47-662: Spartan Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1930 to 1935. It was formed by reinvestment in Simmonds Aircraft which had suffered financially. In 1928 Oliver Simmonds designed and built a prototype aircraft, the Simmonds Spartan , in a factory at Woolston, Hampshire . The design was a success with over 50 aircraft built. Following financial difficulties and investment from Whitehall Securities Corporation Ltd Simmonds Aircraft Limited changed name in 1930 to Spartan Aircraft Limited. The first aircraft from
94-613: A British victory in a third race would secure the trophy outright. As ever active in aviation affairs, Lord Rothermere's Daily Mail group of newspapers launched a public appeal for money to support a British race entrant; in response, several thousand pounds were raised. Lady Houston publicly pledged £100,000. The British government also changed its position and announced its support for an entry in January 1931; however, by this point, there were less than nine months left to design, produce and prepare any race entrant. The RAF High Speed Flight
141-577: A construction company and undertook the development of the Balmoral Beach Club, a luxurious hotel on Cable Beach . In its celebrity heyday, the hotel cultivated a relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere and hosted notable guests such as The Beatles who were here to film the movie Help! . Other luminary Balmoral guests included Richard Nixon and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson . Simmonds helped to stabilize
188-632: A disagreement between Simmonds and Supermarine and the former announced in July 1928 that he was leaving Supermarine to form his own company to produce the Spartan. In 1928 Simmonds formed two companies: Simmonds Aircraft , Ltd.— Capital £20,000, in £1 shares. With the purpose of acquiring interests in patents, licences, concessions and the like held by the Simmonds Interchangeable Wing Co., Ltd., and to acquire from O. E. Simmonds licences relating to
235-597: A major improvement in British fighter aircraft. The Ministry specifically invited Supermarine to participate. Accordingly, Mitchell's next endeavour after the S.6B was the design of the company's submission to meet this specification, designated the Type 224 . While the Type 224 was a disappointment and was not selected for production, Supermarine's next project led to the development of the legendary Spitfire. The outstanding performance of
282-611: A manufacturing arrangement with Accles and Shelvoke in Birmingham and establishing a sales and administrative office in London. He soon had many customers. In about 1933, Simmonds travelled to the US and followed up with some of the US contacts he had made back in the Schneider Trophy days. One of these contacts showed him a new nut, which was unique in that it had a red fibre insert, which caused
329-405: A six-by-six grid. Players alternate calling letters and placing them on their respective grids. Each player may hold one letter as a stand by. When the grids are filled, the players score the six rows, six column, and two diagonals. When a player has spelled a word that is at least three letters long that player receives points for that scoring line. Longer words are worth more points. The player with
376-566: A system, called Pacitor. The first British aircraft to use this system was the country's first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor , which first saw combat in 1944, chasing and shooting down many German V-1 missiles. These Pacitor fuel gauging systems were licensed to the US Simmonds company and became the basis of that company evolving after WW II from producing mainly mechanical products to moving first to electro-mechanical products and finally in
423-521: Is a British racing seaplane developed by R.J. Mitchell for the Supermarine company to take part in the Schneider Trophy competition of 1931. The S.6B marked the culmination of Mitchell's quest to "perfect the design of the racing seaplane" and represented the cutting edge of aerodynamic technology for the era. The S.6B was last in a line of racing seaplanes to be developed by Supermarine, following
470-603: Is displayed in an unrestored state. For a short period of time, S1596 was tested at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) at Felixstowe . but was unfortunately written off after a non-fatal crash in 1931. Having been repainted in WW2 to represent S1596 in the film First of the Few , S.6A N248 remained in this guise postwar and was displayed as S1596 at various events and locations including
517-468: The RAF High Speed Flight brought a total of six Supermarine Schneider racers to Calshot Spit on Southampton Water for training and practice. These aircraft were: S.5 serial number N219 , second at Venice in 1927, S.5 N220 , winner at Venice in 1927, two S.6s with new engines and redesignated as S.6As ( N247 that won at Calshot in 1929 and S.6A N248 , disqualified at Calshot in 1929), and
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#1732844045167564-590: The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that powered it. Neither Mitchell nor Supermarine would produce further racing aircraft for successive competitions as work on the development of a new fighter aircraft at the British government's behest had taken precedence. Only 18 days after the S.6B's Schneider triumph the British Air Ministry issued Specification F7/30 , which called for an all-metal land-based fighter aircraft and sought innovative solutions aiming at
