Brantly
A Philadelphia inventor’s tiny two-seat helicopter that has passed through nearly a dozen owners, from Learjet to a Chinese helicopter king, and is still built today.
Brantly: the company and the aircraft that made its name
Inspired by Sikorsky
Newby O. Brantly was so impressed by the Sikorsky VS-300 that he set out to design his own helicopter, founding the Brantly Helicopter Corporation in Philadelphia in 1945. His coaxial B-1 flew in 1946 but never went into production. He started again with a simple two-seater, the B-2, which first flew on 21 February 1953 and was certified in 1959 after a move to Frederick, Oklahoma. The five-seat Brantly 305 followed in 1964. The Army evaluated five B-2s as the YHO-3 in 1958.
Owners come and go
Ownership became a revolving door. Lear Jet bought the company in 1966, when the Frederick plant had 100 employees; ARDC took the rights in 1969 and stopped in 1970; Michael Hynes revived it in the 1970s, and attorney F. Lee Bailey’s Franklin Capital bought in. In 1989 James Kimura built a new factory in Vernon, Texas, as Brantly International, and in 1994 ownership passed to Beijing’s FESCO. Brantly-Hynes later put the B-2 and 305 back into production.
Made in China
In 2007 Cheng Shenzong, called China’s helicopter king, took a major interest. The Vernon factory closed at the end of 2010 and offices moved to Coppell, Texas. Today the B-2B is built only in China, by Qingdao Haili Helicopters, more than 70 years after Brantly’s first sketch. US shipments had dwindled long before: industry statistics recorded only 12 B-2Bs delivered between 1981 and 2007. The B-2B has a three-bladed articulated rotor, an all-metal fuselage and a choice of skids, wheels or floats.
Brantly in numbers
La empresa
- En breve
- Founded 1945
- Founded in Philadelphia by Newby O. Brantly
- Owned by Lear Jet 1966–1969
- Offices in Coppell, Texas
Producción
- Más conocido por
- Brantly B-2
- B-2 two-seat helicopter: 334 built
- Brantly 305 five-seater
- Five YHO-3 evaluated by the US Army
Hoy
- Ahora
- Built in China
- Qingdao Haili Helicopters is the only B-2B maker
Status based on Wikipedia; recent output not confirmed.
Los números
- Brantly B-2 built
- 334
- Employees at Frederick plant
- 1001966
- Empleados
- 20
- US B-2B shipments
- 121981–2007
Every notable Brantly aircraft
| Aeronave | Role | Primer vuelo | Construido | Estado | Nota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brantly B-1 | Coaxial helicopter prototype | 1946 | Jubilado | Not produced | |
| Brantly B-2 | Two-seat light helicopter | 1953 | 334 | En producción | B-2B now built by Qingdao Haili in China |
| Brantly YHO-3 | Army evaluation helicopter | 5 | Jubilado | B-2s evaluated in the Light Observation Helicopter competition | |
| Brantly 305 | Five-seat light helicopter | 1964 | Jubilado | FAA certified 1965 |
Where Brantly built, who led it, what it achieved
Fábricas
- Philadelphia · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Original base, 1945
- Frederick plant · Frederick, Oklahoma — From 1957; 180,000 sq ft factory
- Vernon factory · Wilbarger County Airport, Vernon, Texas — Built 1989, closed end of 2010
- Qingdao Haili Helicopters · Qingdao, China — Current sole manufacturer of the B-2B
Gente
- Newby O. Brantly · founder, designer — Designed the B-1, B-2 and 305
- Michael K. Hynes · owner — Acquired the rights in 1972; Brantly-Hynes from 1975
- James T. Kimura · owner — Built the Vernon factory in 1989
- Cheng Shenzong · investor — Took a major interest in 2007
Brantly, year by year
Brantly Helicopter Corporation founded in Philadelphia
Coaxial B-1 flies
B-2 first flies
Move to Frederick, Oklahoma
B-2 certified
Brantly 305 first flies
Lear Jet acquires the company
Factory moves to Wichita; rights sold to ARDC
Renamed Brantly-Hynes; Franklin Capital buys in
Vernon factory built; renamed Brantly International
Ownership passes to FESCO of Beijing
Cheng Shenzong takes a major interest
Vernon factory closes; offices move to Coppell
Everything people ask about Brantly
Is Brantly still in business?
How many Brantly B-2 helicopters were built?
Who founded Brantly?
Did Learjet own Brantly?
Around Brantly
Todos los datos, verificados
Verificado el 3 de octubre de 2026.