Manufacturers change their names, and exchange designs, and some planes go out of production, only to reappear later under another name. So it can be challenging, sometimes, to figure out who claims which aircraft, when. But here's a few clues.

Listed below are some of the leading aircraft lines and brand names which have been passed from one manufacturer to another. (NO GUARANTEE AS TO ACCURACY This was done largely from memory, but I'm definitely pretty close on most of these.)

They at least give you some useful clues, especially when looking up aircraft by manufacturer's name, when the manufacturers have changed repeatedly.

Many of the aircraft and manufacturers listed are out of production, now, or even out of existence. Some have resumed production after prolonged absence, and others go in and out of business periodically.

The abbreviation "ca." (as in "ca.1969") means "circa" -- Latin for "about" or "approximately."
Comments and corrections are invited, and future updates and additions are in the works.

BOEING
now owns...
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Boeing /
McDonnell-Douglas /
Rockwell International
(including North American)

Bombardier Aerospace

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• Canadair (Canada) (acquired 1986)
    (Challenger bizjet*; 'CRJ' - Canadair Regional Jet airliner*; CL-215/415 amphibious fire-bomber; CL-41 Tutor jet trainer (made famous by RCAF Snowbirds exhibition team), Canadair CL-44 large turboprop airliner derived from Bristol Britannia.)
    [ * The Canadair Challenger bizjets & CRJ jetliners were derived posthumously from designs of Bill Lear, the founder of Learjet Corp., which was also acquired, later, by Bombardier.]
    Previously, license-built foreign aircraft, chiefly American and British: F-86**, F-5**, F-101**, F-104**, etc.)
    [ ** Canadian license-built U.S. fighters commonly had the letter "C" added to the start of their designation; hence Canadair-built F-5s were designated "CF-5," and F-104 became CF-104, etc.; however, other designations or names were used, too. Many of these planes had uniquely-Canadian modifications.]

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• Shorts Brothers (Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.)
      (Shorts Skyvan and Sherpa transports, and 330 turboprop airliner; WWII Sunderland flying boat, Stirling bomber, etc.)
      Shorts Brothers is generally regarded as the world's oldest aircraft manfacturing company, having started with the "manufacture" of copies of the Wright Flyer, under license, for European customers, circa 1908. Its aircraft played key roles in WWII, and shortly thereafter.
      Shorts' development of the famously boxy "Skyvan" medium-turboprop transport led to an enormously successful line of light-to-medium size cargo and commuter-airliner aircraft, in wide use globally.
      Shorts is now largely an aerospace subcontractor, a role which it provides extensively for other Bombardier Aerospace divisions.
  

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• Learjet (Wichita, KS and Tuscon, AZ) (acquired 1990)
    (bizjets: Models 23/24/25, 35/36, 40/45, 55/60, etc.)
    Arriving in the mid-1960s, the Learjet Model 23 -- with fighter-like performance, yet with operating costs far more cost-effective than any major business jet before it -- effectively created the world business-jet ("bizjet") market. Its salesmen courted the rich and famous, making the Learjet a global status-symbol. Learjets, always among the sexiest-looking of all bizjets, remain one of the world's leading brands of business jets, even today -- most often specializing in blazing speed and relative economy, over comfort and short-field capability (but sacrificing relatively little of either to most other planes in their class).
  (see LEARJET section, below, under BIZJETS)

  Acquisition of this company also led to the creation of the
  Bombardier Flight Test Center (BFTC):
  Because of Wichita's much fairer weather than Canada, and abundant aerospace R&D resources (Wichita is the world's largest-volume designer and manufacturer of aircraft, through facilities of Boeing, Airbus, Spirit Aerospace, Cessna, Hawker-Beechcraft, and Bombardier/Learjet), Learjet's Wichita home has also become home to the Bombardier Flight Test Center (BFTC), where all Bombardier experimental and development aircraft are flight-tested.
  

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• deHavilland of Canada (Canada)
    (originally license-builder of planes of its British parent, deHavilland, Ltd., since WWI. Later became orginator of leading turboprop airliners and key military, utility and training aircraft):
  • DHC-1 Chipmunk military trainer
  • DHC-2 Beaver bush plane / single-engine light transport
  • DHC-3 Otter bush plane / single-engine medium transport
  • DHC-4 Caribou twin-prop medium-large transport.
  • DHC-5 Buffalo 4-turboprop large transport.
  • DHC-6 Twin Otter - twin-turboprop medium transport / commuter airliner / heavy-duty bush plane.
  • DHC-7 'Dash-7' 4-eng. large turboprop regional airliner
  • DHC-8 'Dash-8' 2-eng. large turboprop regional airliner
  Bred for the challenging Canadian environment, many DHC planes have been widely considered the best in their class when introduced, and most are known for exceptionally rugged, utilitarian practicality and cost-effectiveness, and effective use of the shortest, crudest landing fields. The legendary Beaver, Otter & Twin Otter are widely regarded as the ultimate "bush planes," used heavily in the world's most remote places. The Dash-7 and Dash-8 are leaders and trend-setters in the modern turboprop airliner market.

