Most influential aircraft company?

[CJS]

OK, I'm not sure if influential is the right word, but I was looking through this book last night https://www.dk.com/uk/book/978140936480 ... craft-book (and mighty fine it is too) and it occurred to me just what an extraordinary range of aircraft Lockheed (in various guises) has produced over the years:

Model 10 Elektra
P-38 Lightning
Super Constellation
P-80 Shooting Star
C-130 Hercules
F-104 Starfighter
C-5 Galaxy
F-117 Nighthawk
SR-71 Blackbird
P-3 Orion
Tristar
F-22 Raptor
F-35 Lightning II

And the list goes on - Hudson, Ventura...

Are there any other manufacturers who can lay claim to a more prolific AND successful output I wonder?

[jalfrezi]

There are not many companies as old as Lockheed that are still trading with their original names, most have been absorbed into new companies. I guess some of the Russian manufacturers like Mikoyan or Tupolev come close, but they don't have the breadth of different airframe types that Lockheed do.

[Wissam24]

Boeing. Defined modern day commercial jet travel as we know it. I don't think anything has come close to that level of impact.

[Jakesplanes]

I will always consider Hawker my favourite company. From prewar biplanes to the Harrier via the Hurricane, Sea Fury and Hunter. And all under the watchful eye of Sir Sydney Camm, one of my great heroes. And unlike American firms like Lockheed, the above were all built under poverty conditions, in a shed.

[Domvickery]

Boeing. Defined modern day commercial jet travel as we know it. I don't think anything has come close to that level of impact.

This, if you holiday regularly you’ll have flown in a Boeing

[cg_341]

There are not many companies as old as Lockheed that are still trading with their original names, most have been absorbed into new companies.

You mean like "Lockheed Martin"?

I guess some of the Russian manufacturers like Mikoyan or Tupolev come close, but they don't have the breadth of different airframe types that Lockheed do.

Mikoyan has had so many names and been merged in to so many companies it's quite amazing. They're currently called Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG. Tupolev, officailly Joint Stock Company Tupolev, are just as bad, however they've existed in some form or other since 1922, and a few of their early acheivements...

• One of the first all metal aircraft in the world
• One of the first all-metal monoplanes in the world
• The first monoplane bomber, in 1925

Since then they've built everything from propeller-powered wooden biplanes, metal transport aircraft, fighters, bombers; jet-powered bombers and transport aircraft; flying boats; supersonic transports and bombers; UAVs; actual boats(!); and more. Oh, and they're still designing things! Quite an amazing company when you look in to them.

Boeing. Defined modern day commercial jet travel as we know it. I don't think anything has come close to that level of impact.

I think you may be right, but oh so many times Boeing came close to buggering it all up with cancellations (SST vs 747), compromises (airlines vs 727), and inaction (A321LR vs 757 replacement), CSeries nonsense, etc.!

Of course, Boeing Commercial Airplanes now aren't the company they were - purchasing Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas changed how Boeing looked at commercial air transport, but it also nearly crippled them - Condir and Stonecipher decide to buy back stock for example! Stonecipher then refusing to buy Embraer, and having Bombardier refuse to be bought out, kept them out of the RJ market.

Of course, does any of this matter? Probably not. The 737NG and the A320 series have made air travel so affordable, so easy, and so normal, that it's hard to say anyone other than Boeing and Airbus are the most influential aircraft companies.

[Berf]

de Havilland - Defined modern day commercial jet travel with the Comet and the lessons learned about jet age travel and problems which were learned by Boeing which was able to follow it through. Also responsible for the trainer that every UK second world war pilot trained on.

[FarnboroJohn]

De Havilland has a claim:

Airco DH2, DH4, DH9A; then under the de Havilland marque, the Moth series; Rapides/Dragons etc; Comet Racer; Albatross and Flamingo airliners; Mosquito, Dove, Heron, Vampire, Venom, Sea Vixen, Comet airliner, DH 121 Trident, DH125 executive jet and one whose origin I hadn't even suspected: the DH146. In Canada, the Chipmunk, Beaver, Otter, Twin Otter, Dash 7 and 8.

Not to mention the engines: Gypsy series pistons and Ghost, Goblin and Gyron Junior jets. Even the Firestreak missile that was the Lightning's main armament!

