Normalair
Encyclopedia
Normalair Garrett Limited (NGL), or Normalair, was a British manufacturing company based in Yeovil
, Somerset
, England. It manufactured high altitude life support equipment for the aerospace industry. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell
International Inc.
The company originally grew out of the Westland Aircraft
Company who in 1933 enabled the Houston
Everest expedition to make the first ever flight over Mount Everest
, using oxygen
and heating systems - precursors of the systems that would eventually be produced by Normalair.
Westland Aircraft produced a cabin pressurisation
control valve in 1941 for use in the Westland Welkin
high altitude fighter bomber aircraft. Though the Welkin never got into full scale production the same valve was used in Mosquito
, Wellington
and Spitfire
aircraft.
, Westland had decided to focus on building helicopter
s, for which their high altitude technology was of no use; and on 15 March 1946 Normalair Limited was established on the Westland site in Yeovil. Ted Boulger was appointed general manager. with J Fearn appointed as Westland Board Director with responsibility for the new company.
During the 1950s the company grew and continued to focus upon providing equipment that would allow aviators to operate at high altitude. In 1951 the company signed an agreement with the Eclipse Pioneer division of Bendix Aviation
, now also owned by Honeywell, to manufacture and modify oxygen breathing regulators for aircrew. During this period, the Royal Aircraft Establishment
gave the company responsibility for all military oxygen work and as a result acquired complete life support systems capability including oxygen masks and emergency oxygen supply.
In anticipation of the long range support needed by the de Havilland Comet
Normalair set up subsidiaries in Melbourne
, Australia
and in Toronto
, Canada
. The company employed 250 people in 1954 and in the same year produced LOX (Liquid Oxygen
) converters for the German Air Force, F-86 Sabre
.
' Defence White Paper
caused the cancellation of many aircraft projects. The company decided to diversify into other markets and took a licence from Drägerwerke
, of Germany, to produce compressed air diving and oxygen breathing apparatus. Normalair achieved most success with portable oxygen systems with the equipment supplied for the first successful ascent, by Tenzing and Hillary, of Mount Everest
.
Relatively short lived was Normalair's entry into the automotive air conditioning market where the systems were optional extras on Wolseley
Wolseley 6/110, Austin Westminster
110, Vanden Plas Princess, Land Rovers and some Rolls-Royce
s. However the company was some thirty years too early as demand for air conditioned cars in Europe did not materialise, the company withdrew from the market in 1964.
In 1960, further agreements with Bendix brought licensed production of hydraulic servo valves to Normalair's range of products. This expertise was then developed into for electro-hydraulic servo valves, actuators and lightweight solenoid operated hydraulic valves. The company also produced marine hydraulics and valves for submarines.
Also in 1960 the Industrial Electronics Division was formed to use Data Logging technology brought from Saunders-Roe
, when parent company Westland took them over. At the same time the company was involved with development and production of regulators for Harrier
and UK Phantom aircraft.
Normalair's high altititude laboratory included a chamber large enough to accommodate a full size mock-up of the Concorde fuselage. This was used for trials simulating the effects of supersonic cruise at up to 60,000ft - nearly twice the operating altitude of contemporary airliners. As well as these tests, Normalair developed the cabin pressure control equipment providing a comfortable environment for passengers.
in 1966 and the Garrett Corporation
took a 48% shareholding in the company, which was subsequently renamed Normalair-Garrett Limited (NGL). At this time the company had more than 1,300 employees.
NGL took over one of its main competitors, Teddington Aircraft Controls, in 1971. In the same year the company also acquired Aircraft Supplies Limited of Bournemouth
, whose premises were used to set up NGL's important product support activities. The company had entered numerous license agreements during its history but in this year it agreed to license manufacture of oxygen and environmental control systems to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
, of India
, for production of the HJT 16
aircraft.
Several major contracts were won in 1972 to supply the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) later to be named Panavia Tornado
. In the same year the company acquired the Westland foundry business in Hayes and transferred it to the Drayton Hydroflex premises in Chard
, Somerset. In that year also, Julian Knott set the world altitude record for a hot air balloon
of 35,971 ft using a balloon supplied with NGL oxygen equipment.
NGL won several contracts in 1974 to supply the HS146 regional jet, now called the BAe 146
with air conditioning and air systems management equipment.
Diversification continued with the purchase of Facet Enterprises filtration licenses from Voles in 1976. In the same year Normalair’s filtration division was formed in the former glove making factory at Shepton Beauchamp
facility, where it remained for 10 years before being moved to the Lynx Trading Estate in Yeovil near to the main plant.
The last vapour cycle air conditioning systems developed by Normalair were fitted to export versions of Alvis Stormer
and Scorpion
armoured vehicles, and the Khaled tank (a version of the Centurion
sold in the Middle East
).
