Alliott Verdon Roe
A.V. Roe, founder of A.V Roe & Co, Avro and Saunders Roe conducted flying trials at Brooklands during the first half of 1908 and achieved short hops at Brooklands on the 8th June 1908 in his Roe-1 Avroplane. This has been generally acknowledged to have been the beginning of powered flight in the UK by an Englishman.
A.V Roe was forced to relocate from Brooklands to Lea Marshes and having constructed an entirely new 'tractor' triplane under the railway arches became the first person to fly an entirely English aircraft (pilot, plane and engine) with his Avro triplane on 13th July 1909.
A.V. Roe and Avro 1910 onwards
In 1910, with his brother Humphrey, A.V. Roe founded A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd, one of the earliest, largest and longest lasting aircraft companies in the world. The company went on to manufacture some of the most famous names in British Aviation: Avro 504, Anson, Lancaster, Shackleton and Vulcan and still survives as a part of BAe Systems Plc.
A television documentary is planned for production over the next two years on the life and achievements of A.V.Roe. On June 7th 2008, a commemorative souvenir book was published celebrating A.V.Roe's early flight trials and the long association of Brooklands with aviation.
A limited number of copies of the souvenir programme are available priced at £8.00 per copy including VAT. To secure a copy, please email helen@britishaviation100.com
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