Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer of the World War II era. They were primarily a repair and overhaul shop, but also a construction shop for other companies' designs, notably the Supermarine Seafire
. The company also undertook contract work for the Air Ministry, Lord Rootes, Shorts
and Armstrong Siddeley
worth £1.5 million. After the war, however, the company began to face financial difficulties and in February 1947 a request to Midland Bank to extend the company‟s overdraft was refused. In November of that year it became necessary to suspend production of the Concordia aircraft – upon which all the company‟s future hopes rested – and its financial collapse became inevitable.
Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen, Bt., chairman of Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft, Ltd., died on 14 December 1947 aged 77. He was succeeded by his son, Dudley Herbert Cunliffe-Owen, who was sales director of the firm. His eldest son, Hugo Leslie, who was in the Fleet Air Arm. was killed in 1942.
Sir Hugo was also associated with British & Foreign Aviation Ltd a company with a nominal quarter-million pound capital. The objects were stated as to acquire not less than 90 per cent, of the issued share' capital of Olley Air Service Ltd. and Air Commerce, Ltd and to make agreements between Olley Air Service ltd, Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen and others to operate air services and aerodromes and manuifacture, deal in and repair aircraft. Associated companies included West Coast Air Services Ltd,and Isle of Man Air Services.(See Morton Air Services
)
Clyde Edward Pangborn became the company's demonstrator and test pilot.
having been formed as B.A.O., LTD. (Aircraft manufacturers and dealers,of Hangar No. 2a, Southampton Airport).—The nominal capital was increased by the addition of £49,900 beyond the registered capital of £100. The additional capital was divided into 39,900 ordinary and 10,000 5 per cent, non-cumulative preference shares of £1 each. The organisation was registered as a " private " company on 9 September 1937. By a Board resolution dated 11 May 1938, the name was changed to 'Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft, Ltd."
The company intended to produce the Burnelli UB-14
lifting fuselage under license as the Cunliffe-Owen OA-Mk1. An example was assembled in 1939. The resulting plane was known as the Clyde Clipper but only one had been completed before the start of the war. The sole aircraft was pressed into service by the RAF and was eventually turned over to the Free French Air Force in Africa, where at one point it served as the personal transport of General Charles de Gaulle
. Worn out by its wartime service, the Clyde Clipper reportedly met its end as the centerpiece of a V-J Day (victory over Japan) bonfire.
During the war the company was primarily involved in repair and overhaul work for Supermarine, whose test facilities were located on the same airfield. In 1940 they were selected to be one of the factories producing the Hawker Tornado
, but that project was cancelled in 1941. In 1943 they won a contract to produce the Supermarine Seafire
, 118 Seafire Ibs incorporating the fuselage reinforcements were modified from Spitfire Vbs by the company and Air Training Service. These aircraft were equipped with Naval HF High frequency radio equipment and IFF equipment as well as a Type 72 homing beacon. In these and all subsequent Seafires the instruments were re-calibrated to read knots and nautical miles rather than mph Miles per hour. The fixed armament was the same as that of the Spitfire Vb; two 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon with 60 rounds per gun fed from a "drum" magazine, and four .303 inch.303 British Browning machine guns with 350 rpg. Provision was also made to carry a 30 gallon "slipper" fuel tank under the fuselage. One frontline unit, 801 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service operated this version on board HMS Furious from October 1942 through to September 1944. Production continued until 1946.
Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Limited also had a factory on the Macmerry aerodrome near Edinburgh, Scotland the workforce of which were principally concerned with the repair of Lockheed Hudson aircraft.
After the war they produced their first, and only, indigenous design, the Cunliffe-Owen Concordia
, a 12-seat feederliner design. The Concordia project was abandoned in 1947 and the two prototypes were scrapped. Given the low use of the factory during this period, they sublet portions of the plant to the Cierva Autogiro Company
starting in 1946 with Cunliffe-Owen undertaking production of Cierva's designs. When it first flew in 1948 the Cierva W.11
was the largest helicopter in the world. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin 24 engine driving three main rotors mounted on large outriggers, one at the front and two either side of the fuselage just aft of its mid point. There were two large fins at the rear of the fuselage, and a cockpit on top of the nose which housed a crew of three. It had a passenger carrying capacity of 24. It was envisaged to fulfil roles as a crop sprayer (with a large capacity!), air ambulance and aerial crane. The two prototypes were built under contract by Cunliffe-Owen. The first prototype fatally crashed in 1950 and the project was abandoned, the second never flew.
Cunliffe-Owen was later dissolved and its factory sold to Briggs Motor Bodies (later taken over by Ford), forcing Cierva to move to another location on the field.
The original Cunliffe-Owen factory area still exists, as Ford's
main production facility for the Transit
van, although it has been separated from the airfield by the construction of the M27 motorway
, which reached this area in 1983.
Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
. The company also undertook contract work for the Air Ministry, Lord Rootes, Shorts
Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
and Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines.-Siddeley Autocars:...
worth £1.5 million. After the war, however, the company began to face financial difficulties and in February 1947 a request to Midland Bank to extend the company‟s overdraft was refused. In November of that year it became necessary to suspend production of the Concordia aircraft – upon which all the company‟s future hopes rested – and its financial collapse became inevitable.
Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen, Bt., chairman of Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft, Ltd., died on 14 December 1947 aged 77. He was succeeded by his son, Dudley Herbert Cunliffe-Owen, who was sales director of the firm. His eldest son, Hugo Leslie, who was in the Fleet Air Arm. was killed in 1942.
