Stanley Aviation
Encyclopedia
Stanley Aviation is an aerospace company started by Robert M Stanley, the aviation pioneer, in Buffalo, New York
in 1948.
The company has since acquired several other companies and has been most recently acquired by Eaton Corporation
.
Stanley is also noted for its design and production of military aircraft
ejection seats; originally located in Aurora, Colorado
.
The company's exhibit collection of ejections seats was donated to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
, Denver, Colorado
, June 3, 2007.
1948 - Robert M. Stanley, founder and Navy test pilot
started his company.
1954 - awarded an ejection seat contracts. Stanley opened a new 75000 sq ft (6,967.7 m²) plant in Aurora, CO; then expanded to 140000 sq ft (13,006.4 m²) in the mid 1950s.
1964 - acquired the Gamah Corp. of Santa Monica, California
that designed and manufactured flexible 0-ring couplings and related aerospace parts and equipment.
1965 - GamahTM's products were licensed to Flight Refuelling Ltd.
of Wimborne, England for the Concorde
, Airbus
and Tornado
aircraft programs. Also, for US companies, Boeing
, Douglas Aircraft, NASA
(Apollo program, Lunar Excursion Module).
1977 - Mr. Stanley died in a plane crash on July 16, 1977. This started the close-out of contracts id , bought to an end an era in the history of the Corporation, and contracts in the aerospace industry. On July 21, 1990, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame
.
1981- Stanley Aviation was acquired by Flight Refuelling Limited, currently known as Cobham plc. A new group of products of aircraft fuel system and components were developed and sold.
1986 - Stanley Aviation's name was kept and acquired two companies: Stang Manufacturing, Inc. and K&V Manufacturing to develop and sell aviation ground support equipment. This included engine shipping and handling equipment, aircraft towbars and special aircraft tooling.
1988 - Stanley Aviation also added sheet metal
fabrication capabilities and new coupling devices for the C-17
program under the GamahTM product line. This included the Metal Seal coupling contract for the C-17 liquid oxygen
(LOX) and OBIGG systems; and self bonding/self locking/flexible couplings products for the C-17 Fuel System.
1990 - C-17 aircraft development further awarded Stanley a GSE towbar and engine handling/positioning systems contracts.
1991 -- An electronic controlled lift trailer for GSE program was completed and delivered in December.
1995 - Stanley was awarded a large multi-year contract for the Gulfstream V
aircraft's ECS tube assemblies.
1995 - Stanley developed new technologies in aircraft Fluid Delivery Systems (FDS).
2003 - Stanley Aviation acquired the Harrison division of the Sierracin Corporation, expanding it services by adding a full complement on high pressure hydraulic fittings and design capabilities.
2004 - A corporate realignment with Cobham plc expanded Stanley to include the EBU and Bleed Air Ducting division to handle an entire aircraft's fluid system requirements.
2005 - Eaton Corporation acquires Stanley Aviation as part of its acquisition of Cobham's aerospace business.
2007 - Stanley Ejection Seats Collection Exhibit donated to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
.
2009 - AGSE acquires Stanley Aviation from Eaton Corporation.
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in 1948.
The company has since acquired several other companies and has been most recently acquired by Eaton Corporation
Eaton Corporation
Eaton Corporation is a global diversified power management company with 2010 sales of $13.7 billion. The company is a leading provider of electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment;...
.
Stanley is also noted for its design and production of military aircraft
Military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
ejection seats; originally located in Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
.
The company's exhibit collection of ejections seats was donated to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which opened in 1994, is housed in the Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its...
, Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, June 3, 2007.
History
- Section source: Stanley Aviation History Page
1948 - Robert M. Stanley, founder and Navy test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
started his company.
1954 - awarded an ejection seat contracts. Stanley opened a new 75000 sq ft (6,967.7 m²) plant in Aurora, CO; then expanded to 140000 sq ft (13,006.4 m²) in the mid 1950s.
1964 - acquired the Gamah Corp. of Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
that designed and manufactured flexible 0-ring couplings and related aerospace parts and equipment.
1965 - GamahTM's products were licensed to Flight Refuelling Ltd.
