Short Brothers

	SHORT BROTHERS Aviation Manufacturing Pioneers
	The Short Brothers, Horace (1872-1917), Eustace (1875-1932) and Oswald (1883-1969) were born and educated in England. They began their careers as British aviation pioneers by manufacturing and operating balloons in 1897. Inspired by the Wright brothers' 1908-1909 visit to Europe, the Shorts secured manufacturing rights to build the "Wright Flyer" airplane. They constructed six of these airplanes and, in 1912, began building aircraft of their own design. In 1919 Short Brothers began experimenting with light metal alloy stressed-skin construction which led to the development of metal hull flying boats and ultimately to large, long range, multi-engine flying boats. During World War II Short Brothers produced large numbers of multi-engine aircraft and established a major manufacturing site at Belfast, Northern Ireland. Following the war, the company developed and produced several successful passenger and cargo airplanes as well as basic pilot training airplanes. In 1989 Short Brothers was purchased by Bombardier, Inc. of Canada and today continues to design and manufacture major aerostructures in Belfast which are used in many of the world's leading aircraft. Short Brothers has the unique distinction of being the world's oldest aircraft company with a record of continuous production. Over the years their pioneering efforts have contributed significantly to the advancement of aviation.
	Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1998