STOCKPORT WFEL IN AVIATION HISTORY

Stockport based WFEL, a world leader in tactical military bridges, has helped to make US aviation history as the F-35 Lightning II made its inaugural take-off from a WFEL ski jump above the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Patuxent River, Maryland, the first time that an F-35 Lightning II has taken off from a ski jump.

Designed, developed and manufactured by WFEL in Heaton Chapel where they employ a team of 250 highly-skilled engineers and support staff, the WFEL ski jump is the first of its type to be built anywhere in the world and replicates the runway of an aircraft carrier, enabling the F-35 to be tested on land before the first shipboard ski jump launch from HMS Queen Elizabeth. Ski-jump ramps provide an aircraft with an upward flight path, meaning the aircraft can take off from a shorter runway with a heavier payload.

WFEL chief executive Ian Wilson said:

“We have a strong heritage in applying our specialised design and manufacturing skills to high quality and technically-challenging products. We made a strategic move to apply our engineering expertise to challenges like the ski jump for customers such as the US military, who we’ve been working with since the 1980s.

“The F-35 is one of the most advanced military aircraft ever made and we are proud to support one of our largest customers in achieving aviation history.”

WFEL has supplied 39 armed forces across the world for over four decades and is re-known for their engineering excellence and innovation, from concept design to full scale production of rapidly-deployable, modern bridging systems for use in military and disaster relief scenarios.

Source: http://www.wfel.com/