1960s By the end of this decade the 'Bristol' name had gone with the merger of the airframes side of the business into British Aircraft Corporation and of the engines side into Rolls-Royce, but production still flourished at the factory sites with the build-up of the Concorde project. The conflict which dominated the 1960s was the Vietnam War which galvanised peace protestors at home and abroad. It was also the decade of sexual liberation (in the words of poet Philip Larkin, beginning 'Between the end of the Chatterley ban/And the Beatles' first LP'), pop culture, civil rights movements, hippies and England winning the World Cup. June 1960 Bristol Aircraft Ltd joins Vickers-Armstrong and English Electric to form British Aircraft Corporation in a government-instigated merger. 21 October 1960 First tethered hover of Pegasus Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) engine. Other UK and world events this year: Sputnik 5 makes 18 Earth orbits. 1961 Bristol Siddeley absorbs Blackburn and de Havilland engine companies. September 1961 First Pegasus transition from vertical take off to flight to vertical landing (P1127). Other UK and world events this year: The first non-stop flight between UK and Australia. First man in space. 14 April 1962 Maiden flight of the Type 188 supersonic research aircraft. 26 April 1962 Launch of Ariel 1 satellite. 29 November 1962 BAC and Sud Aviation sign agreement for Concorde project. 2 December 1962 Vulcan runway fire during tests for Olympus engine. Other UK and world events this year: First US astronaut orbits earth. Telstar launched. Cuban Missile Crisis. January 1964 Death of Sir Stanley White. 27 March 1964 Launch of Ariel 2. 1 May 1964 Maiden flight of Type 221, an adaptation of the Fairey Delta used in research for supersonic flight. 17 July 1964 World land speed record broken by Bluebird CN7 car using Proteus engine. 27 September 1964 Maiden flight of TSR2, Tactical Strike Reconnaissance aircraft. Other UK and world events this year: First female solo flight around the world. 1966 Bristol Siddeley merges with Rolls-Royce. Other UK and world events this year: First man-made vehicle soft lands on the Moon's surface. 1967 First launch of SeaWolf guided missile. Space work transfers from Stevenage. 4 January 1967 Donald Campbell killed in attempt at breaking water speed record in hydroplane Bluebird K7, powered by Orpheus engine. Other UK and world events this year: Boeing awarded contract for design of a US Super Sonic Transport. Apollo I capsule destroyed on launch pad by fatal fire. 9 April 1969 Maiden flight from Filton of prototype Concorde 002. 18 April 1969 First Harrier delivered to RAF (Pegasus VTOL engines). Enters service in May. 5 May 1969 Harrier wins Daily Mail London to New York Air Race. Other UK and world events this year: First man sets foot on the Moon (Armstrong).
				Artist's impression of the Bristol Type 188 supersonic research aircraft (Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust). Vulcan fire at Filton (Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust). Type 221 (Airbus). TSR2 (Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust). Cover of Concorde brochure (Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust). See a Hawker Siddeley Harrier at the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble. Search the Aviation Archive for images of West of England aircraft in the 1960s.