Comper-vliegtuigen

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Comper-vliegtuigen

Comper Aircraft Company Ltd

An RAF flight lieutenant built a pocket racer with room for one pilot and a set of golf clubs; the Prince of Wales raced one, a Swift flew to Australia in nine days, and the company lasted five years.

1929Opgericht
Samengevoegd in Heston-vliegtuig in 1934Status
5Vliegtuigen geregistreerd
Foto: Alan Wilson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
LandVerenigd KoninkrijkOpgericht1929OprichtersNicholas ComperHoofdkwartierHooton Park, Cheshire; later Heston, MiddlesexStatusSamengevoegd in Heston-vliegtuig in 1934
Het verhaal

Comper Aircraft: the company and the aircraft that made its name

A flight lieutenant’s pocket racer

Flight Lieutenant Nicholas Comper had already designed light aircraft for the Cranwell flying club when he left the RAF in 1929 and formed the Comper Aircraft Company at Hooton Park near Ellesmere Port, with his brother Adrian among the directors. His first product was the Comper Swift, a tiny single-seat high-wing monoplane designed to give the pilot a clear view and two-seater performance on a small engine. The prototype flew at Hooton in January 1930.

Nine days to Darwin

The Swift was a hit with sporting pilots. Arthur Butler flew one from England to Darwin in just over nine days in 1931; another, owned by the Prince of Wales and flown by Edward Fielden, came second in the 1932 King’s Cup, and the young Alex Henshaw won the Siddeley Trophy in a Swift in 1933. Swifts appeared in every King’s Cup from 1930 to 1937 and were still racing in the 1950s. About 45 were built.

An expensive move south

In 1932 Comper built the prototype Cierva C.25 autogyro using Swift parts. In March 1933 the firm moved to Heston near London, where it built single examples of the Mouse, Streak and Kite. Few sold in the Depression, and in August 1934 Nick Comper and most of the board resigned. On 10 August the company became Heston Aircraft.

An RAF flight lieutenant built a pocket racer with room for one pilot and a set of golf clubs; the Prince of Wales raced one, a Swift flew to Australia in nine days, and the company lasted five years.Comper Aircraft · verified 2026-10-03
In één oogopslag

Comper Aircraft in numbers

Het bedrijf

Kortom
Opgericht in 1929

  • Formed by ex-RAF officer Nicholas Comper
  • Based at Hooton Park 1929–1933, Heston 1933–1934
  • Renamed Heston Aircraft in August 1934

Productie

Het meest bekend om
Comper Swift

  • About 45 Swifts built
  • Prototype Cierva C.25 autogyro
  • One-offs: Mouse, Streak, Kite

Vandaag

Nu
Became Heston Aircraft

  • Swifts still flying, including G-ACTF with the Shuttleworth Collection

De cijfers

Comper Swifts built
ongeveer 45
Aircraft built at Hooton
about 41
Het vliegtuig

Every notable Comper Aircraft aircraft

Vliegtuig Rol Eerste vlucht Gebouwd Status Opmerking
Comper Swift Single-seat sporting monoplane January 1930 ongeveer 45 Gepensioneerd Racing and long-distance touring; several survive
Cierva C.25 Autogyro prototype 1932 1 Gepensioneerd Joint venture using Swift components
Comper Mouse Three-seat cabin monoplane September 1933 1 Gepensioneerd First aircraft built at Heston
Comper Streak Racer 1934 1 Gepensioneerd
Comper Kite Two-seat monoplane 1934 1 Gepensioneerd
Plaatsen, mensen, archieven

Where Comper Aircraft built, who led it, what it achieved

Fabrieken

  • Hooton Park works · near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire — 1929–1933
  • Heston werkt · Heston Aerodrome, Middlesex — 1933–1934

Mensen

  • Nicholas Comper · founder, designer — Former RAF flight lieutenant
  • Arthur Butler · pilot — England to Darwin in a Swift in 1931
  • Alex Henshaw · pilot — Won the 1933 Siddeley Trophy in a Swift

Records en primeurs

  • England to Darwin in just over nine days, Arthur Butler, Swift G-ABRE, 1931
  • Second place, 1932 King’s Cup, Prince of Wales’s Swift
Tijdlijn

Comper Aircraft, year by year

1929

Comper Aircraft Company formed at Hooton Park

1930

Swift prototype first flight

1931

Butler flies a Swift to Darwin

1932

Cierva C.25 prototype built

1933

Move to Heston Aerodrome

1933

Comper Mouse first flight

1934

Renamed Heston Aircraft Company

De stamboom

Before and after Comper Aircraft

Kwam daarnaHeston-vliegtuigCompany renamed Heston Aircraft on 10 August 1934Read the Heston Aircraft page
Vragen en antwoorden

Everything people ask about Comper Aircraft

Who founded Comper Aircraft?
Nicholas Comper, a former RAF flight lieutenant, in 1929.
How many Comper Swifts were built?
About 45.
What happened to Comper Aircraft?
It became Heston Aircraft in August 1934 after Comper and most directors resigned.
Can you still see a Comper Swift fly?
Yes; the Shuttleworth Collection operates G-ACTF.

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Geverifieerd op 3 oktober 2026.