
General Aircraft Limited
General Aircraft Limited (GAL) was formed on 27th February 1931 in order to produce aircraft to the designs of The Mono-Spar Company.
Both companies were headed by Helmut J. Stieger, the Zurich-born inventor of the ‘mono-spar’ which, as the name suggests, was a single spar wing with the torsion loads resisted by an arrangement of compression struts with triangular bracing from thin wires.
The mono-spar design concept was revolutionary in both its strength and lightness.
Initially based at Croydon Airport between 1932 and 1934, GAL produced 28 versions of the Monospar Series of the twin-engine, light-transport aircraft and it was this initial success that led to the company being quickly overtaken by The British Pacific Trust (BPT), who formalised the organisation.
BPT subsequently integrated GAL with the assets of The National Flying Services, who were owners of the fast developing London Air Park at Hanworth (to the south west of London), as well as the landlords for the premises being occupied by Whitehead Aircraft Ltd.

GAL-Monospar ST-11 (VH-UAZ) 1934
During 1935, GAL’s Crystal Croydon facilities were subsequently closed and all of their production equipment was moved to Hanworth in order to construct the Monospar ST-12, ST-18 and ST-25 variants.
Shortly after the move, GAL received an important sub-contract order to build some 89 Hawker Fury Mk II aircraft and this was soon followed by another contract for the conversion of 125 Hawker Hinds into RAF Trainers.
By 1938, the company had financed the purchase of the design rights to the Cygnet, a light-aircraft from C.W. Aircraft and from which it developed its own GAL42 Cygnet II.
The Cygnet was not a resounding success however, with the order book barely reaching 10 aircraft due to the building international tensions that were to see the start of World War II.

GAL Cygnet
During the same year (1938), GAL undertook an agreement to operate an RAF Flying School, based at RAF Fairoaks, near Chobham, Surrey which operated under the name Universal Flying Services.
As World War II took hold, GAL attempted to produce a cheap RAF Trainer in the GAL.45 Owlet. Effectively a training 2-seat version of the Cygnet II, sadly it failed to attract a single order although the prototype (G-AGBK / DP240) was still pressed into service with 23 Squadron RAF. It was destroyed in a crash near Arundel, West Sussex on 30th August 1942. GAL even attempted a private venture design in the GAL.47 (Air Observation aircraft) but this too failed to attract any interest.
They were however, more successful with the GAL.48 (Hotspur Troop Carrying Glider) which, due to the fully anticipated losses during landing (and its intended disposability), was produced in significant numbers (1,015 aircraft). GAL saw the potential for prosperity in this area and so switched to the design and production of new gliders for the Airborne Troop Divisions.
This resulted in the company being chosen to produce a heavy cargo glider capable of transporting military vehicles such as the Tetrarch and the M22 Locust Light Tank. They produced 344 of the GAL.49 Hamilcar gliders which saw action in three major offensives during World War II.

GAL.49 Hamilcar unloading a Tetrarch MkII ICS light tank
In addition to aircraft production, GAL's wood-working skills were called upon as part of the very efficient Civilian Repair Organisation and they began undertaking restoration work on damaged Vickers Supermarine Spitfires and Bristol Beaufighters at Fairoaks.
In addition to the repair work, GAL also became an important factor in the continuing modification of the Hawker Hurricane and it converted an number of aircraft to allow catapult launches from Convoy Escort Ships in the North Atlantic. They also undertook the maintenance, assembly and acceptance work for the Sikorsky Helicopters arriving from the USA and they prepared them onward use by both the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm.
By the end of the war, and like many companies now short of aviation work, GAL were forced to diversify into other industries such as pre-fabricated housing and car body manufacture although this brought them little financial success.
Their work on aircraft continued and by 1950 they had designed and built the GAL-60 Universal Freighter which was to become better known as the Blackburn Beverley.

Fitting the mainplane to the fuselage of a GAL Freighter 1949
By previous standards, the GAL-60 Universal Freighter Heavy Lift aircraft was enormous and GAL soon realised that the had neither the space, nor the capacity to fully assemble the aircraft at Hanworth. Another more serious issue was that once it was assembled they could not carry out any test flying in such a heavily populated area.
Additionally, Hanworth Air Park's grass runway was totally unsuitable for such a heavy aircraft. As a result they set about crating the aircraft and transferring it by road to Brough Aerodrome in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where it undertook its maiden flight on 20th June 1950.

GAL60 Universal Freighter Mk1 (WF320)
The Blackburn Aircraft Company at Brough were also desperate for work after military orders dried up at the end of the war and the new aircraft was predicted to be so beneficial that the two companies merged on 1st January 1949 and became The Blackburn and General Aircraft Company.
After the completion of the prototype GAL-60 the aircraft was renamed Blackburn Beverley and then, with the closure of the factory at Hanworth was closed, the merger saw the name General Aircraft Limited and GAL disappear forever.
Genealogy
1931
|
General Aircraft Limited (GAL)
|
1934
|
General Aircraft Limited (GAL) Re-capitalised by British Pacific Trust
|
1949
|
Blackburn and General Aircraft Limited
|
1958
|
Blackburn Aircraft Limited
|
1963
|
Hawker Siddeley Aviation
|
1977
|
British Aerospace
|
1999
|
BAE Systems
|
Aircraft
1932
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-4
|
1932
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-6
|
1932
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-10
|
1932
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-11
|
1932
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-12
|
1935
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-18 Croydon
|
1935 - 39
|
General Aircraft Monospar ST-25 Jubilee, De Luxe, Ambulance, Universal and Freighter
|
1935
|
General Aircraft GAL.26
|
1937
|
GAL.42 Cygnet II
|
1939
|
General Aircraft GAL.33 Cagnet
|
1939
|
General Aircraft GAL.41 (Pressurised Monospar ST-25)
|
1940
|
General Aircraft GAL.48 Hotspur
|
1941
|
General Aircraft GAL.38 Fleet Shadower
|
1942
|
GAL.45 Owlet
|
1942
|
GAL.47 Air Observation
|
1942
|
General Aircraft GAL.49 Hamilcar Glider
|
1942
|
General Aircraft GAL.58 Hamilcar X
|
1943
|
General Aircraft GAL.55 Glider
|
1944
|
General Aircraft GAL.56 Flying Wing
|
1950
|
General Aircraft GAL.60 Universal Freighter
|