Luton, Bedfordshire
History: Percival Aircraft Co was formed in Gravesend in 1933 by Edgar Percival, an Australian Air Ministry test pilot, to produce aircraft to his own designs. The business initially operated from his private address in London, contracting out manufacturing to George Parnall & Co Ltd. The company’s reputation grew as a result of a series of record-breaking flights in its aircraft by some of the best-known aviators of the day and in 1934, after receiving an order for 24 Gull aircraft, Percival set up his own manufacturing facility in Gravesend, Kent. With business buoyant, the company was restructured in 1936, renamed Percival Aircraft Ltd and consolidated operations at a larger facility at the newly-built Luton Corporation airport with design offices in a farmhouse nearby. Production focused on the Gull civilian racing aircraft and the Q6 Petrel, a communications aircraft and feeder-liner, and from 1938 on military communications aircraft, such as the Vega Gull and Proctor. During the Second World War Percival Aircraft Ltd undertook contract production of the Airspeed Oxford and de Havilland Mosquito. In 1940 Percival resigned from the board to serve in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was replaced as managing director by P D Acland, formerly aviation manager of Vickers Ltd, and by Arthur Bage as chief designer. The company was acquired by the Hunting Group in 1944 to whom Percival sold his remaining interest in the business. Hunting Group, established in 1874 as a shipping business, had diversified into aircraft maintenance and air transport during the 1930s and by 1936 occupied facilities at Luton airport, alongside Percival Aircraft Ltd. After its acquisition, Percival Aircraft Ltd continued to trade under the same name, but was restyled Hunting Percival Aircraft Ltd in 1954 and then Hunting Aircraft Ltd in 1957. Hunting’s most successful aircraft was the Jet Provost. During the major re-organisation of the UK aircraft industry in 1960, Hunting Aircraft Ltd became part of the new British Aircraft Corporation and its facility became known as British Aircraft Corporation (Luton) Ltd from 1964.
Principal and significant aircraft manufactured: Gull IV/VI (1932); Mew Gull (1934); Vega Gull (1935); Q6 Petrel (1937); P28 Proctor (1939); P40 Prentice (1946); P.48 Merganser (1947); P.50 Prince P54 Survey Prince and P66 President/Pembroke (1948); P56 Provost (1950); P74 (1956); P84 Jet Provost (1955); H126 (1963).
Records 1: at BAE Systems Heritage
Various records 1933-60.
Records 2: at The National Aerospace Library
Brochures and marketing materials 1948-55.
Records 3: at Coventry Archives
Report on Bristol Siddeley Orpheus mark 805 engines 1959 [PA1716/5/15/7].
Records 4: at Brooklands Museum
Photographs, papers and drawings re company’s aircraft 1933-54.
Further records: Do you know the location of any other original archive material produced by this company and that is publicly accessible? If you do, let us know below.
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