The company later opted out of making vapour cycle systems to concentrate on air cycle systems only. Through luck or foresight, this decision was later to be vindicated when 15 years later; the Montreal Protocol
saw the end of Chlorofluorocarbon
and FC based systems.
In 1977 NGL began development of its first in-house designed aircraft data recorder, a sealed maintenance recorder for the McDonnell Douglas
(now Boeing
) F/A-18 Hornet A/B. A data recorder that had to meet unprecedented environmental and accuracy specifications and was Normalair’s first order for US defence equipment. The F/A-18 unit placed Normalair at the forefront of aircraft recorder technology and a dedicated electronics division was set up at Clarence Street , near to The Huish
football ground.
The height of Normalair’s fame came with the appearance of the Deep Dive 500 closed circuit breathing system (Scuba Set
) which appeared in the James Bond
, For Your Eyes Only (film)
. The system minimised the emission of bubbles and made it suitable for covert naval operations.
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It manufactured high altitude life support equipment for the aerospace industry. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
International Inc.
The company originally grew out of the Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...
Company who in 1933 enabled the Houston
Lucy, Lady Houston
Lucy, Lady Houston, DBE , born Fanny Lucy Radmall, was an English benefactor, philanthropist, adventuress and patriot.-Early life:...
Everest expedition to make the first ever flight over Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, using oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
and heating systems - precursors of the systems that would eventually be produced by Normalair.
Westland Aircraft produced a cabin pressurisation
Cabin pressurization
Cabin pressurization is the pumping of compressed air into an aircraft cabin to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew and passengers when flying at altitude.-Need for cabin pressurization:...
control valve in 1941 for use in the Westland Welkin
Westland Welkin
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hinckley, UK: Midland, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2....
high altitude fighter bomber aircraft. Though the Welkin never got into full scale production the same valve was used in Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
and Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
aircraft.
Formation of the company
At the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Westland had decided to focus on building helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, for which their high altitude technology was of no use; and on 15 March 1946 Normalair Limited was established on the Westland site in Yeovil. Ted Boulger was appointed general manager. with J Fearn appointed as Westland Board Director with responsibility for the new company.
During the 1950s the company grew and continued to focus upon providing equipment that would allow aviators to operate at high altitude. In 1951 the company signed an agreement with the Eclipse Pioneer division of Bendix Aviation
Bendix Aviation
The Bendix Aviation Corporation, a manufacturer of aircraft parts, was started by inventor Vincent Bendix in 1929 as a continuation of his auto parts company. It was renamed to Bendix Corporation in 1960, and in 1983 was acquired by the Allied Corporation and combined with King Radio company to...
, now also owned by Honeywell, to manufacture and modify oxygen breathing regulators for aircrew. During this period, the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
gave the company responsibility for all military oxygen work and as a result acquired complete life support systems capability including oxygen masks and emergency oxygen supply.
In anticipation of the long range support needed by the de Havilland Comet
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
Normalair set up subsidiaries in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The company employed 250 people in 1954 and in the same year produced LOX (Liquid Oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
) converters for the German Air Force, F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
.
Diversification
In 1957 the publication of Duncan SandysDuncan Sandys
Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys CH PC was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s...
' Defence White Paper
1957 Defence White Paper
The 1957 White Paper on Defence was a British white paper setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry...
caused the cancellation of many aircraft projects. The company decided to diversify into other markets and took a licence from Drägerwerke
Dräger
The Drägerwerk AG is a German company based in Lübeck which makes breathing and protection equipment, gas detection and analysis systems, and noninvasive patient monitoring technologies. Customers include hospitals, fire departments and diving companies....
, of Germany, to produce compressed air diving and oxygen breathing apparatus. Normalair achieved most success with portable oxygen systems with the equipment supplied for the first successful ascent, by Tenzing and Hillary, of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
.
Relatively short lived was Normalair's entry into the automotive air conditioning market where the systems were optional extras on Wolseley
Wolseley Motor Company
The Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
Wolseley 6/110, Austin Westminster
Austin Westminster
The Westminster series were large saloon and estate cars sold by the British Austin Motor Company from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. The Westminster line was produced as the A90, A95, A99, A105, and A110 until 1968 when the new Austin 3-Litre took its place...
110, Vanden Plas Princess, Land Rovers and some Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
s. However the company was some thirty years too early as demand for air conditioned cars in Europe did not materialise, the company withdrew from the market in 1964.
In 1960, further agreements with Bendix brought licensed production of hydraulic servo valves to Normalair's range of products. This expertise was then developed into for electro-hydraulic servo valves, actuators and lightweight solenoid operated hydraulic valves. The company also produced marine hydraulics and valves for submarines.
Also in 1960 the Industrial Electronics Division was formed to use Data Logging technology brought from Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders...
