This afternoon I’ve been studying the 74th Annual Report of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society, which includes a report on its 1938 Garden Party which took place at Fairey’s Great West Aerodrome (now, effectively, Heathrow Airport) on 8 May that year. It includes a programme of the flying demonstrations that day, which includes an enigmatic reference to:
‘3.30-3.38pm – Mr H.W.Skinner, R.R. Trainer’
By reference to the format of the report and the programme, it’s reasonable to assume that the R.R. Trainer was the aircraft being demonstrated by Mr Skinner. But what was it? I can find no reference to any British aircraft of that name. Nor can I find one with a name that might have been abbreviated to this. Racking my brain, the only possibility that occurred to me was Robinson Redwing. But I discounted that as it had ceased production long before 1938. It could, of course, have been a non British aircraft – although the only non-British aircraft in the programme was a Taylor Cub (although this seems to have been, in reality, Taylorcraft A G-AFDN, which Jackson says was exhibited there by Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Ltd. as a ‘Taylor Young’ and which had, presumably, been imported in anticipation of commencement of the model’s UK production under licence as the Plus C) – which opens up immense possibilities worldwide. But assuming that it was British, can anyone say – or even hazard an intelligent guess – what the R.R. Trainer might have been?
By: me109g4 - 6th April 2018 at 18:44
yeah,, I like that.
By: Sopwith - 5th April 2018 at 10:07
Nice photo Deskpilot, it does look so right.
By: Deskpilot - 5th April 2018 at 01:55
Beautiful indeed.
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By: alertken - 4th April 2018 at 16:13
FNRob is right. This was an oddity in RR’s history.
Phillips & Powis A/c Ltd floated 11/3/35 in the Rearmament/Aero prequel to the dot.com bubble.
RR bought a controlling stake, 4/36, inserting their MD, (to be Sir Arthur) Sidgreaves as Chairman and (once MD, ADC/Croydon, RR Director) Col Darby as Joint (with F.G.Miles) MD. Why so divert seniors?
We forget how parlous RR was in Aero, then. Against the norm in the aero-engine sector, they had no captive business from Associated airframers (Wright: Curtiss; Pratt: Boeing (to 1934), Chance Vought, Sikorsky; ASM (from 1935: ) Avro, AWA, Hawker, Gloster; Bristol: Bristol; DH: DH…) Merlin in 1935 did not work. Fedden’s Bristol radials were the in-thing. F.G.Miles schemed a fast Advanced Trainer, clearly of imminent military potential, so RR came on board a potential volume application for its Kestrel, then on the downward demand curve: selection for 3 South African Ju.86 was hailed as RR’s re-entry to the commercial sector! Miles M.9 lost RAF Advanced Trainer 6/36 to DH 93 Don, but RR sponsored a prototype, rewarded 6/38 with 500 Master I, with Kestrel…but refurbished surplus, ex-Hart.
But 3/6/36 RAF won Merlins for 600 Hurricanes, 310 Spitfires, more applications soon funded. In retrospect…sell out of a wooden trainer-maker, one of whose seniors, Geo.Miles, took a licence 10/36 for Menasco light engines, potentially conflicting RR. If not then…then 1939 when further Master orders had Bristol/Pratt power. MAP put those into new S.Marston shadow Factory and took Col Darby as Controller. That was the point where RR sold out, 12/3/41, to F.G.Miles.
By: Sopwith - 3rd April 2018 at 10:34
Interesting, I did not know that Rolls Royce had a share in Phillips and Powis. That Kestrel engined trainer was a lovely looking aeroplane, shame there isn’t a survivor around.
By: farnboroughrob - 2nd April 2018 at 16:36
Yes the Kestrel Trainer was briefly called the Rolls-Royce trainer after RR purchased a stake in Phillips and Powis around that time. I believe they were looking to keep the Kestrel in production and this aircraft was the best bet for this to happen.
By: avion ancien - 2nd April 2018 at 16:10
Sorry. I think I’ve answered my own question. The Flight report on the 1938 RAeS Garden Party refers to: ‘Mr H.W.Skinner was down to fly the Phillips & Powis Kestrel engined trainer, but the machine was an absentee’. Thus I assume that R.R. stood for Rolls Royce and the aeroplane was the Miles M.9 Kestrel Trainer G-AEOC.
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April 2, 2018 at 4:02 pm