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.

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

• Simmonds Spartan
• Spartan Arrow – first flight 1930, 15 built
• Spartan Three Seater – first flight 1931, 25 built
• Spartan Cruiser – passenger, first flight 1932 17 built
• Spartan Clipper – 1 built 1932

Notes

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. 

External links

• Simmonds/Spartan production