611-617: The Royal Aero Club , responsible for organising the 1931 race, and which included representatives from both the aircraft and aero engine industries, was formed to discuss the feasibility of a privately funded entry, but concluded that not only would this be beyond their financial reach, but that the lack of the highly skilled RAF pilots of the High-Speed Flight would pose a severe problem. The withdrawal of backing resulted in enormous public disappointment: having won two successive races,
658-464: The S.4 , S.5 and the S.6 . Despite these predecessors having previously won the Schneider Trophy competition twice, the development of the S.6B was hampered by wavering government support, which was first promised then withdrawn, and then given once more after a high-profile public campaign encouraged by Lord Rothermere and backed by a substantial donation by Lady Houston . Once government backing had been secured, there were only nine months before
705-527: The 1960s to mostly electronic products. After the end of WW II new orders for all military aircraft came to an abrupt halt. Simmonds consolidated all its reduced operations at its Treforest factory, near Cardiff. In 1947 British Overseas Airways (B.O.A.C.) took over the former Simmonds works on the Great West Road , London. In 1947 the Electric and General Industrial Trusts, Ltd., of which Mr. C. W. Hayward
752-414: The British Air Ministry called for a new monoplane challenger that could achieve 300 mph in level flight. In a search for new talent, R.J. Mitchell at Supermarine interviewed Simmonds and invited him to join the design team. In the 1960s, while talking to another former Schneider team member, he was reminded how the fuselage diameter of the Supermarine S.5 was determined. Simmonds had asked one of
799-570: The Civil War there, to study the effects of aerial warfare on the civil population. On his return to Britain he formed the Air Raid Precautions Institute. This institute issued recommendations for the protection of the civilian population in the event of war. In 1931, following the sale of Simmonds Aircraft, Simmonds attended the annual Air Show at Le Bourget , which included a large display of aircraft equipment suppliers. One of these
846-519: The S.6B had drawn the attention of not only British military officials and aircraft designers, but internationally as well, influencing new fighter projects in, amongst other nations, both Nazi Germany and the United States . After the completion of the record-breaking flights, both S.6Bs were retired. The Schneider Trophy winning S.6B S1595 was donated to the Science Museum in London, where it
893-567: The Series, the Supermarine S6B was the first aircraft to exceed 400 mph in level flight, over the Solent , on 23 September 1931. During Simmonds time with Supermarine, he had begun, in his spare time, working on the design of a new light aircraft, which he later named the Spartan. It had interchangeable wings and interchangeable tail surfaces, a particular advantage in export markets. This resulted in
940-534: The building, manufacture, design and sale of the Simmonds Spartan Light Aeroplane. The company produced a significant number of Spartans and also de Havilland Moths under license. In 1931, as the US depression began to be felt in Britain, Simmonds sold his interest in the company to Whitehall Securities Corporation. When the first Simmonds Spartan was rolled out in 1929, Simmonds was able to announce
987-582: The company grew it expanded its interests to producing aircraft controls and a fuel measurement tool that became a standard in the industry. Under his auspices the company grew rapidly spreading across all of Europe as a multi-national and then worldwide into Canada, the US and Australia. In 1941 Simmonds Aerocessories built a one-off target drone the OQ-11 which was tested by the USAAF . In 1948, Simmonds sold his British-based interests and moved to The Bahamas . He started
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#17328440451671034-564: The company had orders for 54 Spartans and had a contract to produce the Blackburn ;? In 1931 Simmonds entered politics as a Conservative . He was elected at the 1931 general election as the MP for Birmingham Duddeston . He held the seat until the 1945 general election . In the House Simmonds spoke on aviation, workers' conditions and Civil Defense. With other MP's he visited Spain during
1081-597: The company's early rapid growth. In the second half of the 1930s Simmonds established his own manufacturing facilities in the UK, France, Poland, the US and Australia. Offices were also established in Canada. Following the outbreak of WW II, manufacturing facilities were rapidly expanded to meet growing demand. Large manufacturing facilities were then acquired at Treforest , near Cardiff in Glamorganshire. The company also later took over
