Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of
turboprop
A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
engines and
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
s, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, or simply AiResearch. In 1964, Garrett AiResearch merged with
Signal Oil & Gas, to form a company renamed in 1968 to Signal Companies. In 1985, it merged with
Allied Corporation, forming
AlliedSignal
AlliedSignal, Inc. was an American aerospace, automotive and engineering company, created through the 1985 merger of Allied Corp. and The Signal Companies. It purchased Honeywell for $14.8 billion in 1999, and adopted the Honeywell name and iden ...
. In 1999 AlliedSignal acquired
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...
and adopted the Honeywell name.
Founding years
John Clifford "Cliff" Garrett founded a company in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1936 which came to be known as Garrett AiResearch or simply AiResearch. The company was first named Aircraft Tool and Supply Company. In early 1937, it was renamed as Garrett Supply Company. In 1939, it became AiResearch and shortly thereafter AiResearch Manufacturing Company, which then became a division within the Garrett Corporation. Already operating his Garrett Supply and Airsupply businesses, in 1939 Cliff Garrett established a small research laboratory to conduct "air research" on the development of pressurized flight for passenger aircraft. "
iResearch'sfirst 'lab' was a small store building on
Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles".
[AiReporter, cited previously.]
In 1939, Garrett incorporated the "Garrett Corporation" and the three operating companies became divisions: Airsupply Division, Garrett Supply Division, and AiResearch Manufacturing Division. Needing additional space, they built their own manufacturing facility in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles.
As of 2024, Glendale ha ...
, and thereby established the name AiResearch Manufacturing Company. By 1941, AiResearch needed new space, and on April 28, 1941, moved from Glendale to what until then had been a beanfield on
Sepulveda Boulevard, at the corner of
Century Boulevard near Mines Field, which later became
Los Angeles Airport.
In 1942, the
Army Air Force concluded that vital cabin pressurization manufacturing facilities should be relocated inland from the coast, and AiResearch set up the AiResearch Phoenix Division in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
.
For this purpose, AiResearch Manufacturing Company of Arizona was established as a wholly owned subsidiary.
History
1939 through 1949
The company's first major product was an oil cooler for military aircraft. Garrett designed and produced oil coolers for the Douglas
DB-7.
Boeing
The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
's
B-17 bombers, credited with substantially tipping the air war in America's and Great Britain's favor over Europe and the Pacific, were outfitted with Garrett
intercoolers, as was the
B-25. The company developed and produced the
cabin pressure system for the
B-29 bomber, the first production bomber pressurized for high altitude flying. By the end of World War II, AiResearch engineers had developed air expansion cooling turbines for America's first jet aircraft, the
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. During World War II, Garrett AiResearch sold $112 million in military equipment and had as many as 5,000 employees.
Having to scale back its workforce to just 600 employees at the end of the war stimulated Garrett to look for new revenue sources. "He found them in the small turbines which patient Engineer Walter Ramsaur had been perfecting since 1943. A way had to be found to cool cockpits so jet pilots could endure the heat generated by air friction at supersonic speeds. Ramsaur's turbine provided the answer.
By putting an engine's heat to work turning the turbine, it cooled the air by expanding it, then injected the air into the cockpit. As rearmament got under way, Garrett began turning out a total of 700 accessory products. With the Navy order for
n on-board engineself-starter,
y 1951Garrett Corp.
ada $120 million backlog, enough to keep 5,500 workers on three shifts busy for at least the next three years".
By the end of the 1940s, Garrett Corporation was listed on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
. "In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Garrett was heavily committed to the design of small gas turbine engines from 20 - 90 horse power (15 - 67 kW). The engineers had developed a good background in the
metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
of
housing
Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...
s, high speed
seals, radial inflow
turbines
A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...
, and
centrifugal compressor
A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor.
Many compressors can be staged, that is, the gas is compressed several times in steps o ...
s".
1950s and 1960s
By 1949, the Sepulveda Blvd. property was increasingly constrained by the demand for development of commercial space near the fast-growing Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). At that time, 2,000 people worked at the facility "and Garrett was ranked one of the top three aircraft accessory manufacturers in the world". In 1959 ground was broken for construction of an additional facility at 190th Street and
Crenshaw Boulevard in
Torrance, California
Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...
. Part of that facility was occupied in 1960. "By 1962, 1000 employees were working at the Torrance location and by 1972, 3000 employees were based there". After a gradual series of moves, the Sepulveda facility was closed in 1990.
During the 1950s AiResearch initiated activities in the field of aircraft electronics, "first with an
angle of attack
In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, α, or \alpha) is the angle between a Airfoil#Airfoil terminology, reference line on a body (often the chord (aircraft), chord line of an airfoil) and the vector (geometry), vector representing the relat ...
computer 1968-1970, to eliminate gunfire error and then with its first delivery of a complete centralized
air data system".
In the 1950s and 1960s Garrett diversified and expanded. Garrett AiResearch designed and produced a wide range of military and industrial products for aerospace and general industry. It focused on fluid controls and
hydraulics
Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...
