Fairey FD.1 Pillow

The Fairey FD.1 holds a quietly remarkable place in British aviation history — it was the first British-designed aircraft to fly with a delta wing. Originally conceived as a ramp-launched vertical takeoff fighter intended for use from smaller ships and aircraft carriers, the concept was reworked by the Ministry of Supply into a pure research aircraft under Specification E.10/47, tasked with exploring the then-largely-unknown flight characteristics of the delta wing at transonic speeds. The sole completed airframe, VX350, was built at Fairey's Heaton Chapel factory in Stockport, assembled at Ringway Airport in Manchester, and made its maiden flight on 12 March 1951, with Fairey test pilot Group Captain Gordon Slade at the controls. Testing revealed serious stability problems characterised as "dangerous," and the two additional ordered airframes were cancelled before production. The FD.1 never came close to fulfilling its potential — it was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Boscombe Down in February 1956, and later scrapped after being used as a target on the Shoeburyness weapons range. Yet its true legacy lies not in what it achieved, but in what it proved possible: the knowledge gained from the FD.1 fed directly into Fairey's next design, the sleek and elegant Delta 2 — the aircraft that would go on to shatter the world air speed record in 1956. Without the ungainly, troublesome little FD.1, there may never have been an FD.2.

Product details:
• 100% polyester case and insert
• Fabric weight: 6.49–7.37 oz./yd.² (220–250 g/m²)
• Hidden zipper
• Machine-washable case
• Shape-retaining polyester insert included (handwash only)
• Blank product components in the US sourced from China and Mexico
• Blank product components in the EU sourced from China and Poland

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!