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• 1965, Aero Commander (design only, as Aero Commander 700)
• 1965-69, Ted Smith Aircraft Co., Inc. (production began 1968)
• Ted Smith Aerostar , Inc., div. of American Cement
• Aerostar Aircraft Corp., div. of Butler Av.
• Aerostar/Butler (Mooney)
• Piper Aircraft: (see Piper Aircraft , below.
• Aerostar Aircraft Corp. (current) (attempting to revive idea of bizjet version of pressurized Aerostar)

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• ca.1927, Roche-Dohse ('Flying Flivver' prototype), Dayton, OH
  
• 1928, Aeronautical Corporation of America, Cincinnatti, OH
  
• 1937, Aeronca, Middletown OH
  
• 1951, Champion Aircraft, Osceola, WI (including 7EC Champ & 7ECA Citabria)
  
• ca.1970, Alexandria Aircraft (as Bellanca-Champion line, including Citabria, Scout & Decathalon)
  
• ca.1999, American Champion Aircraft (current) (various versions of Citabria)
  

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• Bede Aircraft (as BD-1 kitplane)
  
• American Aircraft (as AA-1A Yankee, and 4-seat AA-5A Traveler, AA-5B Tiger)
  
• Grumman-American (as AA-1B  Trainer & Tr-1; AA-1C Lynx, AA-5C Cheetah, AA-5B Tiger)
  
• Gulfstream Aerospace (as Gulfstream-American AA-1C Lynx, AA-5C Cheetah, AA-5B Tiger, and AA-7 Cougar twin)
  
• AGAC - American General Aircraft Corp. (as AG-5B Tiger)
  
• Tiger Aircraft (as AG-5B Tiger)
  
• SOCATA (of France) (AA-7 Cougar twin relabeled as TB-50 Tangara)
  

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• 1924, Travel Air Manufacturing Co. (originally with Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman & Walter Beech), later...
• 1926, Travel Air Manufacturing Co. (still, but with just Clyde Cessna & Walter Beech -- Lloyd Stearman left to start his own company), later...
• 1927, Travel Air Manufacturing Co. (still, but with just Walter Beech -- Clyde Cessna left to start his own company), later...
• August 1929., Travel Air Div. of Curtiss Wright Corp., Wichita
  (Walter Beech promoted to V.P. of Sales for Curtiss-Wright's dealerships ("Curtiss-Wright Flying Service" FBOs), as well as continuing as Pres. of Travel Air Div.; offices in St.Louis & New York).
     NOTE: At about this time, Travel Air was producing 25% of U.S. "commercial" (civilian) aircraft. The explosion of orders was due in part to a customer-financing schemed worked out with the Curtiss-Wright Corp. The explosive growth in orders, in turn, led to an urgent need for more capital to rapidly expand production to meet demand. Accordingly, Travel Air sold the company to ("merged it with") Curtiss-Wright Corp. This was a time of soaring sales and sweeping mergers throughout the aviation industry, as the nation raced recklessly towards a financial collapse.

• Nov.1930-Sept.1932 (still Travel Air Div. of Curtiss Wright Corp.) With the economy collapsing, and orders disappearing, the factory gradually relocated to Curtiss-Wright plant in St.Louis, and Wichita factory closed. (Model 17 Staggerwing developed, but not put into production)

• 1932, Beech Aircraft Corp., Wichita (in old Travel Air factory) First product is Model 17 Staggerwing. Company would continue as a successful, independent company for the next several decades.

