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C.L.W.

clw_logo.png C.L.W. Aviation Co.
C.L.W. Aviation Co. (1936), Ltd.

Contents

History
Projects
Production

History

In the early 1930s Francis Samuel Welman (b. 9 August 1877 in Reading - d. December 1967 in Portsmouth) and Arthur Levell conceived a new single spar duralumin wing structure that promised weight savings without loss of strength. Its developers had failed to find an aircraft firm interested in it as it had no flight experience, the result being that they designed and built an aircraft to go with it.

With financial support from Stanton Wilding-Cole OBE of EKCO radio, they set up a company known by their combined initials, CLW Aviation Co Ltd, formed on 12 January 1935 and based at Gravesend, Kent, with Wilding-Cole as chairman. They then proceeded to build a wing for testing.

This performed to the calculations, and the company decided to produce a small aeroplane using it. The company’s initials also provided the inspiration for the name of the aircraft - the Curlew. It was intended both as a demonstrator and as a trainer for those pilots going on to modern, fast monoplanes. It was also seen as a contender in the open two-seater market, particularly for the richer buyer after a machine with "snappier" performance. The original company was put into liquidation 24 April 1936 for purposes of reconstruction, probably in order to allow for new finance, and all the rights passed to a new company, CLW Aviation Co (1936) Ltd, formed on 30 April. One of the additional directors of this company was William P Mackintosh, of Mackintosh Brothers Ltd. The company was still based at Gravesend Aerodrome, Kent.

Sqn Ldr F.W.H. Lervill, another CLW director who had joined the company in March 1935, had clear ideas on training aircraft and the Curlew was intended to place the pupil at the front to familiarise them with the sensation of flying alone. He also chose not to fit wheel brakes, for he thought they were likely to confuse the novice.

The Curlew successfully completed its initial trials, and the machine was advertised as suitable for other engines up to powers of 130 h.p. and the de Havilland Gipsy Major was specifically mentioned. Though Cole had by this time withdrawn his financial support, things for a short while looked bright for CLW. As a trainer it was not accepted by the RAF but there were hopes for an order from the RAAF in late 1936 for 50 Curlews. However, this order was never proceeded with. By now, CLW were over extended and went bankrupt. Plans for a twin-engined light transport using a similar wing structure were abandoned. The sole Curlew went to Essex Aero, also of Gravesend, in the asset sale. It seems to have done little flying after that, and was put up for sale in July 1938. Stored during the war, it was broken up in 1948.

Company References

  1. British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
  2. Air Britain Archive 2008/3 (Air-Britain Publications)

Project Data

Project No Type No Name Alternative Name(s) Year Spec (Requirement) Status Qty Description References
T.1 Curlew 1936 Proto 1 2S, 1E tourer 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
C.A.1 1936 Proj 0 8S, 2E light transport 6, 8

Project References

  1. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 2nd Ed., 1973)
  2. British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
  3. British Homebuilt Aircraft since 1920, Ken Ellis (Merseyside Aviation Society, 2nd Ed. 1979)
  4. Aeroplane Monthly Feb 1977
  5. Aeroplane Monthly Apr 2019
  6. Air Britain Archive 2008/3 (Air-Britain Publications)
  7. The Aeroplane 16 Aug 1936
  8. Flight 19 Mar 1936

Production Details and Type Description

T.1 Curlew
Two-seat, single-engined training aircraft built partly to demonstrate a new wing structure. The Curlew possessed an all-metal structure, apart from the fabric covering of its elliptical, cantilever wing. The wing was built around a cross braced, girder-like box, with the front and rear members attached to it with cantilever ribs, and carried short span Frise ailerons outboard, the remainder of the trailing edge carriying manually operated split flaps. The fuselage was a monocoque structure, built on duralumin frames and stringers, covered with stress bearing Alclad sheet. The two generous open cockpits were in tandem, the front one at mid wing and the other at the trailing edge, and were equipped for flying training with the trainee in front.. The empennage was conventional: a slender fin carried a rounded, unbalanced rudder which extended down the bottom of the fuselage, and the tapered, mid-fuselage tailplane carried split elevators. One 90 h.p. Pobjoy Niagara powerplant installed as a "power-egg" complete with all accessories and its own long chord cowling.

Specification
Span Length Height Wing Area Empty Wt Max AUW Cruise Speed Maximum Speed Range Service Ceiling
27 ft 21 ft 6 in 9 ft 116 sq ft 970 lb 1500 lb 110 mph/ 96 kn 120 mph/ 104 kn 380 mi
8.23 m 6.55 m 2.74 m 10.78 m2 440 kg 680 kg 177 kph 193 kph 612 km

One aircraft only, G-ADYU, c/n. CLW.1. To CLW Aviation Co Ltd, Gravesend. First flight on 3 September 1936 at Gravesend, flown by the ex-Beardmore pilot A.N. Kingwill.

Total CLW Production1