Nicholas Comper
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Comper was an English
aviator and aircraft designer, whose most notable success was the 1930s Comper Swift
monoplane racer.
, London, England, the son of church architect Sir John Ninian Comper
. After leaving Dulwich College
, he joined the Aircraft Manufacturing Company
(Airco) as an apprentice. He left the company in 1915 to join the Royal Flying Corps
, and was trained to fly at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome
. He joined No. 9 Squadron RFC, and was posted to Morlancourt in France, flying B.E.2c aircraft on reconnaissance missions.
After World War I
, Comper stayed in what was then the Royal Air Force
, and in 1920 he studied aerodynamics at Jesus College, Cambridge
. He spent time with RAE Farnborough, and in October 1922 he was posted to RAF Cranwell
to train engineering officers. One of his pupils was Frank Whittle
, the jet engine pioneer.
In 1923, Comper and some of his pupils and other members of staff formed the Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club. The Club went on to build four aircraft designed by Comper, named Cranwell C.L.A.2, C.L.A.3, and two examples of the C.L.A.4A. In late 1926 he was posted to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
(MAEE) Felixstowe
to work on flying boats and seaplanes. In March 1929, having reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant
, he resigned his commission to pursue aircraft design ambitions.
Ltd, based at Hooton Park
Aerodrome near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. His first design to be built at Hooton was his most successful, the Comper Swift
, a single-seat sporting monoplane. In March 1933, the company moved to Heston Aerodrome
near London. The company ceased trading in August 1934.
In August 1934, Comper joined with Francis R Walker to form a design consultancy named Comper and Walker Ltd, based in central London. He worked on airliner projects he called Dominion and Commerce. In December 1936, he renamed the company Comper Aeroplanes Limited, to develop those concepts. In 1938, working from his home in Walton-on-Thames
, 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.
On 17 June 1939, in Hythe, Kent
, Comper was injured in unusual circumstances. He had been a practical joker, and after he was stopped lighting fireworks in a public house
, he went outside. As he bent down to light the firework, a passer-by enquired what he was doing, his reply was that he was an IRA
man and was going to blow up the town hall, prompting the passer-by to knock him down. Comper hit his head on the kerb
, suffering a brain haemorrhage, and died later in hospital, aged 42.
After Comper's death, the Comper CF.1 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
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
aviator and aircraft designer, whose most notable success was the 1930s Comper Swift
Comper Swift
-See also:-References:*Boughton, Terence. 1963. The Story of The British Light Aeroplane. John Murray*Meaden, Jack & Fillmore, Malcolm. . The Comper Lightplanes. Air-Britain Archive . Air-Britain. ISSN 02624923...
monoplane racer.
Early life
Nicholas Comper was born in LambethLambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, London, England, the son of church architect Sir John Ninian Comper
Ninian Comper
Sir John Ninian Comper was a Scottish-born architect. He was one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects, noted for his churches and their furnishings...
. After leaving Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, he joined the Aircraft Manufacturing Company
Airco
The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited was established in 1912 by George Holt Thomas at The Hyde in Hendon, north London, England.-Geoffrey de Havilland:...
(Airco) as an apprentice. He left the company in 1915 to join the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
, and was trained to fly at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome
Castle Bromwich Aerodrome
Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham.-History:...
. He joined No. 9 Squadron RFC, and was posted to Morlancourt in France, flying B.E.2c aircraft on reconnaissance missions.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Comper stayed in what was then the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and in 1920 he studied aerodynamics at Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
. He spent time with RAE Farnborough, and in October 1922 he was posted to RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
to train engineering officers. One of his pupils was Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
, the jet engine pioneer.
In 1923, Comper and some of his pupils and other members of staff formed the Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club. The Club went on to build four aircraft designed by Comper, named Cranwell C.L.A.2, C.L.A.3, and two examples of the C.L.A.4A. In late 1926 he was posted to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment was a British military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain, a former Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base, to design, test and evaluate seaplanes,...
(MAEE) Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
to work on flying boats and seaplanes. In March 1929, having reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
, he resigned his commission to pursue aircraft design ambitions.
