The Lakes Flying Company was an early British aircraft manufacturer of seaplanes based at Windermere

Windermere

Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...

. In 1914 it was taken over by the Northern Aircraft Company Limited.

History

The first product of the Lakes Flying Company was the Lakes Water Bird

Lakes Water Bird

The Lakes Waterbird, sometimes known as the Avro Curtiss type is remembered as the first consistently successful British seaplane, developed by the Windemere based Lakes Flying Co, during 1911.-Development:...

 which first flew on 25 November 1911 but was destroyed in March 1912 when the Hangar collapsed in a gale. The Water Bird was the first successful British seaplane. It was followed by two further aircraft the Water Hen and Sea Bird

Lakes Sea Bird

The Lakes Sea Bird was a two-seat floatplane built during 1912 by the Lakes Flying Company using the fuselage of the Avro Duigan. It gave many visitors to Windermere their first flight in the suummer of 1913-Development:...

. The final design was the Hydro-monoplane. The seaplanes performed many pleasure flights from the Lake for the general public. In November 1914 the company was bought by the Northern Aircraft Company and the lakeside facility was expanded and pilot training (advertised as The Seaplane School) as well as the pleasure flights were undertaken.

One of the pilots of the Northern Aircraft Company was John Lankester Parker

John Lankester Parker

John Lankester Parker OBE FRAeS Hon. MSLAE was Chief Test Pilot for Short Brothers from 1918 until his retirement in 1945. He joined Shorts in 1916 as a part-time test pilot and assistant to then Chief Test Pilot Ronald Kemp, having been recommended for the post by Captain, later Admiral Sir,...

, who became Chief Test Pilot

Test pilot

A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....

 for the Short Brothers

Short Brothers

Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...

 company in Rochester, Kent and later Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland.

Aircraft

• 1911 Lakes Water Bird
  Lakes Water Bird
  The Lakes Waterbird, sometimes known as the Avro Curtiss type is remembered as the first consistently successful British seaplane, developed by the Windemere based Lakes Flying Co, during 1911.-Development:...
  
  
• 1912 Lakes Water Hen
• 1912 Lakes Sea Bird
  Lakes Sea Bird
  The Lakes Sea Bird was a two-seat floatplane built during 1912 by the Lakes Flying Company using the fuselage of the Avro Duigan. It gave many visitors to Windermere their first flight in the suummer of 1913-Development:...
  
  
• 1914 Lakes Hydro-monoplane