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The book Triplane to Typhoon, the definitive record of aircraft produced in Lancashire and the North West of England from 1910 to the present day, came about as a result of a discussion between aviation writer
James H Longworth and civic leaders representing the region at the Farnborough International Air Show 2002.

Today, a third of the UK aerospace industry is located in Lancashire and the North West. Altogether, around 1,000 companies employing 60,000 people are associated with aerospace in the region. They include 'primes' such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Airbus. The combined turnover of North West aerospace companies is £7 billion per annum, one third of that of the UK's total aerospace sector which is itself the second largest in the world. North West aerospace is a world scale, world class industry extending across design, airframe manufacturing, aero-engine, avionics, in-flight and ground support equipment, aircraft final assembly and flight testing. It is supported by advanced technology 'high tech' engineering industries engaged in tooling, materials, treatments, technical analysis and testing, information technology, technical documentation and ancillary support services. It is linked to a wider defence sector encompassing ordnance, missiles and naval shipbuilding together with automotive, chemical, environmental and pharmaceutical industries.

So important is the industry to the regional economy that in 1994 leading personalities from aerospace companies in the area, together with Lancashire County Council, were founding members of the Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace (CLA), now the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA), which today represents hundreds of small, medium and large aerospace companies across the region. Since 1994 NWAA member companies and the County Council have been regular exhibitors at international events such as the Farnborough and Paris Air Shows, where promotional and marketing initiatives have secured millions of pounds' worth of orders for the area's aerospace industry.

2003 was of particular significance as the centenary of the world's first manned, powered flights by the Wright brothers at Kittyhawk, North Carolina. With further aviation centenaries anticipated over the next few years, notably the establishment by A.V.Roe of an aircraft works in Manchester and the holding of two international air meetings at Blackpool in 1909/1910, the discussion at Farnborough in 2002 concluded that the growth of this great industry in Lancashire and the North West should be documented as a record of the achievements of the pioneering personalities, their companies and the aircraft they have produced.

Over the years, aviation publications have proliferated, many devoted to the history of individual companies or dealing solely with one or another type of iconic aircraft. But, before Triplane to Typhoon, none had encompassed the growth of the industry as a whole in the region by setting out the circumstances of the 150 major types, totalling some 50,000 aircraft, produced by factories in the area from 1910 to the present day.

This then was the background to Triplane to Typhoon, a lavishly illustrated hardback narrative and reference book of over 340 pages with more than 280 black and white and colour photographs, many of full-page format showing aircraft set against spectacular coastal, rural and urban backdrops in the North West. The book includes appendices detailing the types, numbers and production centres of aircraft, a timeline chart and detailed index.

With the support of County Councillors Terry Burns (Chairman of Lancashire County Council 2006-7, appointed MBE in 2008) and John Cavanagh, together with other elected representatives and officers of the County Council, Triplane to Typhoon was first published in 2005 by Lancashire County Developments Ltd. on behalf of Lancashire County Council, with the support of BAE Systems. It was reprinted in 2006.

At a high profile launch event held at County Hall, Preston in November 2005, attended by representatives of the industry and the media, guest speakers included Nigel Whitehead, Managing Director of BAE Systems Military Air Solutions and Dennis Mendoros, Chairman of the North West Aerospace Alliance. In his opening remarks, Mr.Whitehead described Triplane to Typhoon as "this fabulous book", a compliment which set the tone for many further plaudits which it subsequently received and continues to do so.