Elliotts of Newbury
Encyclopedia
Elliotts of Newbury was a British company that became well known for manufacturing gliders
, Tiger Moth
, De Havilland Mosquito
, the Airspeed Oxford
and the Airspeed Horsa
glider
. Elliotts built about one third of the total Horsa production and it was also responsible for a powered version of the General Aircraft Hamilcar
glider.
. The company therefore planned to continue with aircraft production. Its first product was the Elliotts Newbury Eon
four-seat light aircraft. However the company had also been asked in 1945 by Chilton Aircraft Ltd
to make one set of wings for the Chilton Olympia, a glider
that was a copy of the DFS Olympia Meise
. To maintain employment, Elliotts retained the right to the wing jigs they had made. Chilton was unable to make more gliders by itself without the jigs from Elliotts, and so Chilton gave up all aircraft work, agreeing to sell to Elliotts the production rights, fuselage jigs, and work in hand on all their Olympia gliders. Production of the EoN Olympia
commenced in 1946 as a batch of 100, and the first flight was made in January 1947.
. Elliotts and their design consultants Aviation & Engineering Products Ltd made improvements to each of the designs before starting production.
The prototype of the Newbury Eon light aircraft made its first flight in August 1947. Aviation & Engineering Projects Ltd also worked with Elliotts on an abortive side-by-side trainer project, the Eon T.16/48 derived from the four seater but no further aircraft were produced. However the company acted as a sub-contractor making parts for other aircraft. The Primary flew in 1948 and 80 had been built when production ceased in 1958.
The EoN Olympia 460 was built in 1961 as a completely new Standard Class glider. A special version, the EoN Olympia 465, was developed for the 1965 World Gliding Championships
.
agreed to take over the production of EoN sailplanes in 1966, but no Elliott designed glider was ever built by them, though spares were supplied and repairs were undertaken.
Elliotts closed in 1974. The factory was demolished in the late 1970s to make way for Bayer
's UK headquarters.
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...
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 a workforce of 90 per cent women. It changed to furniture production after the war. In the Second World War, once more a largely female workforce produced components for aircraft, including the Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, Tiger Moth
Tiger moth
Tiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
, De Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, the Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
and the Airspeed Horsa
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
. Elliotts built about one third of the total Horsa production and it was also responsible for a powered version of the General Aircraft Hamilcar
General Aircraft Hamilcar
The General Aircraft Limited GAL. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mark I was a large British military glider produced during the Second World War, which was designed to carry heavy cargo, such as the Tetrarch or M22 Locust light tank...
glider.
The Olympia
At the end of the war, the firm had hoped to resume furniture manufacture but in those times of austerity this was not allowed by the Board of TradeBoard of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. The company therefore planned to continue with aircraft production. Its first product was the Elliotts Newbury Eon
Elliotts Newbury Eon
|-References:NotesBibliography* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft , 1985, Orbis Publishing...
four-seat light aircraft. However the company had also been asked in 1945 by Chilton Aircraft Ltd
Chilton Aircraft
Chilton Aircraft Ltd was a British 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, the son of Sir John Dalrymple 12th Earl of Stair,...
to make one set of wings for the Chilton Olympia, a 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...
that was a copy of the 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 maintain employment, Elliotts retained the right to the wing jigs they had made. Chilton was unable to make more gliders by itself without the jigs from Elliotts, and so Chilton gave up all aircraft work, agreeing to sell to Elliotts the production rights, fuselage jigs, and work in hand on all their Olympia gliders. Production of the EoN Olympia
EoN Olympia
The 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...
commenced in 1946 as a batch of 100, and the first flight was made in January 1947.
Other aircraft projects
The Olympia was followed in 1948 by the production of two further German-designed gliders, the Grunau Baby 2b known as the Baby EoN and the SG 38 Schulgleiter primary glider known as the Primary EoNElliotts Primary EoN
|-See also:...
. Elliotts and their design consultants Aviation & Engineering Products Ltd made improvements to each of the designs before starting production.
The prototype of the Newbury Eon light aircraft made its first flight in August 1947. Aviation & Engineering Projects Ltd also worked with Elliotts on an abortive side-by-side trainer project, the Eon T.16/48 derived from the four seater but no further aircraft were produced. However the company acted as a sub-contractor making parts for other aircraft. The Primary flew in 1948 and 80 had been built when production ceased in 1958.
Later Olympias
After building three marks of the Olympia, another improved version, called the EoN Olympia 4, later known as the 401, was built in 1954 and this was followed by the 402 in 1956, the 403 in 1957, and in 1958 by the Open Class EoN Olympia 419 and the EoN Olympia 415 for the fifteen-metre FAI Standard Class. The 415 did not go into production, and only eight 419s were built.The EoN Olympia 460 was built in 1961 as a completely new Standard Class glider. A special version, the EoN Olympia 465, was developed for the 1965 World Gliding Championships
World Gliding Championships
The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere....
.
Closure
In the summer of 1965 the Managing Director of Elliotts, Horace Buckingham, died. The company reviewed its business and decided that glider production was unprofitable. Slingsby Sailplanes LtdSlingsby Aviation
Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...
agreed to take over the production of EoN sailplanes in 1966, but no Elliott designed glider was ever built by them, though spares were supplied and repairs were undertaken.
Elliotts closed in 1974. The factory was demolished in the late 1970s to make way for Bayer
Bayer
Bayer AG is a chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen , Germany in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and well known for its original brand of aspirin.-History:...
's UK headquarters.
Aircraft
- EoN Type 4 Newbury EoNElliotts Newbury Eon|-References:NotesBibliography* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft , 1985, Orbis Publishing...
- EoN Type 5 Olympia 1
- EoN Type 5 Olympia 2
- EoN Type 5 Olympia 3
- EoN Type 5 Olympia 4
- EoN Type 5 Olympia 401
- EoN Type 5 Olympia 402
- EoN Type 6 Olympia 403
- EoN Type 6 Olympia 415
- EoN Type 6 Olympia 419
- EoN Type 7 SG-38 Primary
- EoN Type 9 K-1 – Kendall K.1
- EoN Type 8 Baby Eon
- EoN Type 10 Eon 460
- EoN Type 10 Eon 463
- EoN Type 10 Eon 465
- EoN Target – project only