General Aircraft aircraft you can see
| Type | First flew | Built | UK museums |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Aircraft Monospar ST-12 | 1932 | ~30 | 1 |
| General Aircraft Cygnet | 1937 | ~10 | 1 |
| General Aircraft Hotspur & HamilcarHotspur II, Hamilcar I | 1940 | c.1,360 | 1 |
General Aircraft in brief
After refinancing in 1934, production moved to Hanworth, near Feltham. Output included the Monospar ST-12, ST-18 and ST-25 and conversion work on Hawker Furies and Hinds. The firm acquired the Cygnet light aircraft in 1938. In the Second World War it became a major glider maker. About 1,015 Hotspur training gliders were built, and over 400 Hamilcar tank-carrying gliders. It also repaired Spitfires and Beaufighters.
After the war it tried prefabricated houses and car bodies and designed the GAL.60 Universal Freighter. On 1 January 1949 it merged with Blackburn to form Blackburn and General Aircraft. The freighter became the Blackburn Beverley.
Museums holding General Aircraft aircraft
| Museum | General Aircraft types | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Flying MuseumStockbridge, Hampshire | 1 | £18 | 43 | Middle Wallop's Army Flying Museum covers everything the Army has flown from observation balloons to Apaches, with superb dioramas and a… |
| National Museum Of FlightNorth Berwick, East Lothian | 1 | £15 | 47 | Concorde G-BOAA, which flew British Airways' first commercial supersonic service in 1976 and arrived here by barge and giant road-crawl… |
| Newark Air MuseumNewark, Nottinghamshire | 1 | £12.50 | 95 | Vulcan XM594, with cockpit tours occasionally given by former Vulcan aircrew, which reviewers describe with the reverence normally… |
Frequently asked
What was the Hamilcar?
A large General Aircraft glider designed to carry a light tank. More than 400 were built.
Where was General Aircraft based?
At Croydon Aerodrome from 1932, then at Hanworth, near Feltham, from 1935.
What happened to General Aircraft?
It merged with Blackburn on 1 January 1949, forming Blackburn and General Aircraft.