Background
Charles Fairey was born on 5 May 1887 in Hendon, Middlesex, United Kingdom.
Charles Fairey was born on 5 May 1887 in Hendon, Middlesex, United Kingdom.
He educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood and Ardingly College, and later as an apprentice at the Finsbury Technical College where he studied City & Guilds courses in electrical engineering and chemistry.
After only two years as chief engineer to Short Brothers he founded the Fairey Aviation Co in 1915 and stimulated the design of more than 100 types of planes. The most famous were the fast bomber Fox (1925), the record-setting Long Range Monoplane (1928), the wartime Swordfish, the Gyrodyne helicopter (1948), the Gannet (1954), and the Fairey Delta (1956). The latter was the first plane to exceed the speed of sound. Fairey also was a famous yachtsman. Knighted (MBE) in 1942 and becoming director- general of the British Air Commission in Washington, he held that post until 1945.
Fairey remained in charge of his company until his death in the early morning of 30 September 1956, Fairey, who was 69, had been suffering for several years from a heart condition. During those forty years he was involved with the development of many of the companies most important products including; aircraft, rotorcraft, marine craft, mechanical engineering and rocketry.
