Boeing

Boeing was started by William Boeing in Seattle Washington state, and their main fatory is still there. The first plane Boeing made was the B&W seaplane with a top speed of 75mph (120kph). William hoped that the US Navy would buy but was unlucky. Like many aircraft manufacturers the end of world war 1 was a disaster because the Air Force cancelled the orders so he cut his staf to two and made furniture. In 1930 Boeing made a new plane called the monoplane which was the first non byplane.

Airbus

Airbus makes planes like Boeing their greatest competitor. Airbus is a european company. Airbus is most famous for the world bigest airliner, the A380.

Macdonald Douglas

This company also made planes but unlike the others it went bankrupt in 2001. The company had been in money trouble for years when it was ready to show the world the MD 10 and MD 9. Both planes have troubled histories but are they popular. Macdonald douglas was bought by Boeing.

Lockheed

Lockheed won a contract for a huge cargo plane but the company overran it's budget and had to be saved by the government and now no longer makes commrcial airlines. With the cash from the govement it crated the Tristsr wich looks identical the the DC10.

De havland

De havland was britains aircraft manufacturing company but it went bankrupt in about 1958 after the government banned it's most popular plane, the comet because it was unsafe.