| ANEC I / II | |
|---|---|
 ANEC II, G-EBJO, at the Shuttleworth Collection | |
| General information | |
| Type | ultralight aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Air Navigation and Engineering Company Limited |
| Designer | W.S. Shackleton |
| Number built | 3 (ANEC I), 1 (ANEC II) |
| History | |
| First flight | 1923 |
The ANEC I and ANEC II were 1920s British single-engine ultralight aircraft designed and built by Air Navigation and Engineering Company Limited at Addlestone Surrey. [1] One was privately constructed in Brisbane, Australia. [2]
The ANEC I and II, designed by W.S Shackleton, were amongst the earliest ultralight aircraft; they were very small, wooden, strut braced high-wing monoplanes. [1] The first ANEC I, registered G-EBHR, first flew at Brooklands on 21 August 1923. It was the first aircraft with an inverted engine, a 696 cc Blackburne Tomtit, to fly in the United Kingdom. The ANEC I was designed to the rules of the 1923 Lympne light aircraft trials, principally an engine capacity limit of 750 cc, and the two aircraft completed that August took part. The main prizes were for fuel economy and the second ANEC I G-EBIL, flown by Jimmy James, shared half of the £1,500 prize with an English Electric Wren for flights of 87.5 miles (141 km) on one gallon (4.54 L) of petrol. He later reached an altitude of 14,000 ft (4,267 m) in it. [1] G-EBIL was evaluated by the Air Ministry in 1924, briefly carrying the RAF serial J7506. [3] Afterwards it was modified with a wingspan greatly reduced from 32 ft to 18 ft 4 in (9.75 m to 5.59 m) and re-engined with a 1,000 cc Anzani engine for entry in the 1925 Lympne August Bank Holiday Races, designated the ANEC IA. [1]
Only one more ANEC I was constructed. [1] It was built in Australia by George Beohm, who went on to design the Genairco Biplane, and Horrie Miller. [2] E. W. Beckman, the owner of the aircraft, intended to enter it in the Low-Powered Aeroplane Competition held at Richmond in December 1924, but it was not completed until the following year. [2] The first of the two built in the United Kingdom in 1923, G-EBHR, was exported to Australia in the second half of 1924. [2]
The ANEC II was an enlarged version of the ANEC I built for the 1924 Lympne light aircraft trials competition. Following the revised competition rules, it was a two-seater and its more powerful 1,100 cc Anzani inverted V twin-cylinder had the greatest capacity allowed. The wing area was increased by 28% to accommodate the extra weight by a 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) span extension. It was also longer by almost the same amount. [4] Engine problems kept it from flying in the competition and out of the Grosvenor Trophy race that immediately followed. [3]
In 1927 a new owner refitted it with a 32 hp (24 kW) Bristol Cherub III flat twin engine, a larger rudder, and a more conventional undercarriage with larger wheels mounted on a cross axle attached to the lower fuselage with a pair of V-struts. In 1931 another new owner fitted a heavier 30 hp (22 kW) ABC Scorpion engine, another flat twin and, to keep the weight down, reworked it as a single seater. It was in this condition when it was acquired by Richard Shuttleworth in about 1937. [3]
The 1924 ANEC II G-EBJO is owned and operated by The Shuttleworth Collection in the UK and is maintained to an airworthy condition. It underwent restoration to post-Lympne configuration, being completed in 2004, with a single seat, revised undercarriage and fitted with an ABC Scorpion II 30 HP engine. It can be seen flown at Shuttleworth airshows in the summer months, as well as on static display as part of the Collection all year round. [5]
Australia: 2 ANEC I aircraft
United Kingdom: 1 ANEC I, 1 ANEC II
Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1924, [6] British Civil Aviation since 1919 Volume 1 [1]
General characteristics
Performance
The Hawker Cygnet was a British ultralight sesquiplane aircraft of the 1920s.
The de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird is a British single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane light aircraft first flown in the 1920s.
The ANEC IV Missel Thrush was a 1920s British two-seat light aircraft built by Air Navigation and Engineering Company Limited at Addlestone Surrey.
The English Electric Wren was a 1920s British ultralight monoplane built by the English Electric Company Limited at Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.
The Avia BH-16 was a single-seat very light sport aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1924. Like other early Avia designs, it was a low-wing braced monoplane of wooden construction. It could be powered by either a 12 kW (16 hp) four-cylinder Vaslin engine or a 19 kW (26 hp) inverted-V twin-Blackburne Tomtit.
The Avro 558 was a British single-engined ultralight biplane built by Avro at Hamble Aerodrome.
The Avro 560 was a British single-engined ultralight monoplane built by Avro at Hamble Aerodrome.
The Blackburn L.1 Bluebird was a British single-engine biplane light trainer/tourer with side-by-side seating, built in small numbers by Blackburn Aircraft in the 1920s.
The Bristol Type 91 Brownie was a light sports aircraft produced in the United Kingdom by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1924. It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane aircraft of conventional configuration with fixed tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and passenger sat in tandem open cockpits. It won the £1,000 pound prize for second place at the Lympne light aircraft trials in October 1924.
The Westland Widgeon was a British light aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined parasol monoplane, the Widgeon was built in small numbers before Westland abandoned production in 1929.
The Blackburne Thrush was a 1,500 cc three-cylinder radial aero-engine for light aircraft produced by Burney and Blackburne Limited. Burney and Blackburne were based at Bookham, Surrey, England and was a former motorcycle manufacturer.
The Avro 562 Avis was a two-seat light biplane designed and built by A.V.Roe and Company Limited at Hamble for the 1924 Lympne Light Aeroplane Trials.
The Gloster Gannet was a single-seat single-engined light aircraft built by the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company Limited of Cheltenham, United Kingdom, to compete in the 1923 Lympne Trials. Engine development problems prevented it from taking part.
The Gnosspelius Gull was a 1920s British experimental ultra-light monoplane designed by Major O.T. Gnosspelius and built by Short Brothers at Rochester for the 1923 Lympne light aircraft trials.
The Westland Woodpigeon was a British two-seat light biplane designed to compete in the 1924 Lympne light aircraft trials.
The Blackburne Tomtit was a 670 cc V-twin aero engine for light aircraft that was designed and produced by Burney and Blackburne Limited. Burney and Blackburne was based at Bookham, Surrey, England and was a former motorcycle manufacturer.
The Vickers Vagabond was Vickers' entrant for the second Lympne light aircraft competition, held in 1924. It was a conventional small biplane, with a very unusual method of trimming. It was eliminated from the trials at an early stage and only one was built.
The Parnall Pixie was a low powered British single-seat monoplane light aircraft originally designed to compete in the Lympne, UK trials for motor-gliders in 1923, where it was flown successfully by Norman Macmillan. It had two sets of wings, one for cross-country flights and the other for speed; it later appeared as a biplane which could be converted into a monoplane.
The Potez VIII was a French training aircraft which first flew in 1920. Originally it had a very unusual vertical inline engine and a four-wheeled undercarriage, though the production version was more conventional.
The Gribovsky G-5 was a small, low powered Russian single seat sports aircraft from the late 1920s.
