Just after the First World War, commercial aviation was in its infancy. Sir Alan personally flew some of the first long distance flights to South Africa, Indian and Australia to prove the viability of commercial traffic. Having experienced the perils and complications of staged, long-distance flights, he quickly saw the potential of aerial refuelling of aircraft in mid-flight for longer commercial routes.
After a period as the de Havilland aircraft company’s senior pilot, Alan decided to pursue his own ventures and created Flight Refuelling Limited, as well as forming an aerobatic troupe and a small airline. He was a true pioneer for commercial air travel and general aviation in the UK, making efforts to secure both public and the British Government's backing for the sector. His “Flying Circus” regularly toured the UK at that time and brought aviation to the masses.
In 1939, British airline Imperial Airways performed several non-stop crossings of the Atlantic using equipment provided by FRL, and in 1948, the company's 'probe and drogue' method of air-to-air refueling enabled a round-the-world flight by a specially equipped Boeing B-50 Superfortresses. A wide range of aircraft have since been equipped with Cobham's refuelling equipment.
In 1947, the company relocated from RAF Ford in Sussex to Tarrant Rushton in Dorset, and when, in June 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all road, rail and canal routes to Berlin from the Western zones, Flight Refuelling Limited became the first private enterprise to assist the RAF during the Berlin Airlift, which was sustained until May 1949.
In 1949 the Royal Air Force adopted the probe-and-drogue refueling approach, which continues to this very day. Perhaps its most famous use was during the Falklands War of 1982, when RAF Vulcan bombers were refueled multiple times to successfully bomb Port Stanley airfield.
In1954, Michael Cobham, Alan's son, joined the company and was to subsequently take over in 1969 from his father. It diversified into new markets, including FR Aviation, which saw contractor-owned and operated aircraft fly directly alongside military customers to provide training support. Communications and electronics were other key sectors of interest. In 1963, the firm centered its manufacturing activity at its new site in Wimborne in Dorset. Michael remained as Cobham's chairman and chief executive through to the mid-1990s, during his time the Company was made public in 1985, but the Cobham family retained a large stake in the business.
Because of various acquisitions and internal growth, Cobham developed various product lines across the aerospace market for both civilian and military use, including an extensive space-based portfolio, although in-flight refueling remained its most notable, if not its most prominent technology.
By 1994, when it renamed as Cobham plc, the company had in excess of 10,000 employees and had operations present in North America, Europe, Malaysia and South Africa. In January 2020, the company was acquired by Advent International where it remains today.