# General Aircraft Limited > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/General_Aircraft_Limited > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/General_Aircraft_Limited.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Aircraft_Limited > Source revision: 1356500045 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British aircraft manufacturer For the American aircraft manufacturer, see [General Aircraft Corporation](/source/General_Aircraft_Corporation). General Aircraft Limited Industry Aviation Founded 1931 Defunct 1949 Fate Merged with Blackburn Aircraft, 1949 Successor Blackburn Aircraft Headquarters Hanworth, near Feltham, United Kingdom Key people Helmut J. Stieger **General Aircraft Limited** was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1931 to amalgamation with [Blackburn Aircraft](/source/Blackburn_Aircraft) in 1949 to become **Blackburn and General**. Its main products were [military gliders](/source/Military_glider) and light transport aircraft. ## History GAL.42 Cygnet II *G-AGAX*, March 1955 On 27 February 1931, General Aircraft Limited (GAL) was formed to undertake production of aircraft using the 'monospar' wing designs of the Monospar Wing Company Ltd. Both firms were headed by Helmut J. Stieger, the Swiss inventor of the technique. GAL produced about 28 examples of the [Monospar](/source/Monospar) series of twin-engined light transport aircraft at [Croydon Aerodrome](/source/Croydon_Aerodrome) between 1932 and 1934. In October 1934, both companies were re-capitalised by investment group British Pacific Trust, and were re-formed in a new company also named General Aircraft Limited. Also included in the new company were the assets of [National Flying Services](/source/National_Flying_Services) Ltd, the owner of [London Air Park](/source/London_Air_Park) in Hanworth near Feltham, plus adjoining industrial premises built in 1917 by Whitehead Aircraft Ltd. In early 1935, the Croydon production facilities were transferred to the Hanworth site. Production then restarted with the Monospar ST-12, Monospar ST-18, and Monospar ST-25.[1][2][3][4] In 1936, GAL received an order to build 89 [Hawker Fury IIs](/source/Hawker_Fury); this was followed by other subcontract work including the conversion of 125 [Hawker Hinds](/source/Hawker_Hind) into trainers. In 1938, the company bought the design of the **Cygnet** light aircraft from the foundering C.W. Aircraft Ltd and it was further developed as the [GAL.42 Cygnet II](/source/General_Aircraft_Cygnet). GAL also operated an RAF elementary flying training school at [Fairoaks Aerodrome](/source/Fairoaks_Airport), Surrey.[2][3] During World War II, GAL became an important designer and manufacturer of gliders. It was part of the [Civilian Repair Organisation](/source/Civilian_Repair_Organisation), to repair [Supermarine Spitfires](/source/Supermarine_Spitfire) at Hanworth, and [Beaufighters](/source/Beaufighter) at Fairoaks. It also modified [Hawker Hurricanes](/source/Hawker_Hurricane) to enable catapult-launching from convoy escort ships. In 1943, Sikorsky helicopters were imported from the US for experimental work. Supplied in crates, they were assembled and flown at Hanworth Aerodrome – one squadron for the RAF, and two squadrons for the Fleet Air Arm. Major overhauls were carried out at Hanworth on the helicopters, plus experimental work in Air Sea Rescue, limited by the weight-lifting capacity of the helicopters.[2] After World War II, GAL diversified into the construction of pre-fabricated houses and car bodies. The company had designed and built a large transport aircraft, the [GAL.60 Universal](/source/Blackburn_Beverley). However, GAL realised it did not have the room or capacity to produce the aircraft in quantity, and approached [Blackburn Aircraft Ltd](/source/Blackburn_Aircraft), that was looking for work to keep its factory at [Brough Aerodrome](/source/Brough_Aerodrome) busy. On 1 January 1949, this led to the two companies merging to form the **Blackburn and General Aircraft Ltd**. The first GAL.60 was transported by road from Hanworth to Brough and chief test pilot Harold 'Tim' Wood made its first flight there on 20 June 1950, and the factory at Hanworth was later closed.