Brantly International

File:Flugausstellung Hermeskeil Brantly B2 - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg]]

The company started out 1945 as Brantly Helicopter Corporation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded by Newby O. Brantly. Brantly was so impressed with the Sikorsky VS-300 that he decided to design his own helicopter.The Brantly Helicopter by Kristen Hynes In 1946 his first helicopter, the Brantly B-1 with coaxial rotors made its first flight. The B-1 was not put into production.

Using lessons learned from the B-1, he decided to build a two-seater with a simple rotor design. This helicopter, the Brantly B-2, made its first flight 1953. In 1957 the company moved to Frederick, Oklahoma, where the B-2 was certified in 1959. He later designed the Brantly 305, a five-seater which made its first flight 1964. It was certified by the FAA in 1965, the same year it entered production.

File:Brantly 305 G-ASXF Kidlington 29.10.66 edited-2.jpg

Lear Jet acquired the Brantly Helicopter Corporation in 1966; at this time the {{convert|180000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} factory in Frederick, Oklahoma had 100 employees.{{cite magazine |title=Lear Jet Acquires Brantly |magazine=Flight International |date=2 June 1966 |volume=89 |issue=2986 |page=910 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/archive/?view=1966/1966%20-%201609 |access-date=25 November 2019}} The factory moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1969. Aeronautical Research & Development Corporation (ARDC) bought all the rights to Brantly helicopters from Lear Jet in 1969, but they ended operations in early 1970.

In 1972, the rights were acquired as Brantly Operators Inc. by Michael K. Hynes. He renamed the company in 1975 as Brantly-Hynes Helicopter Inc. Later that year, the Franklin Capital Corp, headed by F. Lee Bailey who also owned Enstrom Helicopter Corporation at that time, purchased the company.{{cite magazine |title=Rebirth of the Brantly |magazine=Flight International |date=13 November 1975 |volume=108 |issue=3479 |page=715 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/archive/?view=1975/1975%20-%202493 |access-date=25 November 2019}} Brantly-Hynes originally were just providing product support but later placed the B-2 and 305 back into production.

The new factory in Vernon was built 1989 by Japanese-American businessman James T. Kimura, who renamed the company as Brantly International. In 1994, the ownership was transferred to a Beijing-based company, FESCO. In 1996, they achieved an FAA production certificate. In 2007, Cheng Shenzong, referred to as the "helicopter king" in China, acquired a major interest in the company, and a joint venture between Brantly International Inc, Qingdao Wenquan International Aviation Investment Co., Ltd, and Qingdao Brantly Investment Consultation Co., Ltd. was established.{{cite web |url=http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120717000045&cid=1206 |title=Can a small Chinese company turn Hawker Beechcraft around?｜Companies｜Business｜WantChinaTimes.com |access-date=10 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205184613/http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120717000045&cid=1206 |archive-date=5 February 2013 }}{{cite web |author= |date=13 July 2012 |title=The 'Helicopter King of China' Is Quietly Building An Empire |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-helicopter-king-of-china-is-quietly-building-an-empire-2012-7 |access-date=4 February 2016 |work=Business Insider |agency=AP}}

The factory at the Wilbarger County Airport closed at the end of 2010, and engineering and administrative offices of Brantly moved to Coppell, Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.brantly.com/|title=Brantly B-2B Helicopter - Home Page|access-date=4 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126113258/http://www.brantly.com/|archive-date=26 January 2016}} Not many helicopters were sold in the last years of manufacturing in Texas. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) statistic for US Civil Helicopter Shipments between 1981 and 2007 showed 12 delivered B-2Bs.

Qingdao Haili Helicopters Co. Ltd. is now the only manufacturer of the B-2B helicopter.{{cite web|url=http://www.brantly.com/profile.htm|title=Brantly B-2B Helicopter - Company Profile|access-date=4 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202071544/http://brantly.com/profile.htm|archive-date=2 February 2016}}{{Cite web |title=Brief Introduction of Qingdao Haili Helicopter Co. Ltd. |url=http://www.qingdaohaili.com/English/index.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321152737/http://www.qingdaohaili.com/English/index.asp |archive-date=2012-03-21 |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=qingdaohaili.com}}

• 1946 - Brantly B-1
• 1953 - Brantly B-2: pre-production version.
• Brantly B-2A: basic production version.
• Brantly B-2B: improved version of the B-2, fitted with new metal rotor blades and an uprated fuel-injected 180 hp Lycoming piston engine. This is the only version currently available.
• Brantly B-2J10: projected tandem-rotor version with longer and wider fuselage for carrying passengers and/or cargo. None built.
• 1964 – Brantly 305: an enlarged B-2.

• {{portal-inline|Aviation}}

{{reflist|refs=

Orbis 1985, p. 838

}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|publisher= Orbis Publishing}}

{{refend}}

{{Commons category|Brantly International}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/19980111073745/http://brantly.com/ Brantly International website]

{{Brantly aircraft}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

Category:Helicopter manufacturers of the United States

Category:Companies based in Coppell, Texas