ABSTRACT
A few of the initial entrepreneurs in the industry went on to create substantial industrial empires. In this chapter, therefore, two of these individuals are examined, both of whom created substantial enterprises in the industry. The first, George Holt Thomas, did so during World War I, while the other, Thomas Sopwith, created an industrial empire that survived until the 1970s. In each case, these two were able to create and manage substantial industrial empires, while at the same time retaining an enthusiasm for aircraft and the pursuit of flight, even at its most basic level.
