Kilburn
KILBURN: Aircraft factory with adjacent Landing Ground
Central Aircraft Company (CAC)
Period of operation: 1916 to 1926
This listing is a new departure from the general scheme of things in this 'Guide'. Indeed, it centres around an aircraft factory, not a flying site. But, it does make reference to two flying sites of questionable pedigree the company may have used. These being KILBURN and WEMBLEY. There is also a suggestion that the company used a seperate site close to Cricklewood, which already had an established aerodrome mainly used by the Handley Page company. I find this very doubtful, but, my research has certainly revealed many flying sites in very close proximity - even today. With private grass strips in adjacent fields. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', has undertaken research on the Central Aircraft Company, which today probably very few have heard about? The main items in his gallery concern the factory itself. The main problem we have had is that there are a few records stating that their two/three seat Centaur IV biplane was first flown, in 1919, from a 'field' close to the factory. Looking at local maps only one location seems viable, this being illustrated, but a record has been found that due to building development quickly surrounding the immediate area, it was only used for a very limited period.
The company produced aircraft components, and indeed aeroplanes to order. Plus, later, two designs of their own, the Centaur 2, a six/eight seat twin engine regional airliner, and the Centaur 4, a two/three seat single engine biplane. Both of which had favourable reviews at the time around 1919.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The first map shows the probable short-lived Landing Ground. The advert was placed in Flight magazine on the 16th November 1916. The photo of the Central Centaur IV, G-EALL, was, I think, probably taken at Northolt. This was registered to CAC from 08.03.20 until ? Listed as being scrapped at SHOREHAM in April 1930.
The article was published in Flight magazine on the 24th August 1916.
AN ARTICLE IN FLIGHT MAGAZINE (15th July 1920)
Although of a comparitively small size, the Central Aircraft Company was very 'go ahead' in the bleak times following the Armistice. As this article shows, even going to the expense of exhibiting at Olympia.
The excerpt is from British Light Aeroplanes by Arthur Ord-Hume. The advert was placed in The Aeroplane on the 4th April 1919.
The article was published in the Leeds Mercury on the 6th February 1919. Another grand idea, a regional air service, ahead of its time. Probably doomed to fail from the outset? In fact, the emergence of regional airlines did not really come into its own until the early 1930s. To some extent certainly by Sir Alan Cobham undertaking his Municipal Aerodrome Campaign during 1929.
The photo of the Central Centaur IVB floatplane, G-EAOR, was published in The Aeroplane on the 7th July 1920. This was registered to CAC from 19.10.19 until October 1920 when it crashed. The two part article, (with a general layout drawing), was published in The Aeroplane on the 14th July 1920. The short article was published in the Harrow Gazette on the 18th April 1919, and has most certainly had Mike and myself scratching our heads. We have no idea where this 'aerodrome' might have been located. If anybody can kindly offer advice, this will be most welcome.
This two part article was published in Flight magazine on the 10th November 1921.
In Part One, top left, is the Central Centaur IV, G-EAOQ. This was registered to CAC from 20.10.19 and sold to Belgium on 11.10.21. The floatplane, (top right), is almost certainly G-EAOR and below, without too much doubt, the Centaur II is G-EAPC. Some details above.
So, there you have it, a short introduction to the Central Aircraft Company. As said before, despite their small size a company full of enthusiasm and bright ideas in a very bleak trading environment where even the biggest aircraft manufacturers were struggling to survive after WW1. Indeed, as the second article above proves, published in Flight magazine on the 22nd July 1920, the company had entered their Centaur II design for the Air Ministry Competitions.
By all accounts a very good aeroplane, but of course the Royal Air Force already had more than enough converted light bombers for carrying VIPs around.
AND LASTLY, A QUERY?
This advert was published in The Aeroplane on the 4th April 1919. The short article above, regarding the opening of an aerodrome in Wembley was published on the 18th April 1919 in the Harrow Gazette. CAC set up their operation at NORTHOLT, on the 28th June 1919. Therefore the stay in Wembley would have been fairly short-lived. So, this appears to reveal, very roughly, a gap of up to two or three months, when, presumably, they were at Wembley?
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