Moss Brothers Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Moss Brothers Aircraft Ltd was an English aircraft manufacturer and repairer which was active between 1936 and the mid 1950s.
. The aims of the company were "the design, manufacture and repair of aircraft of all types". The directors were William Henry Moss (managing), Geoffrey P. Moss, Brian E. Moss, Ronald L. Moss and Richard A.S. Moss.
The company was headed by William H. Moss. It designed and built two types of light sporting aircraft. The firm's aircraft and components were often referred to as "Mosscraft".
The Moss M.A.1
first flew in 1937. The firm advertised the M.A.1 in the aeronautical press, including "Flight" magazine where the aircraft was offered for sale to private owners for £750, equipped with a Pobjoy Niagara
III engine of 95 h.p. The aircraft's maximum speed was advertised as 132 mph, with a landing speed with flaps down of 38 mph. However, no orders were received and the prototype was destroyed in a crash in June 1950 which resulted in the death of William H. Moss.
The firm then built the Moss M.A.2
in early 1939. This differed from the earlier aircraft in being powered by a 90 h.p Blackburn Cirrus Minor
I and having a covered cabin. This aircraft was shipped to Canada in 1940 and made a long cross-country flight from Vancouver
, over the Rocky Mountains to Toronto and south to New York.
The M.A.2 was shipped back to the UK in 1947 and took part in the Kings Cup Air Race in 1950 and 1954. It was lost in a crash in mid-Wales during July 1958 whilst owned by the Fairwood Flying Group based at Swansea Airport
. A second M.A.2, was partially constructed prewar and stored. It has been the subject of a planned completion project.
Formation
The company was formed on 1 January 1936 with a registered address at 45 Ashfield Road, ChorleyChorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
. The aims of the company were "the design, manufacture and repair of aircraft of all types". The directors were William Henry Moss (managing), Geoffrey P. Moss, Brian E. Moss, Ronald L. Moss and Richard A.S. Moss.
Aircraft activities
The Moss M.A.1
Moss M.A.1
The Moss M.A.1 was a British light two-seat low-winged sporting monoplane of the 1930s.-Design and construction:The Moss M.A.1 was designed and built in 1937 at the Moss Brothers Aircraft Ltd factory in Chorley, Lancashire, England...
first flew in 1937. The firm advertised the M.A.1 in the aeronautical press, including "Flight" magazine where the aircraft was offered for sale to private owners for £750, equipped with a Pobjoy Niagara
Pobjoy Niagara
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
III engine of 95 h.p. The aircraft's maximum speed was advertised as 132 mph, with a landing speed with flaps down of 38 mph. However, no orders were received and the prototype was destroyed in a crash in June 1950 which resulted in the death of William H. Moss.
The firm then built the Moss M.A.2
Moss M.A.2
The Moss M.A.2 was a British light two-seat low-winged sporting monoplane of the 1930s.-Design and construction:The Moss M.A.2 was designed and built in 1939 at the Moss Brothers Aircraft Ltd factory in Chorley, Lancashire, England...
in early 1939. This differed from the earlier aircraft in being powered by a 90 h.p Blackburn Cirrus Minor
Cirrus Minor (engine)
-See also:-Bibliography:** Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
I and having a covered cabin. This aircraft was shipped to Canada in 1940 and made a long cross-country flight from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, over the Rocky Mountains to Toronto and south to New York.
The M.A.2 was shipped back to the UK in 1947 and took part in the Kings Cup Air Race in 1950 and 1954. It was lost in a crash in mid-Wales during July 1958 whilst owned by the Fairwood Flying Group based at Swansea Airport
Swansea Airport
Swansea Airport is an airport located at Fairwood Common on the Gower Peninsula west south-west of Swansea, Wales.-Operations:Swansea Airport has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee...
. A second M.A.2, was partially constructed prewar and stored. It has been the subject of a planned completion project.