Civilian Life
In April 1929, he formed the Comper Aircraft CompanyComper Aircraft Company
The Comper Aircraft Company Ltd was a 1930s British light aircraft manufacturer. It was based at Hooton Aerodrome, Cheshire , and Heston Aerodrome, Middlesex .-History:...
Ltd, based at Hooton Park
Hooton Park
RAF Hooton Park, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, was a Royal Air Force station originally built for the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 as a training aerodrome for pilots in World War I. During the early/mid 1930s, it was one of the two airfields handling scheduled services for the Merseyside...
Aerodrome near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. His first design to be built at Hooton was his most successful, the Comper Swift
Comper Swift
-See also:-References:*Boughton, Terence. 1963. The Story of The British Light Aeroplane. John Murray*Meaden, Jack & Fillmore, Malcolm. . The Comper Lightplanes. Air-Britain Archive . Air-Britain. ISSN 02624923...
, a single-seat sporting monoplane. In March 1933, the company moved to Heston Aerodrome
Heston Aerodrome
Heston Aerodrome was a 1930s airfield located to the west of London, UK, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex...
near London. The company ceased trading in August 1934.
In August 1934, Comper joined with Francis R Walker to form a design consultancy named Comper and Walker Ltd, based in central London. He worked on airliner projects he called Dominion and Commerce. In December 1936, he renamed the company Comper Aeroplanes Limited, to develop those concepts. In 1938, working from his home in Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames is a town in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey in South East England. The town is located south west of Charing Cross and is between the towns of Weybridge and Molesey. It is situated on the River Thames between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock.- History :The name "Walton" is...
, 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
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
Aerodrome.
On 17 June 1939, in Hythe, Kent
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
, Comper was injured in unusual circumstances. He had been a practical joker, and after he was stopped lighting fireworks in a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, he went outside. As he bent down to light the firework, a passer-by enquired what he was doing, his reply was that he was an IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
man and was going to blow up the town hall, prompting the passer-by to knock him down. Comper hit his head on the kerb
Curb (road)
A curb, or kerb , is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway.-Function:...
, suffering a brain haemorrhage, and died later in hospital, aged 42.
After Comper's death, the Comper CF.1 Fly was completed with RAF serial T1788 by Heston Aircraft Company
Heston Aircraft Company
Heston Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based at Heston Aerodrome, Middlesex, England.Starting in 1934 the company produced a number of aircraft designs beginning with the Heston Phoenix and the Hordern-Richmond Autoplane. During the Second World War the company transitioned to...
, 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
Air Observation Post
An Air Observation Post is a British military aircraft used for active or passive observation of artillery actions.-History:Air Observation Post is the term used by the Royal Air Force and other services of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth air forces for an aeroplane or helicopter used in the...
(AOP) aircraft, the Fane F.1/40
Fane F.1/40
-External links:***...
.
Aircraft designed and flown
- 1924 - Cranwell CLA.2
- 1925 - Cranwell CLA.3Cranwell CLA.3The Cranwell CLA.3 was a parasol winged single-engined, single-seat British aircraft built to compete in the Lympne air races of 1925. It was designed and built by an amateur group drawn fom staff and pupils at the RAF College Cranwell...
- 1926 - Cranwell CLA.4Cranwell CLA.4The Cranwell CLA.4 was single-engined two-seat inverted sesquiplane designed and constructed for the 1926 Lympne trials by an amateur group from RAF College Cranwell. Two were entered, though engine problems prevented one from taking part; the other was eliminated with a broken undercarriage...
- 1930 - Comper SwiftComper Swift-See also:-References:*Boughton, Terence. 1963. The Story of The British Light Aeroplane. John Murray*Meaden, Jack & Fillmore, Malcolm. . The Comper Lightplanes. Air-Britain Archive . Air-Britain. ISSN 02624923...
- 1932 - Cierva C.25
- 1933 - Comper MouseComper Mouse-References:*Boughton, Terence. 1963. The Story of The British Light Aeroplane. John Murray*Lewis, Peter. 1970. British Racing and Record-Breaking Aircraft. Putnam ISBN 0370000676...
- 1934 - Comper StreakComper StreakThe Comper Streak was a single-engined, single-seat racing monoplane built in the UK in the mid-1930s. It was not successful as a racer and only one was produced.-Development:...
- 1934 - Comper Kite