  NOTE: Beech Aircraft Co. -- producing legendary "Beechcraft" airplanes -- becomes one of the "Big 3" of general aviation, and is initially the industry leader. During the Great Depression, demand for the excellent Staggerwing, one of the fastest U.S. planes of its time, remains surprisingly high.
      From this success, and with help from a massive business loan from the Federal government, Beech acquires the expensive tooling and facilities to begin the first major production of all-metal light aircraft -- starting with the Beech 18 ("Twin Beech") executive twin. During World War II, it would see heavy use as a light transport and as a key trainer for bomber crews. After the war, hundreds would help build early commuter airlines , air cargo, airmail and bush-flying operations, remaining in production for 33 years (one of the world's longest-selling aircraft).
      Flush with federally-funded contracts and resources after WWII, Beech was, for years, the strongest survivor of the postwar shakeout of the general aviation industry. While most lightplane makers tried to dust off old 100-mph "tube-and-rag" models, Beech developed a radical new plane -- the retractable-geared, all-metal, 4-seat, 170-mph, V-tailed Beech Bonanza -- which faced no real competition for several years, becoming the most-desired plane in general aviation, and a top seller. Since 1947, with over 9 ,000 of all types built, the Beech Bonanza has become the world's longest-running continuously-manufactured aircraft.
      Beech evolved many models from the Bonanza, a step at a time -- giant Twin Bonanza, to Queen Air (the first modern executive cabin-class airplane), King Air (a turboprop, pressurized Queen Air, the most successful turbine business aircraft ever), turboprop airliners derived from the cabin-twins, 'Travel Air' and Baron light twins based on the Bonanza, and a variety of smaller aircraft imitating Piper's smaller metal planes.

• 1980, Beech Aircraft div. of Raytheon Corp.; Olive Ann Beech continues title as Chairman Emeritus, but real control is in the hands of Raytheon.

      Beech did not innovate its own jet aircraft, but tried a series of imported designs, starting with the "first business jet," the 4-seat French Morane-Saulnier (SOCATA) "Paris Jet" in the late 1950s -- a flop. In the 1960s, Beech imported British deHavilland / Hawker-Siddley DH-125 / HS-125 bizjets (at right), relabeling them as "Beech-Hawker BH-125" jets.
      After that fizzled, Beech turned to Japan, purchasing the very practical and versatile Mitsubishi Diamond bizjet (relabeled "Beechjet 400", now "Hawker 400"), moving the entire factory to Wichita.
      This success was followed by customer demand for something bigger, and Beech turned again to the HS-125 (now "Hawker 700") -- buying all rights and the factory, moving all to Wichita. Recognizing the international fame and respect of the "Hawker" name, it was preserved on all subsequent models.
      With competitors' turboprop twins outperforming the King Air, Beech attempted to innovate past them with the nation's first all-composite certified airplane (also the first "glass cockpit" U.S. plane), the Beech Starship. A failure, with only about 50 built (compared to thousands of King Airs), it nevertheless was influential in composite aircraft design, giving Beech a technical edge over competitors.
      That advance resulted in the Beech Premier and Hawker Horizon (Hawker 4000) composite-fuselage bizjets, developed very slowly during Raytheon's ownership, finally showing promise under Onex (see below).

• 1993, Raytheon Aircraft div. of Raytheon Corp. (Beech name removed from the company upon the death of Olive Ann Beech). (Beech merged with Hawker Jets div. of British Aerospace ) All planes relabeled as "Raytheon" planes.
• ca.2003: Raytheon Aircraft div. of Raytheon Corp. creates:
  • Beechcraft div. and
  • Hawker div.
  (Revival of the "Beechcraft" and "Hawker" brand names under new Raytheon Aircraft div. Pres. Jim Schuster, who begins rebuilding of company ravaged by previous incompetent, heavy-handed, Raytheon management).
    New branding scheme:
  • Planes previously named "Beech," before rebranding as "Raytheon," are again branded as "Beech"; and...
  • planes originally named "Hawker" also regain their old brand names.
• ca.Dec.2006 Hawker-Beechcraft Corp., div. of Onex Corp. (retaining Jim Schuster as div. Pres., Onex buys Raytheon Aircraft div. from Raytheon Corp.. New name reflects sales dominance of Hawker business jets in the company's product line.)
    New branding scheme:
  • Planes certified for SINGLE-pilot operation (all propeller aircraft, and Premier business jets) are branded "Beech",
  • Planes limited to TWO-pilot operation are labeled "Hawker" (this includes all previous Hawker business jets, and the former "Beechjet 400A", which is renamed "Hawker 400")
  
  [NOTE: Onex also, a few years previously, acquired Boeing 's Wichita factory, renaming it "Spririt Aerospace", which continues the factory's original role as an airliner fuselage and sub-assembly factory for Boeing. Look for cooperative ventures between the two Wichita-based Onex divisions -- Spirit and Hawker-Beechcraft -- in coming years]

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Cessna / Textron, (Wichita, KS)
• 1911, Cessna Aeroplane Exhibition Co., (Clyde Cessna built his own plane from scratch, copying the Bleriot XI, and taught himself to fly it as an early barnstormer; starting in Enid, OK, and relocating to home ground near Rago, KS; later attempted manufacutre of planes in Wichita, KS, but not successful. World War I government restrictions forced the shutdown of his company.)