Cobham plc
Cobham plc is a British manufacturing company based in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
of Wimborne, England for the Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
, Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
and Tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
aircraft programs. Also, for US companies, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, Douglas Aircraft, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
(Apollo program, Lunar Excursion Module).
1977 - Mr. Stanley died in a plane crash on July 16, 1977. This started the close-out of contracts id , bought to an end an era in the history of the Corporation, and contracts in the aerospace industry. On July 21, 1990, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame
National Aviation Hall of Fame
The American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
.
1981- Stanley Aviation was acquired by Flight Refuelling Limited, currently known as Cobham plc. A new group of products of aircraft fuel system and components were developed and sold.
1986 - Stanley Aviation's name was kept and acquired two companies: Stang Manufacturing, Inc. and K&V Manufacturing to develop and sell aviation ground support equipment. This included engine shipping and handling equipment, aircraft towbars and special aircraft tooling.
1988 - Stanley Aviation also added sheet metal
Sheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
fabrication capabilities and new coupling devices for the C-17
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
program under the GamahTM product line. This included the Metal Seal coupling contract for the C-17 liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
(LOX) and OBIGG systems; and self bonding/self locking/flexible couplings products for the C-17 Fuel System.
1990 - C-17 aircraft development further awarded Stanley a GSE towbar and engine handling/positioning systems contracts.
1991 -- An electronic controlled lift trailer for GSE program was completed and delivered in December.
1995 - Stanley was awarded a large multi-year contract for the Gulfstream V
Gulfstream V
The Gulfstream V is a business jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace. It is also used by the US military under the designation C-37A. The G500 and G550 are improved versions which are currently in production...
aircraft's ECS tube assemblies.
1995 - Stanley developed new technologies in aircraft Fluid Delivery Systems (FDS).
- Aircraft involvement:
- Boeing X-32Boeing X-32The Boeing X-32 was a multi-purpose jet fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter contest. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator which was further developed into the F-35 Lightning II.-Background:...
Joint Strike Fighter (Demonstrator Aircraft) - Fairchild Dornier's D0728 Regional Jet
- Gulfstream G450 Air Distribution System
- Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning IIF-35 Lightning IIThe Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
(Joint Strike Fighter)
- Boeing X-32
2003 - Stanley Aviation acquired the Harrison division of the Sierracin Corporation, expanding it services by adding a full complement on high pressure hydraulic fittings and design capabilities.
2004 - A corporate realignment with Cobham plc expanded Stanley to include the EBU and Bleed Air Ducting division to handle an entire aircraft's fluid system requirements.
2005 - Eaton Corporation acquires Stanley Aviation as part of its acquisition of Cobham's aerospace business.
2007 - Stanley Ejection Seats Collection Exhibit donated to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which opened in 1994, is housed in the Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its...
.
2009 - AGSE acquires Stanley Aviation from Eaton Corporation.
Downward ejection seats
- B-47 StratojetB-47 StratojetThe Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
and RB-47 - XB-52 StratofortressB-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
- RB-66 DestroyerB-66 Destroyer|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
- F-104 StarfighterF-104 StarfighterThe Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
and Lockheed XF-104Lockheed XF-104The Lockheed XF-104 was a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor prototype for a United States Air Force series of lightweight and simple fighters. Only two aircraft were built, one aircraft was used primarily for aerodynamic research and the other served as an armament testbed....
Upward ejection seats
- YB-47 StratojetB-47 StratojetThe Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
- FJ FuryFJ FuryThe North American FJ-2/-3 Fury were a series of swept-wing carrier-capable fighters for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Based on the United States Air Force's F-86 Sabre, these aircraft featured folding wings, and a longer nose landing strut designed to both increase angle of attack upon...
, specifically, FJ-2 - F-106 Delta DartF-106 Delta DartThe Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...
, specifically F-106A - F4H(F-4) Phantom II
- P6M SeaMasterP6M SeaMasterThe Martin P6M SeaMaster, built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, was a 1950s strategic bomber flying boat for the United States Navy that almost entered service; production aircraft had been built and Navy crews were undergoing operational conversion, with a service entry about six months off, when...