Cunliffe Owen Concordia

It and Vanguard, are, I think, the sole wholly privately-funded civil types that the industry has attempted.

And Percival Merganser/Prince surely, didn’t think that came from an MoS (or other) spec?

It strikes me that the Prince and Concordia were just to similar for a fairly restricted market, AUW, dimensions and engines almost identical, the Prince had the advantage of a much handier layout and full aircraft company behind it though.

Concordia is of some economic-political significance to the post-War UK aero industry, as a how-not-to case.

Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen was senior in Br.American Tobacco. In 1937 he was looking for entry to the Air Rearmament business. Like others he chose to licence a foreign type, Burnelli UB-14, to circumvent Air Ministry’s restriction of design contracts to established teams in the Ring. He then won sub-contract from V-S for Spitfire wings. That led to Sister Firm design and production co-ordinator for Seafire, plus other Civilian Repair Organisation business. What to do in Peace? Again, like others, the Dakota replacement beckoned. Unlike others he had a go at private risk.

BEAC showed (or was required to show) some interest in Concordia. His banker refused to extend COA’s overdraft: your choice: bankers’ prudence (he had history, in 1935 on the fringes of pepper and shellac share scandals), or the economic absurdity of new-build v.scrap-price C-47s.

It and Vanguard, are, I think, the sole wholly privately-funded civil types that the industry has attempted.

As I live in Eastleigh i am very interested in the concordia, so i was pleased when i got this old advert, dated may 30th 1947, just 11 days after the first flight.

Thanks for that link Richard… my error in name noted(and will be corrected) – but even more interesting is the picture on the webpage of the ex Beaulieu hangar at Totton.

Dave

Did it fly from what is now Marwell Zoo ?

Marwell Hall was used by C-O for handling aircraft modified at Eastleigh….

http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/airfields/mwh.html

Daveg4otu
See this site, its the history of the Jetex model aircraft jet engine,http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:y7zQeczwLLQJ:jetex.org/history/path_to_jetex.html+jetex+history+marwell&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk fThhere for
They were based at Marwell making target gliders as Wilmot, Mansour & Co., Ltd, rather than Willmot & Manser.

Richard

Did it fly from what is now Marwell Zoo ?

As said above it was built and flew from Eastleigh…links below to my Eastleigh page,Cunliffe Owen page( where there is a picture of the Factory),Southampton Page (pic of the Concordia), and Cunliffe-Owen Production Page

http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/airfields/eap.html
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/co.html
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/ah1900/soton.html
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/ah1900/cicuprod.html

Marwell Hall was used by C-O for handling aircraft modified at Eastleigh….

http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/airfields/mwh.html

Another disadvantage to the Prince, but most airports have airstairs and maybe the production Concordia could have incoporated a hinged downward door with stairs.

good grief how on earth are you supposed to board that without air-stairs?

Based at Eastleigh weren’t they? Same place as where the Cierva C.9 and Air Horse were built.

And Ford Transit!:D (Maybe not for much longer.:()

Based at Eastleigh weren’t they? Same place as where the Cierva C.9 and Air Horse were built.

Just answering my previous question,presumably flew from Eastleigh

cheers baz

I guess it just came to close to the Percival Merganser and Prince in concept for its own good.
Shame the company just ended up making bathtubs!

Did it fly from what is now Marwell Zoo ?

cheers baz

last one

……so I’m bored

hope these are of use/interest

If anyone would like higher res of the Scans pls PM me