I’d be grateful for the following information about the aeroplanes produced by the Martinsyde company:
– which was the last model to be produced?
– which was the last aeroplane to fly, what was its identity and when did it do so?
– which was the last aeroplane to survive, what was its identity and where and when did it meet its end?
Over to you now, the real experts!
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd August 2008 at 18:54
Avion A,
Not necessarily, check your PM 🙂
Cheers
Ralph
By: avion ancien - 22nd August 2008 at 15:20
AA
Do you have a copy of “A History of Martinsyde Aircraft” by J.M.Bruce? It was published in The Aeronautical Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, vol 72 No. 693 September 1968
Cheers
Ralph
No, sadly, I don’t. If it were otherwise I suspect that I would have found there answers to the questions I posed! I don’t suppose that the article in the RAeS Journal is available online. If it is, a hyperlink would be appreciated. Otherwise I suspect that tracking down a copy of a forty year old periodical is likely to prove to be an unremunerative task.
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd August 2008 at 10:47
AA
Do you have a copy of “A History of Martinsyde Aircraft” by J.M.Bruce? It was published in The Aeronautical Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, vol 72 No. 693 September 1968
Cheers
Ralph
By: Mr Creosote - 21st August 2008 at 19:45
I wonder what might have happened if the RAF had got the fighter it wanted, ie the F.4 Buzzard instead of the Sopwith Snipe, and Martinsyde had survived those lean post WWI years. Might we have had a whole series of Martinsyde fighters, maybe even into WWII and beyond? Does anyone know of any plans to diversify from fighters, ie any bomber or transport a/c projects?
By: G-ORDY - 20th August 2008 at 22:43
I accept that the Finnish Buzzard answers the third of my questions. Can someone inform me about its history? However I think that G-AFAX is a tenuous claimant to the answer to the second of my questions. I was really thinking about products of the Martinsyde company. But I would have thought that the first of my questions would have been the easiest to answer. Maybe I’ll have that by the morning!
The F.6 (an F.4 derivative) was the last true Martinsyde, the Type A was produced at around the same time. The company went out of business in 1923 and its aviation assets were taken over by ADC at Croydon who produced a couple of derivatives using surplus parts:
Martinsyde ADC.1 (1924)
ADC Nimbus (1926)
The very last F.4 derivative was G-ABKH (known as the Martinsyde A.V.1) which was assembled at Croydon in 1931 by ADC Aircraft Ltd – it was based on the F.4A but had many modifications designed by its owner, C. Amherst Villiers, who based it at Brooklands. Sold to C.B.Field in Oct 1932 it was damaged at Bekesbourne in Feb 1933 and was taken to Field’s private strip at Kingswood Knoll, Surrey where it was scrapped in 1935. Brian Field dealt in all sorts of second hand aircraft and was killed when test flying for Miles Aircraft during WW2.
By: avion ancien - 20th August 2008 at 22:24
I accept that the Finnish Buzzard answers the third of my questions. Can someone inform me about its history? However I think that G-AFAX is a tenuous claimant to the answer to the second of my questions. I was really thinking about products of the Martinsyde company. But I would have thought that the first of my questions would have been the easiest to answer. Maybe I’ll have that by the morning!
By: Rlangham - 20th August 2008 at 22:13
The last one is yet to meet it’s end, there’s a Martinsyde F4 Buzzard at the Aviation Museum of Central Finland
By: G-ORDY - 20th August 2008 at 22:12
There is a Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard preserved in Finland.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Finland—Air/Martinsyde-F.4-Buzzard/1357143/M/
As far as the last ones produced you might consider the B.A. Eagle as it was designed by G.H.Handasyde and flew in 1934.
Sign In
August 20, 2008 at 10:08 pm