• 1925, Travel Air Mfg. Co., (Clyde Cessna -- wealthy from farming and farm machinery development after quitting the barnstorming business -- provided money, expertise and leadership to the fledgling company formed by Walter Beech, Lloyd Stearman, and Bill Snook -- defectors from the nearby Swallow Airplane Co., America's first successful "commercial airplane company."
    After initial Travel Air leadership by Walt Innes, Jr., Clyde Cessna served briefly as Travel Air's president, and leading investor, and developed prototype of historic Travel Air 5000 monoplane, before leaving to start his own company.)

• 1927 (Apr.19) Cessna Aircraft Co.
  

• 1927 (Sept.7) Cessna-Roos Aircraft Co.
  (reorganized to accept financial help from aviation investor Victor Roos)

• 1927 (Dec.22) Cessna Aircraft Co.
  

• Sep.1985 -- Mar.1986, Cessna Aircraft Co. becomes a subsidiary of General Dynamics (The company had already sold a small percentage of its stock to General Dynamics, in Nov.1983, and provided GD with a seat on Cessna's board of directors.)

• 1992, Cessna Aircraft Co., div. of Textron Corp.,

• 2008 Cessna Aircraft Co., div. of Textron Corp., -- acquires Columbia Aircraft, the manufactured, fixed-gear version of Lancair kitplanes (Bend, OR; relocating to Independence, KS)

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• 1940-41, ERCO - Engineering Research Corp. (hence: "ERCOupe"), Riverdale, MD (112 built)
  
• 1945-52, Sanders Av. (as Ercoupe 415C-415H),
  Riverdale, MD (5,028 built)
  
• 1956-60, Forney Aircraft (Fornaire F-1 Aircoupe)
  Ft.Collins, CO (157 built)
  
• 1960-62, Air Products (F-1A Aircoupe)
  Carlsbad, NM (25 built)
  
• 1964-67, Alon Aircraft (Alon A-2 Aircoupe)
  McPherson, KS (245 built)
  
• 1967-68, Mooney (Alon) Aircraft (A2-A Aircoupe)
  McPherson, KS (21 built)
  
• 1968, Mooney (Alon) Aircraft (A2-A Cadet)
  McPherson, KS (38 built)
  
• 1969-70, Mooney Aircraft (as Mooney M-10 Cadet)
  Kerrville, TX (59 built)
  

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• ca.1936, Mooney Aircraft (Wichita, KS, under sponsorship of Bridgeport Machine Co.)
• ca.1947, Mooney Aircraft (restarted, following collapse of Culver Aircraft), Wichita, KS
• ca.1951-68, Mooney Aircraft (relocated) Kerrville, TX  (Al Mooney soon surrendered ownership.) Included late-1960s relabeling of Ercoupe and Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop twin as "Mooney" planes.
• ca.1970, Butler-Aerostar Aircraft (Mooney, absorbing Ted Smith Aerostar , as div. of Butler Aviation)
• ca.1972, Mooney Aircraft div. of Republic Steel (Mooney, having spun off Aerostar twin line to Piper )
• ca.1980, Mooney Aircraft Corp. (current)

• ca. 1968-69, Alon A2-A Aircoupe (later modified into M-10 Cadet)
• ca. 1968-71, Mitsubishi MU-2 series turboprop twins (popularly nicknamed "rice-rocket")
• ca. 1980, SOCATA TBM-700 pressurized turboprop single
  

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• ca.1945, North American Aviation  (as "NAvion")
  
• ca.1947, Ryan (as Navion)
  
• ca.1966, Navion (as Rangemaster), TX
  
• 1966, American Navion Society (as Rangemaster Model H), Seguin, TX
  
• 1972, Navion (Lou Bishop)
  
• ca.1972, Navion (Ced Kotowicz), Wharton, TX (7-8 planes)
  
• ca.1970, American Navion Society  (parts only), Banning, CA
  
• 1990, American Navion Society  (parts only), Lodi, CA
  
• 1999, American Navion Society  (parts only), Grand Junction, CO
  
• 2001, American Navion Society  (parts only), Grand Junction, CO (HQ in Vancouver, WA)
  

• 1952, Dauby Eqpt. Co., Los Angeles, CA and Acme Aircraft Co., Lomiat, CA (prototype, sold to Jack Riley, 1953)
  
• 1952-54, Riley Aircraft Corp., Ft.Lauderdale, FL
  
• 1953-57, TEMCO (Texas Engrg. & Mfg. Co.), Dallas/Grand Prairie, TX (near Ft.Worth) (mfg. under license from Riley)
  