[2][3] ## Designs produced at Croydon (1932–1934) - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-4](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-4) – 29 built. - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-6](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-6) – three built. - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-10](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-10) – two built. - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-11](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-11) – two built. ## Designs produced at Hanworth (1935–1939) - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-12](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-12) – 10 built. - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-18 Croydon](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-18_Croydon) – one built. - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-25 Jubilee](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-25_Jubilee) – 59 built. - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-25 De Luxe](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-25_De_Luxe) - [General Aircraft Monospar ST-25 Universal](/source/General_Aircraft_Monospar_ST-25_Universal) - [General Aircraft GAL.26](/source/General_Aircraft_GAL.26) - a re-engined experimental version of the ST-25. - General Aircraft GAL.32 – design tendered for *ab initio* trainer. Not built. - [General Aircraft GAL.33 Cagnet](/source/General_Aircraft_Cagnet) – one built. - [General Aircraft GAL.38 Fleet Shadower](/source/General_Aircraft_Fleet_Shadower) – a [fleet](/source/Naval_fleet)-following aircraft, one built. - [General Aircraft GAL.41](/source/General_Aircraft_GAL.41) – a pressurised experimental aircraft based on the ST-25. One built. - [General Aircraft GAL.42 Cygnet II](/source/General_Aircraft_Cygnet) – a C W Aircraft design. 10 built. - [General Aircraft GAL.45 Owlet](/source/General_Aircraft_Owlet) – one built. - [General Aircraft GAL.47](/source/General_Aircraft_GAL.47) – air observation post, one built. - [General Aircraft GAL.48 Hotspur](/source/General_Aircraft_Hotspur) – a troop-carrying glider, 1,015 built. - [General Aircraft GAL.49 Hamilcar I](/source/General_Aircraft_Hamilcar) – a tank-carrying glider, over 400 built. - [General Aircraft GAL.50 Hamilcar I](/source/General_Aircraft_Hamilcar) – half scale prototype Hamilcar I – one built. - [General Aircraft GAL.55](/source/General_Aircraft_GAL.55) – a two-seat training glider, two built. - [General Aircraft GAL.56](/source/General_Aircraft_GAL.56) – an experimental flying-wing glider, four built. - [General Aircraft GAL.58 Hamilcar X](/source/General_Aircraft_Hamilcar) – a powered version of the Hamilcar I with 22 converted from the latter. - [General Aircraft GAL.60 Universal Freighter](/source/Blackburn_Beverley) – a freight-carrying aircraft later to become the [Blackburn Beverley](/source/Blackburn_Beverley). One prototype built. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Jackson_1-0)** Jackson (1974) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Smith_2-3) Smith (2002) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sherwood_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sherwood_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Sherwood_3-2) Sherwood (1999) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** London Gazette (1934) ## Sources Wikimedia Commons has media related to [General Aircraft Limited](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:General_Aircraft_Limited). - *The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985)*. Orbis Publishing. - Brooks, Robin J. 2000. Thames Valley Airfields in the Second World War: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Middlesex [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-85306-633-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85306-633-8) - Jackson, A.J. (1974). *British Civil Aircraft since 1919*. London: Putnam. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-370-10014-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-370-10014-X). - London Gazette. 5 October 1934 [page 6304](http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34093/pages/6304/page.pdf) - Sherwood, Tim. 1999. Coming in to Land: A Short History of Hounslow, Hanworth and Heston Aerodromes 1911–1946. [Heritage Publications (Hounslow Library)](http://www.hounslowlibraries.org) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-899144-30-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-899144-30-7) - Smith, Ron (2002). *British Built Aircraft Greater London*. Tempus Publishing. