Alliance
Hendon and Alliance Aeroplane Company Ltd.
Alliance Aeroplane Company Ltd.
Contents
History
During 1918, responding to pressures for aircraft manufacture, Samuel Waring, the owner of the furniture manufacturer Waring and Gillow and the Nieuport and General Aircraft Company, formed the Alliance Aeroplane Company. The main factory was located at Hammersmith and, to provide a flying field, absorbed the Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation Company, along with their premises at Acton Aerodrome. In the last year of the First World War, the Alliance Aeroplane Company assisted in the building of several hundred biplanes and triplanes for the de Havilland and Handley-Page aircraft companies. The first aircraft to bear the Alliance name was the last product of the old Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann company, their Elementary Trainer, improved and renamed the Alliance P.1.
The end of Word War I brought wholesale cancellations of military contracts, so Alliance turned to producing civil aircraft. They engaged the services of J.A. Peters, designer of the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine and produced a long distance machine, the P.2 Seabird. It made a record non-stop flight to Madrid in July, 1919, but a second machine, indended for an attempted flight to Australia, crashed in november 1919, killing all on board. This failure ended the aspirations of the Alliance Company and, although the factory remained in the hands of Waring and Gillow until 1945, Alliance closed in 1920.
Company References
- The Story of Acton Aerodrome and The Alliance Factory, A.H. Goodlet (London Borough of Ealing Library Service, 1978)
- http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page10.html
- http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Acton
Project Data
| Project No | Type No | Name | Alternative Name(s) | Year | Spec (Requirement) | Status | Qty | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P.1 | 1918 | Proto | 1 | 2S, 1E training biplane | 1 | ||||
| P.2 | Seabird | 1919 | Proto | 2 | 2S, 1E long endurance biplane | 1,2,3 |
Project References
- British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Vol 1, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
- British Commercial Aircraft 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2003)
- Flight 15 May 1919
Production Details and Type Description
Two seat, two bay, unstaggered training biplane of wood and fabric construction: Ruffy-Baumannn R.A.B.15 redesigned by J.A. Peters, featuring horn balanced rudder and improved undercarriage. One 80-h.p. Renault powerplant.
One aircraft only : K-159 / G-EAGK, c/n P1, registered to the Alliance Aeroplane Co. Ltd.
Long-range two-seat, two-bay biplane with an endurance of 21 hours. The rectangular section fuselage featured an extensively glazed enclosed cabin for the crew, with comfortable seats and sleeping accommodation. Horn balanced ailerons were fitted on each wing. One 450 h.p. Napier Lion powerplant.
| P.2 Seabird Specification | |||||||||
| Span | Length | Height | Wing Area | Empty Wt | Max AUW | Cruise Speed | Maximum Speed | Range | Service Ceiling |
| 53 ft | 33 ft 6 in | 15 ft 3 in | 700 sq ft | 2600 lb | 7400 lb | 125 mph/ 109 kn | 140 mph/ 122 kn | 3000 mi | |
| 16.15 m | 10.21 m | 4.65 m | 65.03 m2 | 1179 kg | 3357 kg | 201 km/h | 225 km/h | 4828 km | |
Total Alliance Production3
Production References
- British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Vol 1, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
Page Revision History
Revised at Version 2.0.0- Added Type Description and Specification details.