Chilton Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Chilton Aircraft Ltd was a British
aircraft design and manufacturing company of the late 1930s and 1940s.
in Berkshire
, from which location the firm's name was derived.
The founders designed a very small, low-powered, but fast, sporting monoplane, designated the Chilton D.W.1. The aircraft had a very clean aerodynamic design, which required split flaps to lower the landing speed. The Carden Ford
32 h.p. gave it a declared top speed of 112 mph, but during racing, 129 mph was eventually reached.
Four aircraft were built between early 1937 and July 1939, the last having a 45 h.p. Train 4T engine, being designated the D.W.1A. A further development, the Chilton D.W.2 was commenced, but had not been completed at the outbreak of World War II
. The four aircraft were stored during the war and the jigs, spares and the half-completed D.W.2 were taken over by the College of Aeronautical Engineering at Redhill Aerodrome
.
engine.
The firm had been planning to make a small glider
called the Chilton Cavalier, after the war. However a glider pilot called Dudley Hiscox brought the drawings of a better glider, DFS Olympia Meise
, to Chilton and so a prototype was built in a converted chicken house on the Chilton estate. The German drawings were not detailed and so new drawings were made in which the Meise was altered for cheaper production. Aircraft consultants, called 'A and EP' checked the stresses for British airworthiness conditions and so the spar and joint fittings were strengthened. The maiden flight was made on 11 August 1946. At that time the firm had a long order list for more Chilton Olympians. The plans were sent to Australia where three more Chilton Olympias were built.
The building of the wings for the prototype had been sub-contracted to Elliotts of Newbury
. On completion of the prototype's wings Elliotts refused to sell the wing jigs to Chilton. Andrew Dalrymple, was killed in a crash of a Fi Storch
on 25 December 1945 near Hungerford. This event soon ended aircraft production. After the death of Dalrymple an agreement was reached to sell production rights and all the work in hand on the redesigned Olympia to Elliotts. The Chilton prototype was eventually declared un-airworthy in 1970 and destroyed.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
aircraft design and manufacturing company of the late 1930s and 1940s.
Foundation
The company was founded in early 1937 by two ex de Havilland Technical School students and Old Etonians, the Hon. Andrew Dalrymple, (b1914) the son of Sir John Dalrymple 12th Earl of Stair, and Alexander Reginald Ward, (b1915) the son of Sir Hon. John Ward, whose father was the 1st Earl of Dudley. It established a small factory on the Chilton Lodge estate at Leverton, near HungerfordHungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, from which location the firm's name was derived.
The Chilton D.W.1
Carden Aero Engines
-References:*Jackson, A.J.J. 1974. British Civil Aircraft, Vol.1. Putnam ISBN 0370100069*Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-85310-294-6-External links:*...
32 h.p. gave it a declared top speed of 112 mph, but during racing, 129 mph was eventually reached.
Four aircraft were built between early 1937 and July 1939, the last having a 45 h.p. Train 4T engine, being designated the D.W.1A. A further development, the Chilton D.W.2 was commenced, but had not been completed at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The four aircraft were stored during the war and the jigs, spares and the half-completed D.W.2 were taken over by the College of Aeronautical Engineering at Redhill Aerodrome
Redhill Aerodrome
Redhill Aerodrome is located southeast of Redhill, Surrey, England, in green belt land.Redhill Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee .-Early history:The airfield came into use in the...
.
Postwar developments
All four D.W.1s flew post war, taking part in many air races, but after accidents, only two survived in airworthy condition in 2005. From the mid 1980s, three examples have been commenced by amateur builders, one of which first flew in 1987. These aircraft are powered by a Lycoming O-145Lycoming O-145
-External links:...
engine.
The firm had been planning to make a small glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
called the Chilton Cavalier, after the war. However a glider pilot called Dudley Hiscox brought the drawings of a better glider, DFS Olympia Meise
DFS Olympia Meise
|-General characteristics:*Crew: one, pilot*Length: 7.27 m *Wingspan: 15.00 m *Height: m *Wing area: 15 m² *Aspect ratio: 15:1*Empty: 205 kg...
, to Chilton and so a prototype was built in a converted chicken house on the Chilton estate. The German drawings were not detailed and so new drawings were made in which the Meise was altered for cheaper production. Aircraft consultants, called 'A and EP' checked the stresses for British airworthiness conditions and so the spar and joint fittings were strengthened. The maiden flight was made on 11 August 1946. At that time the firm had a long order list for more Chilton Olympians. The plans were sent to Australia where three more Chilton Olympias were built.
The building of the wings for the prototype had been sub-contracted to Elliotts of Newbury
Elliotts of Newbury
Elliotts of Newbury was a British company that became well known for manufacturing gliders-Beginnings and World War II:The company was founded by Samuel Elliott in 1870 as a joinery works as "Elliott’s Moulding and Joinery Company Ltd" It produced ammunition boxes during the First World War made by...
. On completion of the prototype's wings Elliotts refused to sell the wing jigs to Chilton. Andrew Dalrymple, was killed in a crash of a Fi Storch
Fieseler Fi 156
The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market...
on 25 December 1945 near Hungerford. This event soon ended aircraft production. After the death of Dalrymple an agreement was reached to sell production rights and all the work in hand on the redesigned Olympia to Elliotts. The Chilton prototype was eventually declared un-airworthy in 1970 and destroyed.
Aircraft
- Chilton D.W.1 light monoplane
- Chilton Cavalier glider (not built)
- Chilton OlympiaDFS Olympia Meise|-General characteristics:*Crew: one, pilot*Length: 7.27 m *Wingspan: 15.00 m *Height: m *Wing area: 15 m² *Aspect ratio: 15:1*Empty: 205 kg...
glider - later EoN OlympiaEoN OlympiaThe Eon Olympia was a glider produced from 1947 by Elliotts of Newbury.-Design and development:Elliotts had been asked in 1945 by Chilton Aircraft Ltd to make one set of wings for the Chilton Olympia, a glider that had been developed in pre-war Germany as the DFS Olympia Meise. This had been...
External links
- http://www.chilton-aircraft.co.uk/