,
avionics
Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...
,
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
s,
aircraft engine
An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...
s, and
environmental control systems for aircraft and spacecraft. "By 1960 Garrett gas turbines, cabin pressurization systems, air conditioners, and flight control systems were aboard the
Convair 880
The Convair 880 is a retired American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that f ...
,
Lockheed Super Constellation,
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
T ...
,
Sud Aviation Caravelle,
Douglas DC-8, and
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...
. The company had also developed the first inflatable airliner
evacuation slides".
In the 1950s and 1960s Garrett pioneered the development of
foil bearings, which were first installed as original equipment on the
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 in 1969 and then became standard equipment on all U.S. military aircraft. In the 1960s, AiResearch Environmental Control Systems provided the
life supporting atmosphere for American astronauts in the projects
Mercury,
Gemini,
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
, and
Skylab
Skylab was the United States' first space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three trios of astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Skylab was constructe ...
.
On the industrial side, the first T-15
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
was delivered to the
Caterpillar Company in 1955. It was followed by an order for 5,000 production units, to be installed in the
Caterpillar D9 tractor. "On September 27, 1954, Cliff Garrett made the decision to separate the turbocharger group from the gas turbine department due to commercial
diesel turbocharger opportunities. That was the beginning of the new AiResearch Industrial Division for turbocharger design and manufacturing". This new division was established in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. AiResearch Industrial Division ("AID") would later be renamed Garrett Automotive.
Following the first phase of the Caterpillar project, Garrett turbochargers saw wider use on earth-moving equipment, in tractors, stationary powerplants, railroad locomotives and ships. The Garrett T11 automotive turbocharger came into being in 1960 and promptly became popular with diesel truck operators.
By 1962, Garrett was powering the world’s first turbocharged production car, the
Oldsmobile Jetfire Rocket. This was followed by several other firsts, including the first turbocharged car to win the
Indianapolis 500 (1968), the first turbo for a non-sports car application (1977-
Saab 99), the first mass production turbo for diesel engines (1978-
Mercedes 300SD), and the first turbo to win the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
(1978-
Renault Alpine A442)".
1970s

In the 1970s Garrett's expanding industrial and other non-military applications had changed the basic sources of income. "At the start of the decade sales to the military accounted for 70 percent of the company's business. At the end of the ten years, largely because of turbochargers and
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
products, the situation was reversed. Commercial sales made up 70 percent; military had dropped to 30 percent".
[Schoneberger and Scholl, p. 228.] By the end of the 1970s "sales had reached $1.3
billion
Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions:
* 1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is now the most common sense of the word in all varieties of ...
; backlog was $1.9 billion".
Mergers
To avoid a hostile takeover of Garrett's assets by
Curtiss-Wright
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is an American manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation (business), consoli ...
following Cliff Garrett's death in 1963, Garrett Corporation merged with the Signal Oil and Gas Company in 1964. In 1968, the combined company adopted The Signal Companies as its corporate name.
In 1985, Signal merged with
Allied Corp., becoming
Allied-Signal. The company acquired
Honeywell Aerospace
Honeywell Aerospace Technologies is a manufacturer of aircraft engines and avionics, as well as a producer of auxiliary power units (APUs) and other aviation products. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, it is a division of the Honeywell Intern ...
in 1999. Although AlliedSignal was much larger than Honeywell, it was decided to adopt the Honeywell name because of its greater public recognition.
Part of the original Garrett AiResearch became known as the Garrett Turbine Engine Company from 1979, and became the Garrett Engine Division of AlliedSignal in 1985. In 1994, AlliedSignal acquired the
Lycoming Turbine Engine Division of Textron, merging it with Garrett Engine to become the AlliedSignal Engines Division of AlliedSignal Aerospace Company.
[Leyes, p. 725]
Another part of Garrett AiResearch,The Garrett Aviation Division ("Garrett Aviation"), which mainly services aircraft, was sold to
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston.
Over the year ...
in 1997. It was renamed
Landmark Aviation after a 2004 merger. In 2007, it became StandardAero after a merger, and was owned by
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. In 2015, it was purchased by
BBA Aviation.
Products
Aircraft
*
Garrett STAMP
Engines
Turboprops
*
Garrett TPE331
The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by successor Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from .
Design and developm ...
*
Garrett TPF351
Turbofans
*
CFE CFE738
*
Garrett ATF3
*
Garrett F109
*
Garrett/ITEC F124/TFE1042
*
Garrett/ITEC F125
*
Garrett TFE731
See also
*
Central Air Data Computer
* Normalair Garrett Limited (NGL)
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett Airesearch
1936 establishments in California
1968 disestablishments in California
American companies established in 1936
Defunct aircraft engine manufacturers of the United States
Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Honeywell
Manufacturing companies based in Los Angeles
Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1968
Manufacturing companies established in 1936
Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Turbocharger manufacturers