Oooh, without wishing to crap too much on the French, may I be so bold as to step into the fray.......................
First Flight by a Brit in 1909, by A.V.Roe, later establishing AVRO, one of the greatest names in aviation.
First carrier deck landing by a Sopwith Pup in 1917 onto HMS
Furious.
14-15 June 1919. Alcock & Brown achieve the first non stop crossing of the Atlantic in a Vickers Vimy.
Same year, first scheduled daily international commercial flight anywhere in the World.
Amy Johnson's flight from Croydon to Darwin in 1930 marked the first such solo undertaking by a female pilot.
Winning of the 1931 Schneider trophy by a Supermarine S.6B ensured the trophy would remain in British hands into perpetuity.
First flight directly over Mt Everest in 1933 by a Westland PV.3
Although first 'attempted' in the USA, it was a British design that introduced the 'probe and drogue' method for today's mid air refuelling.
Some great British WW2 aircraft that impacted on an allied victory; Fairey Swordfish, Gloster Gladiator, Short Sunderland, Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster, De Havilland Mosquito and of course, the Supermarine Spitfire. There are many others but there are few aviation followers who will not have heard of those mentioned above. Feel free to name just one famous French aircraft that flew in WW2.
1941, a gentleman by the name of (later Sir) Frank Whittle, recognised as the inventor of the jet engine. No, it wasn't the Germans.
Vickers Viscount became the first turboprop transport to fly in 1948. 445 were built serving more than 60 airlines in some 40 countries. ( A rare British commercial success I admit!)
1949, the De Havilland Comet became the World's first jetliner. ( Sud Aviation borrowed the forward section of the Comet as the design for their own carravelle cockpit). Although heavily modified, the legacy of this pioneering aircraft lives on today in the Nimrod.
World's first analogue fly by wire system, used on the Saro Princess 10 engined flying boat in 1952. Only one was built though...... a bit like the Bristol Brabazon in 1949!
1951 & 52, the birth of the V bombers. Vickers Valiant, Avro Vulcan and Handley Page Victor.
1952 also saw the birth of VTOL. The 'Flying Bedstead' was the testbed for the P.1127, the prototype and concept for what later became the Hawker Harrier (1960).
1954 was the year that the ultimate British jet fighter took to the skies, the English Electric Lightning, remaining in service until 1988.
Fairey Rotodyne became the first VTOL airliner in 1957. Seating up to 48 pax, it never made full production due to cost cutting.
The Blackburn Buccaneer low level stricke aircraft first flew in 1958. Designed originally for carrier based nuclear strike, the Buccaneer played a vital role in the 1991 Gulf War before retiring in '94.
The Hawker Siddeley Trident was the innovator of Auto-Landing. First flown in 1962, it carried out the first autoland in zero visibility in 66. A year later, the first whilst operating a commercial flight.
Representing the epitome of the British aircraft industry's flair for elegant yet functional design was the Vickers VC-10. First flown in 1962, it is still operated today by the RAF as a tanker.
Hunting, later to become part of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), designed and flew the 1-11 in 1963. Rugged and dependable, it remained in service into the 1990's.
Formation of the Red Arrows RAF aerobatic team took place in 1965. A legend and, in my opinion, the best team bar none.
Westland Lynx helicopter, 30 years in production form 1971 and holder of many speed records. Still in service today.
The Hawker Siddeley Hawk, a World beating jet trainer with more than 900 built. First flying in 1974 and operated by 19 different countries, the Hawk remains the benchmark for modern jet trainers.
BAe/AVRO 146/RJ. 1981, an aircraft with over 390 examples produced and known for low noise and excellent take off and landing characteristics. Fitted with 4 'engines' because that's all they could manage to fit onto the wing!
Panavia Tornado and, more recently, the EF2000 Typhoon. Built in collaboration with European partners. Which brings me onto my favourite aircraft of all time
.......................
CONCORDE!
Even after its sad retirement, Concorde's memory lives on. An aircraft that changed the World, due ironically to Anglo-French collaboration. As is the case today with the Airbus A380 and other members of the Airbus family, European governments do not have the resources or funding to invest huge somes into single aircraft types. Dassault is certainly rare in this. So, rather than wasting time saying how much better we think we are all compared to other nationalities, perhaps we should appreciate the cooperation that took place between BAC and Aerospatiale in building an incomparable airliner that even the mighty Americans were jealous of.
Of course, the amazing Olympus engines that powered Concorde were British!
Harry