25 Facts About Desmond Norman

Desmond Norman died of a heart attack at age 73 in 2002.

The son of Nigel Desmond Norman, he attended Twyford School in Winchester, before being evacuated to the United States during the Second World War.

Desmond Norman was outstanding at sport, particularly on the rugby field and in the Eton Eight, which he stroked at Henley in 1946.

Desmond Norman went straight from Eton into a two-year engineering apprenticeship at the de Havilland Technical School.

Desmond Norman later joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force No 601 Squadron RAF.

In 1954, Desmond started Britten-Norman with co-founder John Britten, a fellow de Havilland graduate.

Desmond Norman discovered, in John Britten, a partner who was equally keen to make a career out of aircraft design.

The reason was a revolutionary rotary atomiser, whose potential in aerial work Desmond Norman had recognised and set about developing.

Desmond Norman recalled that Britten-Norman came about as an aircraft manufacturer because of his and John Britten's experiences as agricultural operators.

At one time, Britten-Desmond Norman operated 80 agricultural aircraft and the need to consider replacement equipment led to an association with Leyland Snow of Texas.

Desmond Norman acquired a one-third share in the Snow Aeronautical Corp.

At the time, there was no other aircraft that filled its remit, and Desmond Norman foresaw the market potential of an island-hopping passenger plane.

In 1960 Britten-Desmond Norman developed the early Cushioncraft with support from Elders and Fyffes Ltd.

Britten-Desmond Norman Ltd had a shareholding in Hovertravel Ltd, of which Desmond Norman was a director since its inception in 1965.

In 1971, Britten-Desmond Norman went into liquidation and was purchased by the Fairey Aviation group in 1972, Desmond Norman stayed on as managing director until 1976.

Desmond Norman advertised in Flight magazine AeroNorTec's ability to carry out projects right through to compliance with clients' airworthiness certification requirements.

Desmond Norman held the position of Chief Designer of Tenencia Aerospace Desmond Norman had been associated with the company in its earlier incarnation when in 2005, the Design Department of Atlantic Airmotive Ltd was subject to a management buyout and a new company was formed: Tenencia Ltd.

Desmond Norman designed the necessary modifications to Dakota G-ANAF which included the radome from a Britten-Norman Defender aircraft, the aircraft would be operated by the Atlantic group on special flights from Coventry around Malvern to test the respective equipment, an underfin was later added for improved directional control together with other detail differences.

Desmond Norman name was changed to The Norman Aeroplane Company with effect from 22 July 1985 when the company moved to Wales, simultaneously with a transfer of its manufacturing base to Cardiff Airport, Wales, largely funded by the Welsh Development Agency.

Desmond Norman commissioned RCS Aviation Ltd to reverse engineer and retrofit a CNC machined spar modification into the Turbine Firecracker.

Skylander project In early 2000 Desmond Norman was associated with the design of the Skylander project developed by GECI International of France.

Desmond Norman commissioned RCS Aviation Ltd to conduct an initial design assessment of aerodynamic loads, control and stability.

Desmond Norman oversaw the development of the Skylander SB-105 using GECI engineering resources in Romania.

In 1995 Desmond Norman produced a design patent for a STOL aircraft of swept wing planform with forward cockpit and pylon mounted propeller of larger than normal diameter with fixed downwardly inclined thrust line.

Desmond Norman died of a heart attack at Basingstoke railway station, in Hampshire, on 13 November 2002.