Currie

History

John Richard W “Joe” Currie (1898 – 1960) had been an engineer-fitter, then pilot, during WWI, flying S.E.5’s, an aircraft that was to influence his later creation. He became a lecturer at Chelsea College in London. In 1936 he drew up a design as a project for his students, along the lines of a smaller S.E.5, and when construction started, passers-by inevitably asked “what” they were building. Joe’s gruff response was “you can call it wot you blooming well like”. The name stuck!

William Davies who, with his wife Ann, managed the Cinque Ports Flying Club at Lympne, heard of Currie's design and offered him a job as chief ground engineer, and financed the building of two machines by his company, Cinque Ports Aviation Ltd. Both original Wots apparently flew well, although utilisation was somewhat limited by the fact that the two aircraft had just a single engine shared between them, a 36 h.p. flat-twin which had been salvaged from a crashed Aeronca C-3, a further example of Currie’s low budget. Unfortunately, both were destroyed in 1940 during a WW2 German air raid on Lympne.

During WW2 Joe became an RAF Engineering Officer, before a heart condition saw his return to civilian engineering for a number of companies in the south of England. In the early 1950s, he left Saunders-Roe and took on the role of chief engineer for the Hampshire Aeroplane Club (HAC) at Eastleigh. In 1957, Viv Bellamy, then Chief Flying Instructor at HAC, suggested that Currie build two examples of his ‘Wot’ to the original drawings, to offer lower cost flying to members. Currie then supervised a small group which included former Supermarine draughtsman John O. Isaacs.

The first aircraft, G-APNT, first flew on 11 September 1958. G-APNT. Initially powered by a 40 h.p. Aeronca-JAP J-99, it was soon re-engined with a four-cylinder 60 hp Walter Mikron II engine and was also trialled using floats. With the more powerful Mikron engine it was known as the Hot Wot and later, with the floats, as the Wet Wot. The floatplane version was not a success and they were soon removed. With the original Aeronca-JAP engine reinstalled it was delivered on 29 May 1959 as the personal aircraft of Westland Aircraft test pilot H J Penrose, who wanted to recreate the open cockpit pleasures that he’d enjoyed in the early days of his flying career. He christened the aeroplane 'Airymouse' (a Cornish expression for Bat), and wrote a book of the same name about his experiences flying the aircraft.

The first of the two aircraft, G-APNT, was bought from Hampshire Aeroplane Club in 1959 by Westland’s chief test pilot Harald Penrose, who wanted to recreate the open cockpit pleasures that he’d enjoyed in the early days of his flying career, and gained the name ‘Airymouse’.

Following a disagreement, Currie left HAC to become chief engineer at Christchurch Aero Club. The design rights for the Currie Wot were first sold to Dr J H B Urmston (John Hewlett Brabazon Urmston AMRAeS (1924-2016), trading as Botley Aircraft), who sold the designs on to Phoenix Aircraft Limited.

Aircraft plans were sold to amateur builders and soon examples were being constructed, the first homebuilt aircraft flying in 1963. The most unusual Wots were built in 1967 by Slingsby Sailplanes Limited. Slingsby built six aircraft modified to represent the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A for film work. Today the rights are held by the Light Aircraft Association.

Company References

1. British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
2. British Private Aircraft 1946-1970, Volume 2, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (Mushroom Model Publications, 2013)
3. Aeroplane Affair, John O Isaacs (Air Research Publications, 1988)
4. https://haa-uk.aero/airymouse-little-aeroplane-long-story/

Project Data

Total Currie Production28