Australian Aircraft & Engineering

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Australian Aircraft & Engineering Co. Ltd. was formed in 1919 by N.B. Love, W.J. Warneford and H.E. Broadsmith. The company was registered in Sydney on 1 October 1919 with capital of £50,000 with the intention of manufacturing aircraft in Australia.

Flying[edit]

The company began flying operations at Sydney Airport on 9 January 1920 following the delivery of 20 Avro 504K aircraft on the ship SS Commonwealth.

Engineering[edit]

They fitted a Sunbeam Dyak engine to the first Qantas aircraft to replace the original Gnome rotary engine.

Agency[edit]

The company secured the Australian agency for Avro aircraft, assembling a number of Avro 504K aircraft.[1] The Broadsmith-designed Broadsmith B.1 (as AA & E Commercial B1) was also built by the company. This aircraft was a 6-seat biplane.

Bankruptcy[edit]

The company went bankrupt in 1922 whilst building six 504Ks for the Royal Australian Air Force, and went into liquidation in March 1923.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wilson, Stewart (1994). Military Aircraft of Australia. Weston Creek, Australia: Aerospace Publications. p. 216. ISBN 1875671080.