1128-859: The elder son of the Rev Frederick Simmonds, a lawyer by training and a Congregational Minister by avocation. Simmonds was educated at Taunton in Somerset. In early 1916, he volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps as a pilot. He was trained at Weybridge, Surrey. He received his wings and in March 1916 joined 25 Squadron in France. He piloted a Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b , a light bomber and observation aircraft. Arthur Tedder , later Deputy Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in Northern Europe in 1944/45,
1175-474: The hotel industry by becoming the President of The Hotel Employer Association and then the President of The Friends of The Bahamas. Sir Oliver built 'High Tor' with its 18-foot gracious high ceiling rooms it was designed with care and with an eye to detail still apparent to this day. Sir Oliver imported English oak panels for doors and an 18th-century carved wooden fireplace as well as many other decorative items. He
1222-522: The most points wins. In the solitaire version, a player selects thirty six letters and moves them around at will to score a personal best. The President of the club was Sir Oliver Simmonds, and he was the first 4CYTE champion. The International 4 CYTE Champions' Club is an unincorporated association owned by the International Parlour Games Corporation Limited, Nassau, Bahamas. Supermarine S6B The Supermarine S.6B
1269-479: The newly built S.6Bs, S1595 and S1596 . For the competition itself, only the S.6Bs and S.6As were intended to participate. The British plan for the Schneider contest was to have S1595 fly the course alone and, if its speed was not high enough, or the aircraft encountered mechanical failure, then the more-proven S.6A N248 would fly the course. If both S1595 and N248 failed in their attempts, then N247 , which
1316-522: The nut to retain its position on a bolt, irrespective of vibration. Simmonds realized this nut had the potential to do away with cotter pins . The holder of the worldwide patents was a Swede named Renefelt. Simmonds obtained an exclusive license for the rest of the world, with the exception of the US and Sweden. The two licenses for the Push Pull Control and the Elastic Stop Nut became the basis of
1363-484: The prospective aircraft's heat dissipation; speaking on a radio broadcast, he later referred to the S.6B as a "flying radiator". Mitchell decided to use the aircraft's floats as an additional radiator area; these were longer than those of the S.6, their design being supported by a series of wind tunnel tests performed at the National Physical Laboratory , which was also an area in which government support
1410-509: The race, so Mitchell's only realistic option was to refine the existing S.6, rather than attempting a new design. The principal differences between the S.6 and the S.6B were the increased power of the Rolls-Royce R engine and redesigned floats : minor aerodynamic refinements typically aimed at drag reduction were also made. A pair of S.6Bs, serials S1595 and S1596 , were built for the competition. Flown by members of RAF High Speed Flight ,
1457-638: The renamed company was the Spartan Arrow a two-seat biplane of which 15 were built. 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
Spartan Aircraft - Misplaced Pages Continue
1504-830: The space owned by the Coty Cosmetics Company, also on the Great West Rd and further space in Sunderland. In the late 1930s Simmonds had become the exclusive British and European licensee for the aircraft fuel gauging systems produced by the Liquidometer Corporation of New York, USA. As part of the company's entry into this market segment, Simmonds had hired a refugee Polish engineer. Between the two of them they conceived how to measure fuel electrically thereby providing much greater accuracy, irrespective of an aircraft's flight attitude. They went on to patent and produce such
1551-505: The team to put a piece of plywood vertically against the wall. He then sat on the floor with his back to the plywood, while a colleague drew a line around his body. This became the fuselage diameter. Simmonds was a small man physically, which is the reason that the RAF pilots chosen to fly the aircraft were of a similar stature. This Supermarine series of aircraft won the Schneider Trophy in 1927, 1929 and 1931, thereby winning it outright. The last of
1598-511: The type competed successfully, winning the Schneider Trophy for Britain. Shortly after the race, S.6B S1596 , flown by Flt Lt. George Stainforth , broke the world air speed record , attaining a peak speed of 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h). Despite the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald 's pledge that government support would be provided for the next British race entrant immediately after Britain's 1929 victory, official funding
1645-612: Was also a member of 25 Squadron at that time. Simmonds went up to Cambridge in 1919. He switched from reading History to Engineering, earning his degree in 1922. While at Cambridge he joined the Cambridge University Aeronautical Society . Simmonds joined the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1922. During his time at Farnborough, Simmonds wrote a joint paper on the results of a test in the Wind Tunnel. Simmonds
