Author Topic: US Aerospace Incest  (Read 8254 times)

Offline Jim

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US Aerospace Incest
« on: 03/28/2007 11:12 pm »
Just a list I threw together to show how the US Aerospace companies are interrelated.  The list still needs some work

Glenn L. Martin teaches William E. Boeing to fly

Glenn L. Martin Company
Founder
   Glenn L. Martin
Notable employees
  Donald Douglas - chief engineer
  Larry Bell - factory manager
  Dutch Kindelberger - chief draftsman
  James S. McDonnell -project engineer
  Chance Vought
Mergers
   Wright Company briefly
   Lockheed Corp
Acquisitions
  GE Aerospace (who previously acquired RCA Astro-Electronics)
  General Dynamics - Atlas (Convair)  
  Ford Aerospace (parts) Most went to Loral
  Vought
  Goodyear Aerospace
  IBM Federal Systems
  Sperry
   
Lockheed
Founder
   Loughead brothers
Notable employees
  Jack Northrup - chief engineer  
Mergers
   Martin Company
Acquisitions
    Sanders
                 GD Fort Worth division (Convair)


Boeing Company
Founder
   William E. Boeing
Acquisitions

    1929, Chance Vought Corp., Hamilton Metalplane Division, Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Stout Airlines,
    Northrop Aircraft Corp, Stearman Aircraft Co., Sikorsky Aviation Corp., Standard Steel Propeller Co. and
    Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co.
    It becomes United Aircraft and Transportation Corp.
    In 1934, it is divides into three separate companies: United Aircraft Co., Boeing Airplane Co. and United  
    Air Lines
            Rockwell International Aerospace groups (North American Aviation)
            McDonnell Douglas
            Hughes Satellites
Divestures
    Rocketdyne

Douglas Aircraft
Founder
   Donald Douglas
Notable employees
  Dutch Kindelberger  - chief engineer
  Jack Northrup  - chief engineer
Mergers
   McDonnell Aircraft
Acquisitions
   Northrop Corporation (early version)

McDonnell Aircraft
Founder
      James S. McDonnell
Mergers
   Douglas Aircraft   
Acquisitions
   Hughes Helicopter

North American Aviation
Notable employees
   Dutch Kindelberger - President
Mergers
   Rockwell Standard   
Acquisitions
   General Atomics

Hughes Aircraft
Founder
      Howard Hughes
Notable employees
               Simon Ramo
               Dean Wooldridge
Divestures
               Hughes Helicopter
               Hughes Space and Comm Company


Northrop Grumman
Founder
   John K. Northrop         
Acquisitions      
   Grumman   
   Teledyne Ryan    
   TRW   

Ramo Wooldridge Company (TRW)
Founders
   Simon Ramo
                Dean Wooldridge
Mergers
                Thompson Products
Divestures
   Aerospace Corp


United Aircraft Corp         
   P&W         
   Sikorsky               
                Vought
                Hamilton Standard


Offline simonbp

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #1 on: 03/28/2007 11:51 pm »
Add in Travel Air, where Walter Beech oversaw Lloyd Stearman's designs and Clyde Cessna swept the floors...

Simon ;)

Offline spaceflight101

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #2 on: 03/29/2007 12:12 am »
Sometimes I wonder why the Wright Brothers built their own engine from scratch instead of using a Harley-Davidson or Indian engine.
Good history, Jim. Thanks for posting it. It's hard to believe that there were real people behind the corporations in a far simpler era...

Offline elmarko

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #3 on: 03/29/2007 07:55 am »
That was pretty interesting Jim, also nice thread title :)

Offline wannamoonbase

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #4 on: 03/30/2007 12:15 pm »
Jim, excellent summary.  

I sometimes think that there is barely two airplane companies left in the US, but from the history it looks like there really was never that many to begin win.  Its worked for the first 100 years and the planes being turned out are the best ever, so it seems to be okay.
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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #5 on: 03/30/2007 02:08 pm »
You left out LTV.

