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Scottish Aircraft Britain's oldest surviving aircraft, built in 1896 - Percy Pilcher's "Hawk" glider - is with the Museum of Flight at East Fortune. William Beardmore in Glasgow bought the licence to built the DFW biplane in 1914, and during WW1 modified existing designs for the services, for example the Sopwith Pup. Folding wings and retractable undercarriage made it suitable for use on aircraft carrier ships. They also built large airships including the 'R34', the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic non-stop from east to west and the first airship to cross from west to east non-stop. It flew from East Fortune on the 2nd July 1919, and returned 10 days later. It was also the last airship to fly following the disaster of the Hindenberg. Beardmore continued making aircraft till 1929, the smallest being the WB XXIV – the 'Wee Bee' and the largest, the 'Inflexible', a three-engined monoplane. Weirs of Cathcart set up the Cierva Autogiro Co. in 1933, and one Autogiro still exists at East Fortune's Museum of Flight. Scottish Aviation Limited built 50 Queen Bee target aircraft at Prestwick and were the only manufacturer of aircraft left by the end of WW2. The company was founded in 1935 by the Duke of Hamilton and Group Captain David McIntyre and became known as SAL. Prestwick also become the receiving base for new bombers from the USA. The famous Orangefield Hotel was used as a terminal building with a control tower built on top. Above the door of the old manor house, familiar to Robert Burns, were carved his words: ‘A pleasant spot near sandy wilds’. |
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 During
the 1960s British Eagle began their Bristol Britannia service and
Loganair – ‘Scotland’s Airline’ - was formed.
Scottish Aviation took over the failed Beagle company in 1970 to produce the successful Bulldog Series 100, the uprated Series 120 aircraft, and subsequently the civil market version – the Bulldog 200 which became known as the Bullfinch. |
 SAL
acquired Jetstream Aircraft from Handley Page in the early 1970s,
fulfilling an RAF contract for the aircraft. Becoming British Aerospace
Corporation – Scottish Division in 1977, civil production began
with the Jetstream 31, a reliable and spacious 'mini airliner'.
Prestwick was the only BAe site to manufacture a complete aircraft.
The larger Jetstream 41 was the further development. |
The
company went on to build the Prestwick Pioneer in 1947 including
those for the RAF - the Pioneer CC1. A development, the Twin
Pioneer first flew in 1955, and one is preserved at East Fortune.
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