area with a suitable workforce to take advantage of the Government Aircraft Expansion Scheme, starting work on their new factory in October 1935. The first Wolverhampton-built aircraft was a sub-contracted Hawker Demon, making a flight in August 1936. Boulton Paul also built their own designs including the Defiant fighter (which had its first flight at Pendeford in August 1937, almost a year before the airfield was officially opened).

During the Second World War