Brooklands Aviation Ltd was incorporated in 1931 with Fred Sigrist, Captain Henry Duncan Davis, Arthur Percy Bradley (b. 3 Jul 1887, Dublin - d. 28 Jun 1952, Devonshire) and Edward A Jones as Directors, initially to manage Brooklands Aerodrome in Surrey. The company also operated the resident Brooklands School of Flying, as well as those at Lympne, Shoreham and Sywell Aerodromes in the later 1930s. Both Sigrist and Davis were also directors of The College of Aeronautical Engineering, Chelsea, opened October 1931. Davis also went on to form the associated company of Brooklands Airways Ltd in February 1933 to take over business/assets of Personal Flying Services Ltd.

Captain Henry Duncan Davis AFC, (b. 3 Apr 1896, Sefton, Liverpool, Cheshire - d.5 Dec 1963, Guilford}, began his post war career with Avro Transport Ltd at Manston and Margate before joining the Henderson Flying School. On Henderson's retirement in 1928, Davis, along with fellow instructors L.R. Oldmeadow and H.S. Hamilton bought out Henderson Flying School to form the Brooklands School of Flying.

During the Second World War activities at Sywell included the expansion of flying training, repairs to 1,841 of the RAF's Wellington bombers and completion and flight testing of some 100 Lancaster Mk 2 four engined bombers.

Brooklands oversaw the use of the ‘shadow factory scheme’ and saw two major sites used for aircraft overhaul and maintenance. At Sywell , the No.1 Site on the aerodrome concentrated on Wellington repair and Lancaster construction. No.2 Site was based at Buttocks Booth in Moulton mainly for Wellington work. Other local engineering shops and businesses were subcontracted to undertake specific component repair including the Bus Depot in St James End, Northampton.

Post war, Brooklands Aviation Ltd was a major constructor of the IMA TG.II Mk.2 target glider, with production taking place in their Buttocks Booth facility, with deliveries between 1951 and 1954. In 1953, Brooklands produced the High Speed Towed Target, the design of which was done by Air Service Training as the AST C.4.

By 1977 Brooklands had pulled out of aviation and concentrated on engineering and was purchased by Hendricksons Ltd in 1985 marking the end of a famous name.

1. Sitting Ducks and Peeping Toms, Michael I. Draper (Air Britain Historians, 2011)