1692-553: Was an inventor and engineer, there are still features existing today that were considered innovative when he designed them such as the floating spiral staircase and the enormous windows that slide down to disappear completely into the floor. He lived in High Tor until 1963 and he continued to live in Lyford Cay until 1977. Sir Oliver invented a game club called 4CYTE (pronounced "foresight"). Each player has an identical set of letters and
1739-656: Was chairman, bought the entire share capital of Simmonds Aerocessories, Ltd., and Simmonds Products, Ltd. Sir Oliver retained his interests in Simmonds Development Corp., Ltd, which held many of the Simmonds patents. Sir Oliver retained his interests in the US, Canadian and French businesses. This last was also sold in the late 1940s to a French Company. Simmonds Aerocessories was the original manufacturer of surform tools. On selling his Simmonds / Spartan companies Oliver Simmonds established Simmonds Aerocessories. As
1786-486: Was helpful to the project. The floats were extended forward by some three feet (0.9 m); while longer than their predecessors, they were streamlined and had a smaller frontal area. Other modifications to the airframe design were mostly limited to minor improvements and some strengthening in order to cope with the increased weight of the aircraft. Although the British team faced no competitors, due to misfortunes and delays suffered by other intending participants,
1833-400: Was only guaranteed for a short time. To improve the engine performance, the use of an exotic fuel mix was necessary, as well as the adoption of sodium -cooled valves. Instead, he refined the design of the existing Supermarine S.6, the new variant being referred to as the Supermarine S.6B . Mitchell retained the majority of the S.6's design, his efforts being principally focused on improving
1880-552: Was performed by S.6B S1595 , piloted by Flt. Lt. John Boothman , attaining a recorded top speed of 340.08 mph (547.19 km/h) and flying seven perfect laps of the triangular course over the Solent , the strait between the Isle of Wight and the British mainland . As the only contender it necessarily won, and the British record of wins entitled them to retain the Schneider trophy permanently. Seventeen days later, another historic flight
1927-490: Was performed by S.6B S1596 , flown by Flt Lt. George Stainforth , having broken the world air speed record by reaching a peak speed of 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h). The performance of the S.6B and its forerunners caused Mitchell to be recognised as a great designer of performance aircraft. The S.6B has been hailed as giving the impetus to the development of both the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft and
Spartan Aircraft - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-411: Was planned to be held in reserve, would be used. The S.6B S1596 was then to attempt the world air speed record. During practice, N247 was destroyed in a takeoff accident, resulting in the death of the pilot, Lieut. G. L. Brinton, R.N., precluding any other plans with only the two S.6Bs and the sole surviving S.6A prepared to conduct the final Schneider run. On 13 September 1931, the Schneider flight
2021-556: Was reformed while Mitchell and Rolls-Royce set to work. Mitchell, with limited time to prepare an entry, knew that there was not enough time left to design a new aircraft from scratch. The obvious means of improving the S.6's performance was by obtaining more power from the R-Type engine. Engineers at Rolls-Royce had managed to increase the available power of the engine by 400 hp (298 kW), enabling it to now provide up to 2,300 hp (1,715 kW); however, this level of performance
2068-660: Was the Spartan Cruiser a three-engined light airliner developed from the Saro-Percival Mailplane. Oliver Simmonds Sir Oliver Edwin Simmonds , FRAeS (22 November 1897 – 26 July 1985) was a British aviation pioneer, aircraft engineer and Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Duddeston from 1931 to 1945. Simmonds was born on 22 November 1897 in King's Lynn , Norfolk ,
2115-493: Was the Coursey Company which made push pull controls for use in operating aircraft control surfaces. Simmonds did an instant market survey and realized this product could end the use of bell cranks and levers to control aircraft flight surfaces. He negotiated an exclusive license to produce and sell these devices in all the world except France. Returning to Britain he set about forming Simmonds Aerocessories Ltd, entering into
2162-537: Was then transferred to the Air Worthiness Dept, which was responsible for approving and granting a British Certificate of Airworthiness to each newly designed aircraft. This position required him to visit the design offices of all the British Aircraft designers, where he saw first hand all the new design ideas that were evolving. After the US won the Schneider Trophy in 1924 at a speed of about 240 mph,
2209-511: Was withdrawn less than two months later following the Wall Street Crash ; the official reason given for the withdrawal that the previous two contests had collected sufficient data on high speed flight, so further expenditure of public money was unwarranted. A further rationale given for the government's revised position was that that original purpose in pioneering high speed seaplanes had been satisfied by this point. A committee established by
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