Cranwell
Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club
Contents
History
While at Cranwell, Flight Lieutenant Nicholas Comper, along with some staff and pupils, formed the Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club in 1923. His first design was the CLA.1 (CLA for Cranwell Light Aeroplane), which was dropped before completion in favour of the design of a 2-seat lightplane to compete in the Air Ministry competitions which were to be held at Lympne, which went on to win the competition Reliability Prize of £300. The following year in the plane's successor, the CLA.3, was second overall in the speed trials at the same event. The 1926 Lympne Trials called for a dual controlled 2-seater and for this Comper designed the CLA.4 biplane.
The 1926 season also marked the end of the CLAC’s existence. The Boys’ Wing had moved to Cranwell in the first instance because of the lack of permanent accommodate at Halton, but by early 1926 Halton was ready and the transfer of the Boys’ Wing, or No 4 Apprentices Wing as it was now formally known, could not be delayed further. Nicholas Comper remained behind in a supernumerary capacity, presumably to wrap-up the season’s work, and it would not be until early November that he was posted to Felixstowe on the staff of the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment. Coincident with this move, the CLAC’s name was changed to the Felixstowe Light Aeroplane Club, but no designs appear to have been completed under the new title.
Evident that to pursue his gifts as an aeronautical engineer he would need to leave the RAF and enter the business world, Comper resigned his commission in March 1929 to pursue his aircraft design ambitions, forming the Comper Aircraft Co Ltd.
Company References
- British Light Aeroplanes 1920 - 1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
- British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Vol 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
- https://www.nickcomper.co.uk/
Project Data
| Project No | Type No | Name | Alternative Name(s) | Year | Spec (Requirement) | Status | Qty | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glider | 1923 | Proj | 0 | 1S glider | 7, 12 | ||||
| CLA.1 | 1923 | Proj | 0 | 1S, 1E caircraft | 7 | ||||
| CLA.2 | 1924 | Proto | 1 | 2S, 1E competition biplane | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 | ||||
| CLA.3 | 1925 | Proto | 1 | 2S, 1E competition monoplnae | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 | ||||
| CLA.4 | 1926 | Proto | 2 (1) | 2S, 1E competition biplane | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 4, 13 |
Project References
- British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 2nd Ed., 1973)
- British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
- British Homebuilt Aircraft since 1920, Ken Ellis (Merseyside Aviation Society, 1975)
- Ultralights, The Early British Classics, Richard Riding (Patrick Stephens, 1987)
- Aeroplane Monthly Aug 1980
- Aeroplane Monthly Dec 1978
- Air Britain Archive 2003/4 (Air-Britain Publications)
- Air Britain Archive 2004/2 (Air-Britain Publications)
- Flight 25 Sep 1924
- Flight 30 Jul 1925
- Flight 2 Sep 1926
- https://www.nickcomper.co.uk/
- https://albertaaviationmuseum.com/collection/aircraft-collection/cranwell-cla4/
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 Cranwell Production4