Clutton
F. Clutton
Contents
History
Eric Clutton was born in 1922 in Stoke-on-Trent, and attended Hanley High School, the same school that R.J. Mitchell attended. He would, therefore, claim to be Stoke-on-Trent's ‘second ever' aircraft designer! His passion for aircraft during the wartime years was fueled by aeromodelling. and on leaving school he started work at Rootes' aviation shadow factory. at Meir Aerodrome. He even graduated to ground running as well as taxying the P-51 Mustangs being assembled there.
Clutton became a high school teacher, specializing in machine shop and technical subjects. Between 1957 and 1963 Clutton designed and built the prototype FRED (Flying Runabout Experimental Design) in collaboration with E. W. Sherry (Ernest William Sherry, 1926-2022), the prototype of which first flew at Meir aerodrome, Stoke-on-Trent on 3 November 1963.
Clutton then worked on developing a geared version of the Volkswagen air-cooled engine for aircraft use, FRED being fitted with one by 1968. In 1969, Clutton, in collaboration with Albert Tabenor (Albert John Frederick Tabenor, 1914-1989), began the design of a single seat monoplane to be powered by his converted V.W. engine. It was to have retractable undercarriage and wings designed to be folded to allow the aircraft to be towed behind a car. Then in 1978 his EC.3 Special, a faster more streamlined version of the EC.2, was designed. Neither of these was completed, work on the prototype EC.2 being abandoned when Clutton emigrated to the United States in 1983, shipping his prototype FRED with him.
In the United States, Clutton initially lived in Punta Gorda, Florida, then moved to Oklahoma, before he settled in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He worked for a while as a project engineer, working on several ultralight designs, including, with Wayne lson, the popular Minimax.
Eric Clutton died in February 2022.
Company References
Project Data
| Project No | Type No | Name | Alternative Name(s) | Year | Spec (Requirement) | Status | Qty | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EC.1 | FRED | 1957 | Prdn | 53 | 1S, 1E ultra light | 1, 2, 3 | |||
| EC.2 | Easy-Too | 1978 | Pro(n) | 1 | 1S, 1E ultra light | 2, 3 | |||
| EC.3 | Special | 1978 | Proj | 0 | 1S, 1E ultra light | 4 |
Project References
- British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 2nd Ed., 1973)
- British Homebuilt Aircraft since 1920, Ken Ellis (Merseyside Aviation Society, 2nd Ed. 1979)
- British Private Aircraft 1946-1970, Volume 2, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (Mushroom Model Publications, 2013)
- https://www.kitplanes.com/fred-to-florida/
Production Summary
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Note: In the Production Summary, conversions are only listed where they result in a change from one Type to another. Changes to sub-type or Mark Number are not shown in the summary.
For details of these, see the individual listings.
Total Clutton Production54