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #6 on: 03/30/2007 02:50 pm »
What would be easier to read is a chart with company names, origins, and arrows... Right now trying to get the big picture makes my brain hurt. Good thread jim.
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Offline Jim

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #7 on: 03/30/2007 03:09 pm »
Quote
bhankiii - 30/3/2007  10:08 AM

You left out LTV.

Vought is there

Offline Jim

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #8 on: 03/30/2007 03:12 pm »
Quote
kevin-rf - 30/3/2007  10:50 AM

What would be easier to read is a chart with company names, origins, and arrows... Right now trying to get the big picture makes my brain hurt. Good thread jim.

That would be worse.  Too many lines crisscrossing.  It is not like a family tree because of the incest.  And I don't want to take the large amount of time.

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #9 on: 03/30/2007 03:22 pm »
Quote
Jim - 30/3/2007  10:09 AM


Vought is there

But not in it's LTV incarnation.

Offline Thomas ESA

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #10 on: 03/30/2007 04:59 pm »
Very interesting list and summary.

Offline Bruhn

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RE: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #11 on: 03/30/2007 06:25 pm »
Technically, the Boeing - McDonnell Douglas deal was a merger.  However, as a former heritage McDonnell Douglas employee, it was an acquisition by Boeing in all but name only.

Offline Stevo

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #12 on: 03/31/2007 04:42 pm »
What about Raytheon. Not so much involved in the space industry but heavily involved in defense. I believe they acquired part if not all of Hughes.

Also the original Grumman Corporation, responsible for the Apollo LEM amongst other notable accomplishments.

Offline Jim

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #13 on: 03/31/2007 08:05 pm »
Quote
Stevo - 31/3/2007  12:42 PM

What about Raytheon. Not so much involved in the space industry but heavily involved in defense. I believe they acquired part if not all of Hughes.

Also the original Grumman Corporation, responsible for the Apollo LEM amongst other notable accomplishments.

Raytheon only got the missile and raday division.  Boeing got the space part

Grumman is under the Northrop group


Offline Gov't Seagull

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #14 on: 03/31/2007 08:51 pm »
About 30 years ago Aviation Week published a fold-out chart showing all the mergers and divestitures in timeline form. I've looked for it a few times in library back issues, but haven't been able to find it. I'd really like to see a 2007 version of that same chart.

Offline Jim

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #15 on: 03/31/2007 09:29 pm »
Quote
Gov't Seagull - 31/3/2007  4:51 PM

About 30 years ago Aviation Week published a fold-out chart showing all the mergers and divestitures in timeline form. I've looked for it a few times in library back issues, but haven't been able to find it. I'd really like to see a 2007 version of that same chart.

please find it

Offline Antares

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #16 on: 03/31/2007 11:26 pm »
Quote
Jim - 31/3/2007  5:29 PM
Quote
Gov't Seagull - 31/3/2007  4:51 PM
About 30 years ago Aviation Week published a fold-out chart showing all the mergers and divestitures in timeline form. I've looked for it a few times in library back issues, but haven't been able to find it. I'd really like to see a 2007 version of that same chart.
please find it
Check out the book NASA and the Space Industry.  There's a family tree in there.  It's a few years old, though.
If I like something on NSF, it's probably because I know it to be accurate.  Every once in a while, it's just something I agree with.  Facts generally receive the former.

Offline Thorny

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #17 on: 04/01/2007 02:37 am »
Republic Aviation should be in there somewhere, Fairchild/Hiller/Republic/Dornier.



Offline Jim

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #18 on: 04/01/2007 03:10 am »
Quote
Thorny - 31/3/2007  10:37 PM

Republic Aviation should be in there somewhere, Fairchild/Hiller/Republic/Dornier.


That was a dead end

Offline Thorny

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Re: US Aerospace Incest
« Reply #19 on: 04/01/2007 04:32 am »
Quote
Jim - 31/3/2007  10:10 PM

Quote
Thorny - 31/3/2007  10:37 PM

Republic Aviation should be in there somewhere, Fairchild/Hiller/Republic/Dornier.


That was a dead end

Fairchild was bought up by Grumman in 1987, so whatever is left is now part of Northrop-Grumman.

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