Boeing... meh.

[verreli]

Cessna - They've made more aircraft than any other.
Boeing - Used by more than any other.

All of these will be footnotes for the revolution that is to come.

[Brevet Cable]

Fokker.

[CJS]

He's not that bad.

[borismorris]

He's not that bad.

Thats tickled me

[verreli]

Reminds me of an old story.

Teacher: Today class was have a special guest. Wing Cdr Biggles was a spitfire pilot in the war. He's here to tell you some old war stories.
Biggles: Hello class. It's true, I was involved in many dogfights in the war. I remember this time when I saw these fokkers...
Teacher: Class, a Fokker was a type of German aircraft.
Biggles: Like I was saying, I remember this time when I saw these fokkers in Messerschmitts coming out of the sun...

[Tmyers123]

Reminds me of an old story.

Teacher: Today class was have a special guest. Wing Cdr Biggles was a spitfire pilot in the war. He's here to tell you some old war stories.
Biggles: Hello class. It's true, I was involved in many dogfights in the war. I remember this time when I saw these fokkers...
Teacher: Class, a Fokker was a type of German aircraft.
Biggles: Like I was saying, I remember this time when I saw these fokkers in Messerschmitts coming out of the sun...

[borismorris]

Reminds me of an old story.

Teacher: Today class was have a special guest. Wing Cdr Biggles was a spitfire pilot in the war. He's here to tell you some old war stories.
Biggles: Hello class. It's true, I was involved in many dogfights in the war. I remember this time when I saw these fokkers...
Teacher: Class, a Fokker was a type of German aircraft.
Biggles: Like I was saying, I remember this time when I saw these fokkers in Messerschmitts coming out of the sun...

https://youtu.be/-8Yf5B6GbYk

[Ryan.]

Although certainly not my favourite, I don't think it can be argued Boeing hasn't been the most influential.

[CJS]

With civil stuff perhaps, but not militarily surely?

[Tmyers123]

With civil stuff perhaps, but not militarily surely?

Easily Lockheed when it comes to military. But both civil and military, probably Boeing IMO.

[cg_341]

With civil stuff perhaps, but not militarily surely?

B-17, B-29, B-52, Apache, Chinook, Osprey, F-15, F-18, KC-135, C-17, E-3, E-4 and VC-25, and some missiles.

Ok, some of them carry the Boeing name through acquisition, which may or may not count..?!

[Puddlejumper]

Wright Brothers. First to fly a powered aircraft, first to repeatedly build to the same design. After that, everyone else is copying.

[verreli]

Sir George Cayley - Yorkshireman - Father of aviation. Taught the Wright Brothers all they knew...

[CJS]

With civil stuff perhaps, but not militarily surely?

B-17, B-29, B-52, Apache, Chinook, Osprey, F-15, F-18, KC-135, C-17, E-3, E-4 and VC-25, and some missiles.

Ok, some of them carry the Boeing name through acquisition, which may or may not count..?!

It's an impressive list for sure.

[Puddlejumper]

Sir George Cayley - Yorkshireman - Father of aviation. Taught the Wright Brothers all they knew...

Definitely earlier, and acknowledged by the Wrights as influential, but not a manufacturer, a serial builder of prototypes, and I don't believe he ever established a Company. Doesn't fit the question, so can't be the answer.

[CJS]

Sir George Cayley - Yorkshireman - Father of aviation. Taught the Wright Brothers all they knew...

Definitely earlier, and acknowledged by the Wrights as influential, but not a manufacturer, a serial builder of prototypes, and I don't believe he ever established a Company. Doesn't fit the question, so can't be the answer.

Have to agree there, you may as well say Icarus

[verreli]

Sir George Cayley - Yorkshireman - Father of aviation. Taught the Wright Brothers all they knew...

Definitely earlier, and acknowledged by the Wrights as influential, but not a manufacturer, a serial builder of prototypes, and I don't believe he ever established a Company. Doesn't fit the question, so can't be the answer.

Alas, you are right. If ever there was a case of someone being born ahead of his time, he is it. If he'd been born a mere 60 years later, Yorkshire would have been the location for the first powered controlled flight and who knows what would have progressed from there.