Luton Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of Barton-in-the-Clay, Bedfordshire, and later Gerrards Cross

Gerrards Cross

Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...

, Buckinghamshire.

History

The company was founded to build the designs of C.H. Latimer-Needham

C.H. Latimer-Needham

Cecil Hugh Latimer-Needham was a British aircraft designer, inventor and aviation author. He is best remembered for the series of aircraft he designed for the Luton Aircraft company and his invention of the Hovercraft skirt for which he was granted a patent...

 and was based at Barton-Le-Clay Airfield

Barton-Le-Clay Airfield

Barton-Le-Clay AirfieldBefore the mid-960s Barton-Le-Clay was called Barton In The Clay but the name was changed to the current form by the Parish Council of the time. All references and documentation prior to this date will be in the original village name...

, Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

. The company built two ultralight wooden aircraft designs by C.H. Latimer-Needham in 1936, the Buzzard

Luton Buzzard

-See also:...

 and L.A.2. The L.A.2 was later rebuilt to become the L.A.3 the prototype for the successful Luton Minor

Luton Minor

-References:* Smith, R. 2002. British Built Aircraft Vol.1 Greater London. Tempus. ISBN 0752427709-External links:* -See also:...

 ultralight homebuilt. The company sold the plans for the Luton Minor to homebuilders. In 1937 the L.A.5 Major

Luton Major

-See also:...

 was developed, it was a larger high-wing aircraft, only one was built.

The company moved to a new factory (the Phoenix Works) in Gerrards Cross

Gerrards Cross

Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...

, Buckinghamshire. The company closed down when the works were destroyed by fire in 1943. In 1958 the designer C.H. Latimer-Needham and A.W.J.G Ord-Hume formed Phoenix Aircraft Limited who acquired the design rights for both the Minor and Major. Latimer-Needham further improved both designs to be sold as plans for homebuilders.

Aircraft

• 1936 – Luton L.A.1 Buzzard I
  Luton Buzzard
  -See also:...
  
  
• 1936 – Luton L.A.2
• 1936 – Luton L.A.3 Minor
  Luton Minor
  -References:* Smith, R. 2002. British Built Aircraft Vol.1 Greater London. Tempus. ISBN 0752427709-External links:* -See also:...
  
  
• 1936 – Luton L.A.4 Minor
  Luton Minor
  -References:* Smith, R. 2002. British Built Aircraft Vol.1 Greater London. Tempus. ISBN 0752427709-External links:* -See also:...
  
  
• 1937 – Luton Buzzard II
  Luton Buzzard
  -See also:...
  
  
• 1939 – Luton L.A.5 Major
  Luton Major
  -See also:...