Spartan Aircraft Ltd

Spartan Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1930 to 1935. It was formed by reinvestment in Simmonds Aircraft which had suffered financially.

This article is about the British manufacturer. For the American manufacturer, see Spartan Aircraft Company.

Spartan Aircraft Limited
Limited company
IndustryAircraft manufacturing
FateMerged with Saunders Roe, 1935
PredecessorSimmonds Aircraft
FoundedWoolston, Hampshire, UK 1930 (1930)
FounderOliver Simmonds
Defunct1935 
Headquarters
Southampton 
ProductsCivil aircraft

History

In 1928 Oliver Simmonds designed and built a prototype aircraft, the Simmonds Spartan, in a factory at Woolston, Hampshire.[1] The design was a success with over 50 aircraft built.[2] Following financial difficulties and investment from Whitehall Securities Corporation Ltd[3] Simmonds Aircraft Limited changed name in 1930 to Spartan Aircraft Limited.

The first aircraft from the renamed company was the Spartan Arrow a two-seat biplane of which 15 were built.[4] The next design was a three-seat open-cockpit biplane the Spartan Three Seater. The company ceased to build aircraft in 1935.

In January 1931 Flight magazine revealed that Whitehall Securities had acquired a substantial holding in Saunders Roe Ltd. and arising out of this investment Spartan was effectively merged into Saunders Roe. Spartan Aircraft's final product was the Spartan Cruiser a three-engined light airliner developed from the Saro-Percival Mailplane.

Aircraft

Notes
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Flight 1929
  3. A Pearson Group company
  4. Jackson, 1974, p. 180

References
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
  • Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.
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