In 1925, Frederick Rentschler and a group of engineers from Wright Aeronautical decided to start their own aircraft engine company. Rentschler approached the Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool Division of Niles-Bement-Pond to provide funding and production facilities for a new company named The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company.
Pratt & Whitney's first engine, the Wasp radial engine, was so successful it lead the U.S. Navy to announce it would buy no more water-cooled engines.

Pratt & Whitney got its start in gas turbines license building the Westinghouse J30. Today their engines power over half the world's commercial fleet. Pratt & Whitney is now a division of United Technologies.

History

1860: Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney found The Pratt & Whitney Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

1925: Frederick Rentschler and a group of engineers from Wright Aeronautical approach Pratt & Whitney to establish The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company.

1929: Pratt & Whitney merges with Boeing, Chance Vought, Sikorsky and Hamilton Standard to form United Aircraft and Transport Corp.

1934: The Air Mail Act orders airline companies to divorce themselves from aircraft manufacturers. United Aircraft - Transport Corp. splits into three independent companies--United Airlines, United Aircraft Corp. and Boeing Airplane Co.

1975: United Aircraft changes its name to United Technologies.