Fairey Aviation Company

Fairey Aviation Company Limited

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1915
Founder	Charles Richard Fairey
Defunct	1960 (aircraft manufacturing)
Fate	Defunct
Successor	Westland Aircraft, WFEL, Spectris
Headquarters	Hayes, Heaton Chapel, Ringway, UK
Key people	Robert L. Lickley Marcel Lobelle
Products	Swordfish Delta 2 Medium Girder Bridge
Subsidiaries	Avions Fairey Fairey Aviation of Canada Fairey Aviation Company of Australasia Fairey Air Surveys

The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire that designed important military aircraft, including the Fairey III family, the Swordfish, Firefly, and Gannet. It had a strong presence in the supply of naval aircraft, and also built bombers for the RAF.

After World War II the company diversified into mechanical engineering and boat-building. The aircraft manufacturing arm was taken over by Westland Aircraft in 1960. Following a series of mergers and takeovers, the principal successor businesses to the company became FBM Babcock Marine Ltd, Spectris plc, and WFEL (formerly Williams Fairey Engineering Limited), the latter manufacturing portable bridges.