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Thomas Sopwith Born.
Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, founder of the Sopwith Aviation Company, is born. -
Harry Hawker Born.
Harry Hawker, the co-founder of Hawker Aircraft, was born on this date. He was the chief test pilot for Sopwith. -
Sydney Camm Born.
Sydney Camm, who designed many aeroplanes for Hawker Aircraft, was born. His most famous creation was the Hawker Hurricane. -
Roy Chaplin Born.
Roy Chaplin, an aircraft deisgner and engineer who worked for Sopwith, was born. He helped design the Hawker Fury, Hawker Hurricane and Harrier Jump-Jet. -
Sopwith Three-Seater First flight.
The Sopwith Three-Seater flies it's first flight. It is the third Sopwith aircraft, after the Sopwith-Wright Biplane and the Sopwith Hybrid Biplane. -
Sopwith Camel's First Flight.
The Camel was first flown by Harry Hawker at Brooklands. It had a 110 hp Clerget 9Z engine. It had twin synchronised Vickers machine guns and could carry up to four fuselage bombs. It was credited with shooting down 1,294 hostile aircraft, making it the most successful allied fighter plane of the war. -
Sopwith Dolphin First Flight.
The Sopwith Dolphin first flew on this day. It was a introduced in 1918 on the Western Front and was a formidable fighter, but was retired shortly after the war ended. -
Harry Hawker Dies.
Harry Hawker dies when his Nieuport Goshawk crashed when he was practising for an airshow outside of Hendon Aerodrome. -
Hawker Fury First Flight.
The Hawker Fury first flew on this date. It was originally called the 'Hornet' and was to be the counterpart to the Hawker Hart. -
Hawker Hurricane's First Flight.
The first Hawker Hurricane was flown on this date. It was based on the Hawker Fury and was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. A total of 14,533 were built between 1937 and 1944. -
Hawker Tornado First Flight.
The Hawker Tornado was first flown on this day. It was the first plane Hawker Aircraft created after the start of World War 2 and was intended to replace the Hurricane. -
Hawker Typhoon First Flight.
The Hawker Typhoon was introduced on this day. It was intended as a replacement to the Hawker Hurricane. It entered service in 1941 and was retired in 1945. -
Battle of Britain.
The Battle of Britain starts, with the Hawker Hurricane accounting for 60% of the RAF's aerial victories throughout the course of it. -
Hawker Tempest First Flight.
The Hawker Tempest was first flown on this day. It was a fighter aircraft used in World War 2 by the RAF and was intended to be a more powerful version of the Typhoon. It was one of the most powerful aircraft of the war. -
Hawker Sea Fury First Flight.
The Hawker Sea Fury first flew on this day. It was the last propeller-driven aircraft that the Royal Navy used and was one of the fastest single-piston engined aircraft ever built. -
Hawker Sea Hawk First Flight.
The Hawker Sea Hawk was first flown on this day and was the first jet aircraft created by Hawker. -
Hawker P.1081 First Flight.
The Hawker P.1081 was first flown on this day. Only one was ever made, which crashed in 1951 killing the pilot T.S. Wimpy Wade. -
Wimpy Wade Dies.
Trevor Sidney 'Wimpy' Wade died on this day when the Hawker P.1081 he was in crashed. -
Hawker Hunter's First Flight.
The Hawker Hunter was first flown on this day. It was designed as a fighter aircraft but was also used in two RAF display teams: the Black Arrows and the Blue Diamonds. It is still used in the Lebanese Air Force. -
Air Speed Record Broken.
A modified version of the Hawker Hunter broke the world air speed record, achieving 727.63 miles per hour. -
Hawker Kestrel First Flight.
The Hawker Kestrel, also called the Hawker Siddeley P.1127, was first flown on this day. It was an experimental aircraft that led to the Harrier Jump-Jet. -
Hawker Siddeley Harrier's First Flight.
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier first flew on this day, It achieved the most victories in the Falklands War and was the first vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft. -
Hawker Siddeley Harrier Enters Service.
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier enters service with the RAF when RAF Wittering received their first aircraft. -
Thomas Sopwith Dies.
Thomas Sopwith died in Hampshire on this date at the age of 101.
