Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club

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The Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club was formed in 1923 [1] by staff and students of the RAF College Cranwell to design and build light aircraft. One of the members was Flight Lieutenant Nicholas Comper who became the Chief Designer. Comper and the club designed and built four aircraft with the last three types being flown.

Nicholas Comper was an English aviator and aircraft designer, whose most notable success was the 1930s Comper Swift monoplane racer.

Aircraft

Cranwell CLA.2

The Cranwell CLA.2 was a single-engined two-seat biplane built by staff and students of RAF College Cranwell as an entrant to the Lympne Two Seater Light Aeroplane Trials of 1924. It won the reliability prize.

The Lympne Light Aircraft Trials were held to encourage the development of practical light aircraft for private ownership, with a strong but not exclusive emphasis on fuel economy. They were held in 1923, 1924 and 1926. Each year saw different restrictions on engine size, framed initially in terms of capacity and then weight. The Daily Mail newspaper provided cash prizes throughout though the initiating donation came from the Duke of Sutherland. The Air Ministry were prize givers in the 1924 event. The trials were held at Lympne in Kent, England.

RAF Martlesham Heath

Royal Air Force Station Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south west of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development of Airborne Interception radar.

Cranwell CLA.3

The Cranwell CLA.3 was a parasol winged single-engined, single-seat British aircraft built to compete in the Lympne air races of 1925. It was designed and built by an amateur group drawn from staff and pupils at the RAF College Cranwell. Though it won one prize and set a Class record, only one CLA.3 was made.

Bristol Cherub

The Bristol Cherub is a British two-cylinder, air-cooled, aircraft engine designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Introduced in 1923 it was a popular engine for ultralight and small aircraft in the 1930s.

CLA.4 Cranwell4.jpg
CLA.4
Cranwell CLA.4

The Cranwell CLA.4 was a single-engined two-seat inverted sesquiplane designed and constructed for the 1926 Lympne trials by an amateur group from RAF College Cranwell. Two were entered, though engine problems prevented one from taking part; the other was eliminated with a broken undercarriage. A third aircraft was amateur-built in Canada and flew until 1934.

Comper Swift

The Comper C.L.A.7 Swift is a British 1930s single-seat sporting aircraft produced by Comper Aircraft Company Ltd of Hooton Park, Cheshire.

The Comper Aircraft Company Ltd was a 1930s British light aircraft manufacturer. It was based at Hooton Aerodrome, Cheshire (1929-1933), and Heston Aerodrome, Middlesex (1933-1934).

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Avro 560 aircraft

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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.

Supermarine Sparrow

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Westland Widgeon (fixed wing) 1924 utility aircraft by Westland

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Avro Avis

The Avro 562 Avis was a two-seat light biplane designed and built by the A.V.Roe and Company Limited at Hamble for the 1924 Lympne Light Aeroplane Trials.

Lympne Airport airport in the United Kingdom

Lympne Airport, was a military and later civil airfield, at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. During the First World War RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returning from, France but was later designated as a First Class Landing Ground, RAF Lympne. It became a civil airfield in 1919 and saw the operation of early air mail services after the 1918 armistice. It was one of the first four airfields in the United Kingdom with customs facilities.

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.

Parnall Pixie

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 Beardmore Wee Bee was a single-engined monoplane built only once and specifically for the Lympne two-seat light aircraft trials held in the United Kingdom in 1924. This plane won the major prize.

The RAE Hurricane was a single-seat, single-engined light monoplane designed and built by the Aero Club of the Royal Aircraft Establishment for the 1923 Lympne Motor Glider Competition. It was underpowered with an unreliable engine. Re-engined, it flew in many races, with first place in the 1926 Grosvenor Challenge Cup its greatest success.

Halton Mayfly

The Halton Mayfly was a British two-seat biplane designed by C.H. Latimer-Needham and built by the Halton Aero Club between 1926 and 1927. Registered G-EBOO and named the HAC.1 Mayfly it first flew on 31 January 1927. It was converted to a single-seater and was flown in a number of air races including the King's Cup Race. It was entered in the 1926 Lympne light aircraft trials as No. 8 but failed to arrive in time for the elimination trials.

The Fane Aircraft Company Limited was a British company formed by the aviator Captain Gerard Fane, DSC, and based at Norbury, London, England.

References

  1. ↑ "Comper CLA.7 Swift". RAF Museum London.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jackson 1973, pp.295-296
  3. ↑ Jackson 1973, p. 30
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