Founded in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome in Edgware, north London, De Havilland was a prominent British aviation manufacturer. The company later relocated its operations to Hatfield in Hertfordshire.
Renowned for its innovative designs, De Havilland produced several significant aircraft, such as the Moth biplane that transformed aviation in the 1920s, the Fox Moth light passenger aircraft of the 1930s, the versatile wooden DH98 Mosquito used as a fighter/bomber during World War II, powered by two Rolls-Royce V12 liquid-cooled engines referred to as ‘mosquito engines’.
The company pioneered the DH106 Comet, the first passenger jet airliner. This aircraft was designed and built at Hatfield and first flown by John Cunningham in 1949.
In 1960, De Havilland became part of the Hawker Siddeley Group, with the brand name being phased out in 1963; eventually merging into BAE Systems.
