Airlines, Aviation, Pioneers - History of flight - Britannica
History of flight - Airlines, Aviation, Pioneers: One of the earliest airline organizations, a British group called Air Transport and Travel, Ltd., ...
Geoffrey De Havilland
One of the earliest airline organizations, a British group called Air Transport and Travel, Ltd., acquired several Airco D.H.4a VIII single-engine planes (designed by <anchor>Geoffrey De Havilland</anchor>), powered by 350-horsepower Eagle V-type engines from Rolls-Royce Ltd., and modified them to include an enclosed cramped space in the fuselage with room for two adventurous passengers. The pilot’s cockpit, atop the fuselage, remained open. The company’s inaugural flight occurred on Aug. 25, 1919, when the plane flew from London to Paris with its sole passenger, an enterprising newspaper reporter. The service caught on and competitors soon followed. Handley Page Transport, Ltd., made use of the manufacturing company’s wartime twin-engine bombers, converting them to haul up to 14 passengers, who lounged in comfortable wicker chairs. These slow but roomy aircraft established a tradition of ornately embellished interiors and spacious surroundings—at the sacrifice of aerodynamic efficiency and high speeds—on early European airlines. Given the lack of navigational aids and the primitive instrumentation of the era, accidents invariably occurred, and passengers became used to delays caused by the notoriously foul winter weather in England. Pilots had to depend on luck and quick thinking when they were caught in unexpected atmospheric conditions. Approaching London in the fog, one British pilot suddenly realized he had drifted too close to the ground when a church steeple loomed out of the mist at his eye level. Fortunately, he noticed that express trains speeding toward London left a visible furrow in the dense fog bank, and he gratefully followed this phenomenon into the city, where he found improved conditions for landing. By 1924, with government support, independent airlines in Britain had consolidated into one entity, Imperial Airways Ltd., as a means to compete with the heavily subsidized French airlines in Europe.
Geoffrey de Havilland | Biography, Aircraft, & Facts | Britannica
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[Geoffrey de Havilland](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Geoffrey-De-Havilland)

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# Geoffrey de Havilland

British aircraft designer



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- [The Farnborough Society - Biography of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland](https://thefarnboroughsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Honouring-Sir-Geoffrey-de-Havilland.pdf)
- [Royal Air Force Museum - Biography of Sir Geoffrey De Havilland](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/archive-exhibitions/de-havilland-the-man-and-the-company/captain-sir-geoffrey-de-havilland.aspx)

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- [Royal Air Force Museum - Biography of Sir Geoffrey De Havilland](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/archive-exhibitions/de-havilland-the-man-and-the-company/captain-sir-geoffrey-de-havilland.aspx)

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Quick Facts

In full: Sir Geoffrey de Havilland_(Show more)_

Born: July 27, 1882, Terriers, Wycombe, [Buckinghamshire](/place/Buckinghamshire), [England](/place/England)_(Show more)_

Died: May 21, 1965, [Watford](/place/Watford-England), [Hertfordshire](/place/Hertfordshire) (aged 82)_(Show more)_

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**Geoffrey de Havilland** (born July 27, 1882, Terriers, Wycombe, [Buckinghamshire](https://www.britannica.com/place/Buckinghamshire), England—died May 21, 1965, [Watford](https://www.britannica.com/place/Watford-England), Hertfordshire) was an English [aircraft](https://www.britannica.com/technology/airplane) designer, manufacturer, and pioneer in long-distance [jet](https://www.britannica.com/technology/jet-engine) flying. He was one of the first to make jet-propelled aircraft, producing the Vampire and Venom jet [fighters](https://www.britannica.com/technology/fighter-aircraft).

[![](https://cdn.britannica.com/96/130696-050-500334EE/de-Havilland-Mosquito-British-airplane-World-War.jpg?w=300)](https://cdn.britannica.com/96/130696-050-500334EE/de-Havilland-Mosquito-British-airplane-World-War.jpg)

[de Havilland Mosquito](https://cdn.britannica.com/96/130696-050-500334EE/de-Havilland-Mosquito-British-airplane-World-War.jpg) The British de Havilland Mosquito was a multipurpose fighter-bomber during World War II. This surviving airplane was put on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.(more)

In 1910 he successfully built and flew an [airplane](https://www.britannica.com/technology/airplane) with a 50-horsepower engine. De Havilland then joined the army [balloon](https://www.britannica.com/technology/balloon) factory and originated the British Experimental (B.E.) series of tractor [biplanes](https://www.britannica.com/technology/biplane). During [World War I](https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I) he worked as chief designer and test pilot for the Aircraft Manufacturing Company and produced a number of successful fighters and light [bombers](https://www.britannica.com/technology/bomber-aircraft). In September 1920 he formed the De Havilland Aircraft Company. The success of the Moth, a light two-seater, made the company financially successful and started the flying [club movement](https://www.britannica.com/event/club-movement) in Great Britain. In [World War II](https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II) the company’s most successful product was the twin-engined [Mosquito](https://www.britannica.com/technology/Mosquito-British-aircraft), a high-speed, all-purpose aircraft of plywood construction. After the war, he pioneered the Comet airliner and D.H. “Ghost” jet engines. De Havilland was knighted in 1944.

[The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica](/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419)This article was most recently revised and updated by [Encyclopaedia Britannica](/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892).