Hamilton Standard was an American
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
propeller parts supplier. It was formed in 1929 when
United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William Boeing of Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation teamed up with Frederick Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney to form a large, vertically-integrated, amalgamated firm, ...
consolidated Hamilton Aero Manufacturing and Standard Steel Propeller into the Hamilton Standard Propeller Corporation. Other members of United Aircraft included
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
,
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. ,
Sikorsky and
Pratt & Whitney. At the time, Hamilton was the largest manufacturer of aircraft propellers in the world.
History
Standard Steel Propeller had been formed in 1918 in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, Pennsylvania, and Hamilton Aero Manufacturing had been formed in 1920 in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, Wisconsin, by
Thomas F. Hamilton.
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
's ''
Spirit of St. Louis
The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlant ...
'' used a propeller made by Standard Steel Propeller Company in his historic solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The two companies were merged in 1929 by the
United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William Boeing of Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation teamed up with Frederick Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney to form a large, vertically-integrated, amalgamated firm, ...
.
In the early 1930s,
Frank W. Caldwell of Hamilton Standard led a team that developed a variable-pitch propeller, using hydraulic pressure and centrifugal force to change the
angle of attack of the blades. Caldwell received the 1933
Collier Trophy for this advance in flight propulsion. Later advances included full-feathering and reversible propellers.
Hamilton Standard was a division of
United Aircraft Corporation
, former_name = OJSC United Aircraft Corporation (2006–2015)
, type = Public, PJSC
, traded_as =
, industry = Aerospace, defense
, predecessor = Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, Yakovlev
, founded =
, founder = Vladimir P ...
(1934) along with Pratt & Whitney (engines).
In the early 1950s Hamilton developed the technology to accurately meter fuel in jet engines, and its fuel controls were employed on
Boeing 707s and
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company.
After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in July ...
s, as well as most other Pratt & Whitney jet engines. In 1952, Hamilton Standard opened its plant in
Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Windsor Locks is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,613. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region and occupies approxi ...
. In 1958, Hamilton's first environmental control system entered service on the
Convair 880. In 1968, Hamilton began delivering automatic, electronic systems for control of cabin pressure in aircraft. Hamilton's mechanical fuel controls, in use since the 1950s, evolved into electronically controlled fuel controls, and eventually, to full-authority digital electronic controls (
FADEC) for jet engines, which are in use today on many commuter, airline, and military engine applications. Hamilton's environmental systems and early association with
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
were highlighted in the 1969
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...
moon landing - supported by environmental control,
fuel cell, and
life support systems manufactured by Hamilton Standard.
General Motors' propeller business, which originated with its purchase of Aeroproducts in 1940, was acquired by Hamilton Standard in 1990.
Mergers
In 1999, the
United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...
acquired the
Sundstrand Corporation
Sundstrand Corporation was founded in 1926 as a merger of the Rockford Tool Company and Rockford Milling Machine Company in Rockford, Illinois. It was known as Sundstrand Machine Tool Company until 1959 when shareholders voted to change the name ...
and merged it with Hamilton to form
Hamilton Sundstrand
Hamilton Sundstrand was an American globally active corporation that manufactured and supported aerospace and industrial products for worldwide markets. A subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, it was headquartered in Windsor Locks, Con ...
. Sundstrand brought a long history and portfolio of aerospace products to the newly named company. Hamilton Sundstrand continues to provide aerospace components and systems to most of the world's aircraft manufacturers, including
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
,
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
,
Bombardier, and
Embraer.
In 2012 Hamilton Sundstrand merged with
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation, formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, was an American manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Benjamin Goodrich, the company name was cha ...
to become
UTC Aerospace Systems
UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) was one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company was formed in August 2012 when parent United Technologies Corporation ...
.
In 2018, UTC merged UTC Aerospace Systems with
Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins was a multinational corporation headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. It was formed when the Collins Radio Comp ...
to form
Collins Aerospace.
See also
*
List of aircraft propeller manufacturers
*
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 was an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia aircraft that crashed near Carrollton, Georgia, on August 21, 1995. Nine of the 29 passengers and crew on board were killed as a result of the accident. The accident bore si ...
*
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 was a regularly scheduled commuter flight in Georgia in the southeastern United States, from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Glynco Jetport (since renamed Brunswick Golden Isles Airpor ...
References
{{UTC Aerospace Systems
Aerospace companies of the United States
Aircraft propeller manufacturers
Companies based in Hartford County, Connecticut
Manufacturing companies established in 1929