Comper
The Comper Aircraft Co Ltd.Comper and Walker Ltd.
Comper Aeroplanes Ltd.
Contents
History
In April 1929, after leaving the Royal Air Force, Nicholas Comper formed the Comper Aircraft Company Ltd, based at Hooton Park Aerodrome near Ellesmere Port 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, 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, using major elements of a Comper Swift.
In March 1933, after producing about 41 aircraft, the company moved to Heston Aerodrome near London. The first aircraft built at Heston was the Mouse, 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 the Heston Aircraft Company Ltd, effective 10 August 1934.
Following the dissolution of Comper Aircraft, Nick first joined with Francis R. Walker to form a design consultancy named Comper and Walker Ltd. He then continued working from his home in Walton-on-Thames on airliner projects he called Dominion and Commerce, and in December 1936, he renamed the company Comper Aeroplanes Limited, to develop those concepts. In 1938, Comper designed a new training aircraft named the Comper Scamp. The single-seat trial version named the CF.1 Fly was built by students at the Chelsea College of Aeronautical Engineering at Brooklands Aerodrome. After Comper's death, the Fly was completed with RAF serial T1788 by Heston Aircraft Company, who failed to make it fly with the available engine power. Comper's collaborator on the CF.1 project, Gerard Fane, later developed the concept into a newly designed air observation post (AOP) aircraft, the Fane F.1/40.
Company References
- British Light Aeroplanes 1920 - 1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
- British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Vol 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
- https://www.nickcomper.co.uk/
Project Data
| Project No | Type No | Name | Alternative Name(s) | Year | Spec (Requirement) | Status | Qty | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comper Aircraft Company | |||||||||
| CLA.7 | Swift | 1929 | Prod | 41 | 1S, 1E light aircraft | 1, 2, 5, 305, 306, 307, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 313, 314, 315, 316, 319, 320, 321, 800 | |||
| Aircar | 1929 | Proj | 0 | 2S, 1E light aircraft | 325, 801 | ||||
| C.25 | Autogyro | 1932 | Proto | 1 | 1S, 1E autogyro | 3, 4, 5, 316 | |||
| Mouse | 1933 | Proto | 1 | 3S, 1E light aircraft | 1, 2, 308, 317 | ||||
| Streak | 1934 | Proto | 1 | 1S, 1E light aircraft | 1, 2, 300, 301, 315, 319, 323 | ||||
| Kite | 1934 | Proto | 1 | 1S, 1E light aircraft | 1, 2, 304, 316, 319, 322 | ||||
| Comper Aeroplanes Limited | |||||||||
| Dominion | 1938 | Proj | 0 | ||||||
| Commerce | 1938 | Proj | 0 | ||||||
| Scamp | 1938 | Proj | 0 | 2S, 1E light aircraft | 2, 318, 324, 325 | ||||
| FC.1 | Fly | 1938 | Pro(n) | 1 | 1S, 1E light aircraft | 2, 318, 319, 302, 303 | |||
Project References
| Books and Booklets | |
| 1. | British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 2nd Ed., 1973) |
| 2. | British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000) |
| 3. | Autogiro, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (Mushroom Model Publications, 2009) |
| 4. | Autogiros - The Development of Rotary-Wing Flight, Peter W. Brooks (Airlife, 1988) |
| 5. | Ultralights - The Early British Classics, Richard Riding (Patrick Stephens, 1987) |
| Magazines and Periodicals | |
| 300. | Aeroplane Monthly Nov 1974 |
| 301. | Aeroplane Monthly Jan 1977 |
| 302. | Aeroplane Monthly Apr 1977 |
| 303. | Aeroplane Monthly Jun 1977 |
| 304. | Aeroplane Monthly Oct 1977 |
| 305. | Aeroplane Monthly Aug 1978 |
| 306. | Aeroplane Monthly Sep 1978 |
| 307. | Aeroplane Monthly Feb 1982 |
| 308. | Aeroplane Monthly Jun 1988 |
| 309. | Aeroplane Monthly Mar 2003 |
| 310. | Air Britain Archive 2003/1 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 311. | Air Britain Archive 2003/4 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 328. | Air Britain Archive 2004/1 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 329. | Air Britain Archive 2004/2 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 330. | Air Britain Archive 2004/3 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 331. | Air Britain Archive 2004/4 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 332. | Air Britain Archive 2005/1 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 333. | Air Britain Archive 2005/2 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 334. | Air Britain Archive 2005/3 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 335. | Air Britain Archive 2006/4 (Air-Britain Publications) |
| 336. | Air Enthusiast Quarterly No 129 |
| 337. | Air Pictorial Jan 1967 |
| 338. | Flight 10 May 1934 |
| 339. | Flight 19 April 1934 |
| 340. | Flight 27 Oct 1938 |
| 341. | Flight 28 Jul 1938 |
| 342. | Flying Aces Club News, No. 105 (Sep-Oct 1985) |
| Websites | |
| 800. | https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/comperswift/comperswift.html |
| 801. | https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/cranwell-light-aeroplane-club-aeroplanes.33699/ |
Production Summary
Select the button to go to the appropriate listings page.
Note: In the Production Summary, conversions are only listed where they result in a change from one Type to another. Changes to sub-type or Mark Number are not shown in the summary.
For details of these, see the individual listings.
| Type No | Name | Qty (New) |
Qty (Conv) |
Canc'd | |
| CLA.7 | Swift | 41 | 3 | ||
| C.25 | Autogiro | 1 | |||
| Mouse | 1 | 11 | |||
| Streak | 1 | ||||
| Kite | 1 | ||||
| Scamp | 1 | ||||
| CF.1 | Fly | 1 |
| Total Comper Production | 46 |
| Total Comper Cancelled Orders | 15 |