The Company was founded by George Dowty in 1935 making aircraft equipment in Cheltenham under the name Dowty Aviation. In its early years the Company invented the first internally sprung aircraft wheel and went on to make landing gear for Frank Whittle's jet-propelled Gloster aeroplane. In 1960 the Company acquired Rotol Airscrews, giving it a propeller manufacturing capability (Dowty Rotol). In 1961 it acquired Boulton Paul Aircraft, no longer a large scale manufacturer of aircraft, producing research aircraft, but producing powered control units for aircraft as well as other activities. This was named Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd.