Hawker - The early years

There was a time in the 1930s when Hawker aeroplanes made up more than 80 per cent of the RAF’s front-line inventory. This remarkable achievement was testament to many things, perhaps above all the ‘keep it simple’ ethos of chief designer Sydney Camm. Between the wars, the creations of Camm and his team bestrode an era of British aviation. But, inevitably, bound up in the story are tales of personal disagreement, of clashing egos and of workplace politics. In the centenary year of Hawker aircraft, Camm’s latest biographer starts our salute by examining how the company at Kingston-upon-Thames achieved such a dominant position during its first 15 years

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