Based at Yearby, near Redcar in Cleveland, Acro Engines and Airframes Ltd was formed by Barry Olsen Smith (b. 28 Oct 1938) to develop the concept of affordable sport and competition aerobatics. The company built a number of aerobatic engines and some Tipsy Nipper fuselages. Small scale production of these items proved unviable and the engine shop concentrated on motor glider engine rebuilds, machining and short aero engines. The company built one aircraft, designed solely to exploit the full potential of the 2.1 litre Acro Aerobatic Engine, known as the Acro Advanced. The aircraft first flew in September 1994 and following extensive flight testing made its public air show début at the 1995 PFA rally, where it was awarded the Tiger Club Trophy for the best original design of the year.

The company ceased trading in 2008 after Smiths retirement.

1. https://www.acro.co.uk/index.htm