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7524-2770-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7524-2770-9). v t e General Aircraft Limited (GAL) manufacturer designations ST-3 ST-4 ST-6 ST-10 ST-11 ST-12 ST-18 ST-25 GAL.26 GAL.33 GAL.38 GAL.41 GAL.42 GAL.45 GAL.47 GAL.48 GAL.49 GAL.50 GAL.52 GAL.55 GAL.56 GAL.57 GAL.58 GAL.59 GAL.60 GAL.61 GAL.65 By role Passenger transport ST-25 Trainers Cagnet Cygnet Owlet Maritime patrol Fleet Shadower Army observation GAL.47 Transport gliders Hotspur Hamilcar Flying wing research glider GAL.56 Transport Universal Freighter v t e Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom Economy of the United Kingdom Manufacturing in the United Kingdom Companies Current AD Aerospace Airbus UK Airbus Defence and Space Surrey Satellite Technology AirTanker Services Babcock International BAE Systems Military Air Solutions Eurofighter GmbH (33%) MBDA (37.5% as MBDA UK) BBA Aviation Boeing Defence UK British Airways Engineering Britten-Norman Chemring Group Cobham Technical Services Draken Europe Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Europa Aircraft General Dynamics UK GE Aviation Systems GFS Projects GKN Hybrid Air Vehicles IRVIN-GQ Leonardo AgustaWestland Finmeccanica UK Ltd Lockheed Martin UK Marshall Aerospace Martin-Baker Meggitt Qinetiq Rolls-Royce Rotol Safran Landing Systems Selex ES Short Brothers Skyrora Swift Aircraft Telespazio VEGA Thales Air Defence Thales Optronics TUI Airways Ultra Electronics Defunct ADC Aircraft Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes ABC Motors Air Navigation and Engineering Company Airco The Airscrew Company Airship Industries Airspeed Airwork Services Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Arrow Aircraft Auster Austin Motor Company Aviation Traders Avro Beagle Aircraft William Beardmore and Company Blackburn Aircraft Boulton & Paul Boulton Paul Aircraft Bristol Aeroplane Company British Aerial Transport British Aerospace British Aircraft Company British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Manufacturing BTR Aerospace Central Aircraft Company Chilton Aircraft Chrislea Aircraft Clayton & Shuttleworth Comper Aircraft Company Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Dart Aircraft de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School Propellers Desoutter Aircraft Company Dowty Group Dunlop Standard Aerospace ED Abbott Edgar Percival Aircraft Elliotts of Newbury English Electric Euravia Fairey Aviation Company Fane Aircraft Company Ferranti Folland Aircraft Foster, Wikner Aircraft Garland Aircraft Company General Aircraft General Electric Company Gloster Aircraft Company Grahame-White Handley Page Hants and Sussex Aviation Hawker Aircraft Hawker Siddeley Heston Aircraft Company Hewlett & Blondeau Hordern-Richmond Hunting Aircraft Kingsbury Aviation Lakes Flying Company Lindstrand Technologies Luton Aircraft M. B. Arpin & Co. Marconi Company Electronic Systems Martinsyde Matra Marconi Space Miles Aircraft Moss Brothers Aircraft D. Napier & Son Nash & Thompson National Aircraft Factory No. 2 Nieuport & General Aircraft Norman Thompson Flight Company Parnall Parnall & Sons Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot Lang Propellers Reaction Engines Reid and Sigrist Rollason Aircraft and Engines Royal Aircraft Establishment Saunders-Roe Scottish Aviation Seaplane Experimental Station SELEX Galileo SELEX Sistemi Integrati Siddeley-Deasy Sopwith Aviation Company Spartan Aircraft Supermarine Vickers Vickers-Armstrongs Westland Aircraft Westland Helicopters J. Samuel White Government and regulatory bodies Civil Aviation Authority Defence Electronics and Components Agency Defence Science and Technology Laboratory European Aviation Safety Agency Related topics ADS Group Farnborough International Airshow NATS Holdings ParcAberporth Royal Aeronautical Society Royal International Air Tattoo Sent Into Space Society of British Aerospace Companies Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [General Aircraft Limited](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Aircraft_Limited) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Aircraft_Limited?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.