Our History

Ronaldsway Aircraft Company was established in the mid-1950s by Jean Burrell as a dedicated aerospace subcontractor to Martin-Baker. The original factory was built at Ballasalla, opposite the Isle of Man airport, on land purchased from the Isle of Man Government.

The project was important not only for aerospace manufacturing but also for the Isle of Man. Local reports in 1954 referred to construction progress and the prospect of creating between 200 and 300 jobs at a time when the Island was facing unemployment pressures.

Denis Burrell, Jean Burrell’s son, helped oversee the establishment of the factory after graduating from Cambridge. The factory began recruiting in 1955 and, by 1956, employed around 120 people.

RLC’s origins are closely connected with the family relationship between Jean Burrell and her brother, Sir James Martin. Sir James founded Martin-Baker and developed the aircraft ejection seat, which entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1947.

As the Martin-Baker ejection seat gained commercial success, additional manufacturing capacity was required. Ronaldsway was established to provide that subcontract manufacturing support.

Ronaldsway grew rapidly as demand increased. By 1964, an additional 78,400 square feet had been added to the factory and the workforce had increased to around 400 people.

The business also developed specialist in-house capabilities. In response to increasing orders for parts for the Martin-Baker Mark 10 seat and detail parts suitable for manufacture from castings, Ronaldsway developed a lost wax foundry. Planning permission was submitted in summer 1969, the first Foundry Foreman was appointed in August 1969, and the first sprue was poured in February 1971.

By the mid-1980s, Ronaldsway had continued to expand. Three new bays were added at the back of the factory, and by 1985 the factory footprint was around 160,000 square feet.

In 1958, Jean Burrell acquired Langford Lodge in Northern Ireland, a former US Air Force base on the shores of Lough Neagh. The site included a runway, 11 large aircraft hangars and many smaller buildings.

Substantial clearance and recovery work was needed before the site could be developed for manufacturing. By 1964, Langford Lodge was operating with a machine shop and a sewing room for parachute packs and harnesses.

Langford Lodge gave the group additional manufacturing capacity and became an important part of the family’s aerospace engineering activities.

The end of the Cold War brought a major downturn in defence spending and a reduction in Martin-Baker orders.

This period marked a turning point. The family looked for additional work and new customers so that the business could diversify beyond its original Martin-Baker-focused portfolio.

The acquisition of Callender Lancashire Aeropart in 1993 brought aerofoil expertise and helped open the route into new customers and product areas, including civil aerospace work.

Ronaldsway Aircraft Company, Langford Lodge and Callender Lancashire Aeropart were originally held as separate businesses within the wider family ownership structure.

In the early 2000s, the businesses were brought together to form the RLC Group. The purpose was to realise the benefits of combining the businesses, present a stronger face to the market and ensure that the operating companies were not competing with each other.

This created the foundation for a more integrated aerospace manufacturing group, while retaining the long-term perspective of a privately owned family business.

In 2014, RLC established its Singapore facility at Seletar Business Park to support Rolls-Royce’s operations in Singapore. The source material describes this as RLC’s first factory outside Great Britain.

In 2016, RLC added further UK manufacturing capacity with a new factory at Global Point outside Belfast. The facility was built to support titanium fuselage components and specialised assembly work, including structural guide vanes.

Today, RLC remains privately owned and continues to support demanding civil and defence aerospace programmes. The source material describes the group as having around or over 1,000 employees across five operating sites.

The group’s capabilities include aircraft ejection seat parts and assemblies, complex aerofoils, secondary actuation components, titanium fuselage components, heat treatment and wet chemical processing.