• 1952 CAM-AIR div. of Cameron Iron Works, Galveston, TX
  

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• ca. 1926, Stinson Aircraft, Detroit, MI
  
• ca. 1946, Stinson Div., Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft
  
• ca. 1947, Stinson Div., Piper Aircraft 
  (Stinson line soon discontinued, but Twin Stinson heavily modified into successful Piper Apache)
  

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• Globe Swift (copied largely from wooden Culver Cadet, extensively re-engineered)
  
• TEMCO (Texas Engineering & Mfg. Co.) (first built Swifts under license, then acquired the line)
  
• Piper/LoPresti Swift Fury (attempt to revive design, heavily modified by Roy LoPresti)
  

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• ca.1927, Taylor Brothers Mfg. Co., Rochester NY (Taylor "Chummy," designer: C.Gordon Taylor)
  
• ca.1928, Taylor Brothers Mfg. Co., Bradford, PA (Taylor "Cub E-2," designer: C.Gordon Taylor)
  
• acquired by Wm. Piper, Sr., retained Taylor Bros. name for some years, with C.G. Taylor as president
  

• ca. 1935, Piper Aircraft Corp., Lock Haven, PA;  later added Vero Beach, FL facility
  
• late-1960's, Piper Aircraft Corp. div. of Bangor-Punta  (seized from Piper family in hostile takeover), Vero Beach, FL
• [a series of bankruptcies and reorganizations followed, as the company went in and out of business], Vero Beach, FL
  
• ca. 1990, New Piper Aircraft Corp.  (current), Vero Beach, FL
  

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• deHavilland Aircraft (U.K.)
  
• deHavilland of Canada
  
• deHavilland of Canada (mostly owned by Boeing)
  
• deHavilland of Canada div. of Bombardier Aircraft
  

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• Morane-Saulnier
• Fouga
• Potez

ca.1970, (SOCATA was part of Aerospatiale for several years)

NOTE: Some Morane-Saulnier planes were relabeled, and sold through other parties in the U.S.:

• 1950s - the "Paris Jet" -- a compact 4-6 seat 'business jet' (arguably the "first" business jet) derived from modifying a rejected military jet-trainer design, was offered in the U.S. as a Beech product, but failed more than one or two buyers, despite an attention-getting nationwide demonstration tour that gave hundreds of rides. Eventually the French air force bought a few. In the 1990s, after decommissioning, many were sold to civilians in the U.S. as cheap surplus military jets.

• 1960s - the "Minerva" low-wing, single-engine STOL sport plane - was sold in the U.S. under the old name of "WACO," a long-vanished popular biplane maker of the 1930s. These European "WACO"s were teamed with Italian planes by Stello Frati to form a brief, noteworthy "line" of light single and twin planes under the WACO label.

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Siai-Marchetti Aircraft, Milan, Italy
temporarily relabeled in U.S. as "WACO" (to capitalize on famous WACO brand), along with the Morane-Saulnier Minerva .

Falco Aircraft (kitplane version of SF.260)

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• Mitsubishi Diamond I/IA
• Beech Beechjet 400
• Raytheon Beechjet 400A
• Raytheon Hawker 400XP
• Hawker-Beechcraft Hawker 400XP

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• deHavilland (as DH-125)

• Hawker-Siddley (as HS-125, also relabeled briefly, in U.S., by Beech as Beech-Hawker BH-125)

• Hawker Jets div., British Aerospace (as HS-700 series)

• Raytheon Aircraft (merged with Beech Aircraft, under Raytheon Aircraft Div., of Raytheon Corp.) (as Hawker 800 series, and others)

• Hawker-Beechcraft (Raytheon Aircraft Div. sold by Raytheon Corp. to Onex Corp., who renamed company.) (as Hawker 800 series, and others)

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• Hughes Aircraft (1960's to July 1983, Culver City, Calif., as the Hughes 200, 269, 269A, 300, and TH-55A)

• Schweizer Aircraft (July 1983, Elmira, NY, Model 300C and 333)
  

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• 1960's to 1983, Hughes Aircraft, Culver City, Calif (as the Hughes 500 thru 500D, and military 369/369A/OH-6/OH-6A Cayuse/LOACH; 500M and Defender)

• 1984, McDonnell-Douglas (as MD-500E, MD-520N, MD-600N and Explorer)

• 1997, Boeing (acquired with McDonnell-Douglas, in 1997, as the MD-520N, MD-600N and MD-900 Explorer)

• ca.2000, MD Helicopters, Inc. (as MD-500E, MD-520N, MD-530F, MD-600N and 902 Explorer)

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