Sir Hugo was also associated with British & Foreign Aviation Ltd a company with a nominal quarter-million pound capital. The objects were stated as to acquire not less than 90 per cent, of the issued share' capital of Olley Air Service Ltd. and Air Commerce, Ltd and to make agreements between Olley Air Service ltd, Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen and others to operate air services and aerodromes and manuifacture, deal in and repair aircraft. Associated companies included West Coast Air Services Ltd,and Isle of Man Air Services.(See Morton Air Services
Morton Air Services
Morton Air Services was one of the earliest post-World War II private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airlines formed in 1945. It mainly operated regional short-haul scheduled services within the British Isles and between the United Kingdom and Continental Europe....
)
Clyde Edward Pangborn became the company's demonstrator and test pilot.
History
The firm had been formed in 1937 as a subsidiary of the British American Tobacco Company at Eastleigh, near Southampton, to build the Bumelli Flying Wing aircraft under licence, and was renamed Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Limited in May 1938 by Hugo Cunliffe-OwenHugo Cunliffe-Owen
Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen, 1st Baronet was an English industrialist.Cunliffe-Owen was the younger son of Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen. He was educated at Brighton College and then Clifton College and then went into business in Bristol...
having been formed as B.A.O., LTD. (Aircraft manufacturers and dealers,of Hangar No. 2a, Southampton Airport).—The nominal capital was increased by the addition of £49,900 beyond the registered capital of £100. The additional capital was divided into 39,900 ordinary and 10,000 5 per cent, non-cumulative preference shares of £1 each. The organisation was registered as a " private " company on 9 September 1937. By a Board resolution dated 11 May 1938, the name was changed to 'Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft, Ltd."
The company intended to produce the Burnelli UB-14
Burnelli UB-14
|-See also:-External links:*...
lifting fuselage under license as the Cunliffe-Owen OA-Mk1. An example was assembled in 1939. The resulting plane was known as the Clyde Clipper but only one had been completed before the start of the war. The sole aircraft was pressed into service by the RAF and was eventually turned over to the Free French Air Force in Africa, where at one point it served as the personal transport of General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. Worn out by its wartime service, the Clyde Clipper reportedly met its end as the centerpiece of a V-J Day (victory over Japan) bonfire.
During the war the company was primarily involved in repair and overhaul work for Supermarine, whose test facilities were located on the same airfield. In 1940 they were selected to be one of the factories producing the Hawker Tornado
Hawker Tornado
-See also:-Bibliography:* Darling, Kev. Hawker Typhoon, Tempest and Sea Fury. Ramsgate, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-86126-620-0....
, but that project was cancelled in 1941. In 1943 they won a contract to produce the Supermarine Seafire
Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
, 118 Seafire Ibs incorporating the fuselage reinforcements were modified from Spitfire Vbs by the company and Air Training Service. These aircraft were equipped with Naval HF High frequency radio equipment and IFF equipment as well as a Type 72 homing beacon. In these and all subsequent Seafires the instruments were re-calibrated to read knots and nautical miles rather than mph Miles per hour. The fixed armament was the same as that of the Spitfire Vb; two 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon with 60 rounds per gun fed from a "drum" magazine, and four .303 inch.303 British Browning machine guns with 350 rpg. Provision was also made to carry a 30 gallon "slipper" fuel tank under the fuselage. One frontline unit, 801 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service operated this version on board HMS Furious from October 1942 through to September 1944. Production continued until 1946.
Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Limited also had a factory on the Macmerry aerodrome near Edinburgh, Scotland the workforce of which were principally concerned with the repair of Lockheed Hudson aircraft.
After the war they produced their first, and only, indigenous design, the Cunliffe-Owen Concordia
Cunliffe-Owen Concordia
-External links:*...
, a 12-seat feederliner design. The Concordia project was abandoned in 1947 and the two prototypes were scrapped. Given the low use of the factory during this period, they sublet portions of the plant to the Cierva Autogiro Company
Cierva Autogiro Company
The Cierva Autogiro Company was a British developer of autogyros established in 1926.It was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scottish industrialist and aviator.-History:...
starting in 1946 with Cunliffe-Owen undertaking production of Cierva's designs. When it first flew in 1948 the Cierva W.11
Cierva Air Horse
-References:NotesReferences* Copies of entries in "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft", 1997. by D.Donald and "Helicopters and Autogyros of the World", 1958 by P.Lambermont. Hosted at www.aviastar.org. Accessed January 2008...
was the largest helicopter in the world. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin 24 engine driving three main rotors mounted on large outriggers, one at the front and two either side of the fuselage just aft of its mid point. There were two large fins at the rear of the fuselage, and a cockpit on top of the nose which housed a crew of three. It had a passenger carrying capacity of 24. It was envisaged to fulfil roles as a crop sprayer (with a large capacity!), air ambulance and aerial crane. The two prototypes were built under contract by Cunliffe-Owen. The first prototype fatally crashed in 1950 and the project was abandoned, the second never flew.
Cunliffe-Owen was later dissolved and its factory sold to Briggs Motor Bodies (later taken over by Ford), forcing Cierva to move to another location on the field.
The original Cunliffe-Owen factory area still exists, as Ford's
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
main production facility for the Transit
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...
van, although it has been separated from the airfield by the construction of the M27 motorway
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
, which reached this area in 1983.
Aircraft
- Cunliffe-Owen ConcordiaCunliffe-Owen Concordia-External links:*...
was intended as an airliner for feeder-line operation. Only one built.
- Cunliffe-Owen OA Mk. II – Proposed 1940s twenty-seat airliner, a license-built version of the Burnelli UB-14Burnelli UB-14|-See also:-External links:*...
, powered by two Bristol Perseus XIVCBristol Perseus|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bridgman, L, Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent . ISBN 0-517-67964-7* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
sleeve-valve engines.