Parnall

Parnall was a British aircraft manufacturer, that evolved from a wood-working company before the First World War to a significant designer of military and civil aircraft into the 1940s. It was based in the west of England and was originally known as George Parnall & Co. Ltd.

History

In 1916 the Bristol based Parnall & Sons shopfitters started to manufacture aircraft at the Colliseum Works at Park Row in Bristol. During the First World War the skilled staff were moved to sites around the city and in neighbouring South Gloucestershire producing planes to their own designs and, under contract, those of other companies.

In 1919 the aircraft business was split from the parent company Parnall & Sons as George Parnall and Company. In the 1920s aircraft manufacture was centralised at a factory in Yate close to an airfield used by the Royal Flying Corps. In the 1930s production of gun turrets for bomber aircraft were produced. The site was a strategic target for Luftwaffe bombing and during 1941 over fifty people were killed during the raids.

Hendy 302

The Hendy 302 was a British single-seat cabin monoplane designed by Basil B. Henderson and built by George Parnall & Company Limited at Yate in 1929. Only one aircraft was built registered G-AAVT.

The 302 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailskid landing gear, powered by a 105 hp (78 kW) Cirrus Hermes I engine. It was flown by Edgar Percival in the 1930 King's Cup Race. It was rebuilt in 1934 as the 302A with an inverted 130 hp Cirrus Hermes IV and a revised cabin. It averaged 133.5 mph in the 1934 Kings Cup Race. It was used as a testbed for the Cirrus Major II engine before being withdrawn from use in 1938.

Specifications (302A)

Data from A.J. Jackson, British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3, 1974, Putnam, London, ISBN 0-370-10014-X, Page 253

General characteristics

Performance

References

Parnall 382

The Parnall 382 was a 1930s British single-engined monoplane trainer aircraft with two open cockpits, designed and developed by Parnall Aircraft Ltd.

Design and development

The Parnall 382 was designed to meet UK Air Ministry Specification T.1/37 for an 'ab initio' trainer, and was also known as the Parnall Heck III. Its competitors were the Heston T.1/37 and the Miles M.15. The Airspeed AS.36, General Aircraft GAL.32 and Percival P.20 were also proposed against specification T.1/37, but not accepted or built. None of the designs was selected for production orders; it has been suggested that the required performance could not be achieved within the constraints of the Specification.

Construction was primarily wooden, with plywood-skinned spruce frames. The cantilever oleo-pneumatic fixed main undercarriage legs were faired with spats. The undercarriage, tail unit and outer wing panels were adapted from the Parnall Heck 2C. The propeller was a de Havilland fixed-pitch type. Student and tutor sat in open, tandem cockpits, but the rear cockpit was later enclosed.