, when parent company Westland took them over. At the same time the company was involved with development and production of regulators for Harrier
Harrier Jump Jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
and UK Phantom aircraft.
Normalair's high altititude laboratory included a chamber large enough to accommodate a full size mock-up of the Concorde fuselage. This was used for trials simulating the effects of supersonic cruise at up to 60,000ft - nearly twice the operating altitude of contemporary airliners. As well as these tests, Normalair developed the cabin pressure control equipment providing a comfortable environment for passengers.
Garrett Corporation shareholding
The company won a Queens Award to Industry for ExportQueen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development. They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses...
in 1966 and the Garrett Corporation
Garrett AiResearch
Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, or simply AiResearch...
took a 48% shareholding in the company, which was subsequently renamed Normalair-Garrett Limited (NGL). At this time the company had more than 1,300 employees.
NGL took over one of its main competitors, Teddington Aircraft Controls, in 1971. In the same year the company also acquired Aircraft Supplies Limited of Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, whose premises were used to set up NGL's important product support activities. The company had entered numerous license agreements during its history but in this year it agreed to license manufacture of oxygen and environmental control systems to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia's largest aerospace companies. Under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence, this state-owned company is mainly involved in aerospace industry, which includes manufacturing and assembling aircraft, navigation and...
, of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, for production of the HJT 16
HAL Kiran
-See also:-See also:...
aircraft.
Several major contracts were won in 1972 to supply the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) later to be named Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
. In the same year the company acquired the Westland foundry business in Hayes and transferred it to the Drayton Hydroflex premises in Chard
Chard, Somerset
Chard is a town and civil parish in the Somerset county of England. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon border, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 12,000 and, at an elevation of , it is the southernmost and highest town in Somerset...
, Somerset. In that year also, Julian Knott set the world altitude record for a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
of 35,971 ft using a balloon supplied with NGL oxygen equipment.
NGL won several contracts in 1974 to supply the HS146 regional jet, now called the BAe 146
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...
with air conditioning and air systems management equipment.
Diversification continued with the purchase of Facet Enterprises filtration licenses from Voles in 1976. In the same year Normalair’s filtration division was formed in the former glove making factory at Shepton Beauchamp
Shepton Beauchamp
Shepton Beauchamp is a village and civil parish, from Barrington and north east of Ilminster between the Blackdown Hills and the Somerset Levels in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England.-History:...
facility, where it remained for 10 years before being moved to the Lynx Trading Estate in Yeovil near to the main plant.
The last vapour cycle air conditioning systems developed by Normalair were fitted to export versions of Alvis Stormer
Alvis Stormer
Alvis Stormer is a modern military armoured vehicle manufactured by the British company, Alvis Vickers, now BAE Systems Global Combat Systems....
and Scorpion
FV101 Scorpion
The FV101 Scorpion is a British armoured reconnaissance vehicle. It was the lead vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance , CVR, family of seven armoured vehicles...
armoured vehicles, and the Khaled tank (a version of the Centurion
Centurion tank
The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
sold in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
).
The company later opted out of making vapour cycle systems to concentrate on air cycle systems only. Through luck or foresight, this decision was later to be vindicated when 15 years later; the Montreal Protocol
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion...
saw the end of Chlorofluorocarbon
Chlorofluorocarbon
A chlorofluorocarbon is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane and ethane. A common subclass are the hydrochlorofluorocarbons , which contain hydrogen, as well. They are also commonly known by the DuPont trade name Freon...
and FC based systems.
In 1977 NGL began development of its first in-house designed aircraft data recorder, a sealed maintenance recorder for the McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
(now Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
) F/A-18 Hornet A/B. A data recorder that had to meet unprecedented environmental and accuracy specifications and was Normalair’s first order for US defence equipment. The F/A-18 unit placed Normalair at the forefront of aircraft recorder technology and a dedicated electronics division was set up at Clarence Street , near to The Huish
The Huish
Huish was the former ground of Yeovil Town between 1928 and 1990. It was famous for an 8-foot side to side slope, and when Yeovil beat Sunderland in the FA Cup 4th Round in 1948/49.It is now the site of a Tesco Extra hypermarket.-External links:**...
football ground.
The height of Normalair’s fame came with the appearance of the Deep Dive 500 closed circuit breathing system (Scuba Set
Scuba set
A scuba set is an independent breathing set that provides a scuba diver with the breathing gas necessary to breathe underwater during scuba diving. It is much used for sport diving and some sorts of work diving....
) which appeared in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, For Your Eyes Only (film)
For Your Eyes Only (film)
For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It marked the directorial debut of John Glen, who had worked as editor and second unit director in three other Bond films. The screenplay by Richard Maibaum...
. The system minimised the emission of bubbles and made it suitable for covert naval operations.