The Comper Aircraft Company Ltd was a 1930s

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

light aircraft manufacturer. It was based at Hooton Aerodrome, Cheshire (1929–1933), and

Heston Aerodrome Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, ...

, Middlesex (1933–1934).

History

In April 1929, after leaving the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Nicholas Comper Nicholas Comper (29 April 1897 – 17 June 1939) was an England, English aviator and aircraft designer, whose most notable success was the 1930s Comper Swift monoplane racer. Early life Nicholas Comper was born in Lambeth, London, England, the ...

formed the Comper Aircraft Company Ltd, based at Hooton Park Aerodrome near

Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south-eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal. In the 2021 Unite ...

in Cheshire. Company directors included his brother Adrian Comper, his colleague Flt Lt J. Bernard Allen, George H Dawson, the owner of Hooton Park Aerodrome, and others. The company's first product was the

Comper Swift The Comper C.L.A.7 Swift is a British single-seat sporting aircraft designed and produced by the Comper Aircraft Company. It was the company’s first aircraft. The Swift was designed shortly after Nicholas Comper’s departure from the Royal A ...

, a single-seat sporting monoplane. After the prototype flew in January 1930, 40 production examples were built at Hooton. In 1932, in a joint venture, the company produced a prototype of the Cierva C.25

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...

, using major elements of a Comper Swift.Riding (2003)Nick Comper official website In March 1933, after producing about 41 aircraft, the company moved to

near London. The first aircraft built at Heston was the

Mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...

, that first flew in September 1933. Other single examples produced at Heston were the Comper Streak and Comper Kite. After an expensive move in a financial depression, and new aircraft designs but few sales, the company ceased trading in August 1934. Most of the directors resigned, including Nick Comper, and a new board was formed, headed by Sir Norman J Watson and Brindley 'Bryn' R.S. Jones. The company was renamed

Heston Aircraft Company Heston Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based at Heston Aerodrome, Middlesex, England. Starting in 1934 the company produced a number of aircraft designs beginning with the Heston Phoenix and the Hordern-Richmond Autoplane. ...

Ltd, effective 10 August 1934.

Aircraft

* 1930 -

* 1932 - Cierva C.25 * 1933 - Comper Mouse * 1934 - Comper Streak * 1934 -

Comper Kite The Comper Kite was a single-engined, two-seat touring monoplane built in the UK, derived from the contemporary Comper Streak racer. Only one was built. Design and development The Kite was created by redesigning the single-seat Comper Streak ...

Notes

References

*Boughton, Terence. 1963. The Story of The British Light Aeroplane. John Murray * *Meaden, Jack & Fillmore, Malcolm. (Winter 2003). The Comper Lightplanes. Air-Britain Archive (quarterly). Air-Britain. *Riding, Richard T. August&September 1978. British Pre-war Ultra-lights No.28: Comper Swift. Aeroplane Monthly. IPC Media *Riding, Richard T. 1987. Ultralights: The Early British Classics. Patrick Stephens *Riding, Richard T. March 2003. Database: Comper Swift. Aeroplane Monthly. IPC Media

External links

Nick Comper official website
{{Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1929 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1934 1929 establishments in England 1934 disestablishments in England British companies disestablished in 1934 British companies established in 1929 Comper family