an updated range of engines was under development and Blackburn wanted to wait until it was established before giving its name to them, so Cirrus Hermes Engineering was retained as a separate company for the time being. The company's name was changed to Blackburn Aircraft Limited in 1936. In 1937, with the new Cirrus engines now well established, engine manufacturing was brought into the parent company as an operating division, giving rise to the
Blackburn Cirrus name. By 1937, pressure to re-arm was growing and the Yorkshire factory was approaching capacity. A fortuitous friendship between
Maurice Denny, managing director of
William Denny and Brothers, the
Dumbarton ship building company, and Robert Blackburn resulted in the building of a new Blackburn factory at Barge Park, Dumbarton where production of the Blackburn Botha commenced in 1939. Blackburn amalgamated with
General Aircraft Limited in 1949 as Blackburn and General Aircraft Limited, reverting to Blackburn Aircraft Limited by 1958. As part of the rationalisation of British aircraft manufacturers, its aircraft production and engine operations were absorbed into
Hawker Siddeley and
Bristol Siddeley respectively 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.
Locations The company had factories at Olympia in Leeds,
Sherburn-in-Elmet, Brough (East Yorkshire) and Dumbarton. In the early days, Blackburn himself flew aircraft on the beaches at
Marske and
Filey, with the company also using the former
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor. Before production shifted to Sherburn-in-Elmet and Brough from the Leeds site, aircraft were flown in and out of Olympia works by an adjacent airstrip in Roundhay Park. ==Aircraft==