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Sadly however we understand that a few weeks later the aeroplane was badly damaged following an engine failure on take-off. Commiserations to Sam, who now faces a repeat of his lengthy rebuild.
HAPPIER NEWS: In New Zealand, Mike Fleming is enjoying the spring weather down under, with his first flights in ZK-CLL. (Note that as it is unlikely a Luton Minor can escape New Zealand to the next nearest country, there is no requirement to show the national code letters on the registration!)
Original Luton Minor Building Instructions Republished!
The irrepresible Arthur Ord-Hume has done it! The man who sparked the post-war British home-built aircraft movement with Luton Minor G-AFIR, has republished a facsimile of the original building instructions, serialised before and after the war by Practical Mechanics magazine.
The Tale of the Disappearing Major!
Nearly a Luton, how does 'FRED' compare?
The Luton Archive
Early History
Luton Register
Other Luton Types
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Everything from flying model Luton Minor kits to the full-size real thing! CHECK OUT: MinorMart" !
WELCOME to the Luton Minor website. For those who never seen one of the wee beasties before, it's a single-seat, wood and fabric, 'parasol-wing' monoplane, originally designed in the 1930s, but which in postwar Britain formed the basis of the homebuilt and ultralight aircraft movement. . . . .
. . . . and it still offers some of the best low-cost, fun flying today!
Why fly a Luton Minor? Well quite simply its one of the most economical ways of enjoying the authentic open-cockpit vintage flying experience. The Luton certainly teaches you the handling skills of classic pre-war aeroplanes, from prop-swinging to chocks-away, not to mention using the rudder bars as more than foot-rests!
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In 1936, the Luton Aircraft Company was established at Barton le Clay in Bedfordshire by former RAF engineering instructor Cecil Latimer-Needham.He went on to create the Luton Minor as one of Britain's first homebuilt light aircraft designs, before the Second World War put paid to his plans.
In 1946, the Ultra-Light Aircraft Association was formed. One of its founder members was Arthur Ord-Hume, who in 1949 embarked on a rebuild of one of the original Luton Minors, G-AFIR, later redrawing the plans and publishing building instrutions as a series of installments in Practical Mechanics magazine.
The ULAA in turn, evolved into the Popular Flying Association, then the Light Aircraft Assocation, the LAA, which continues to promote recreational flying, homebuilding & self-maintenance of light aircraft. In fact plans for building the Luton Minor are still available from them!
Arthur Ord-Hume chronicled his exploits with Luton Minors and others in two wonderful books, "On Home-Made Wings" and "Flight on Frail Wings" (or was that Frights on Flailing Wings?) Recommended reading, and you can get them via the author himself simply by clicking on the links above.
If you’re a fan of Luton aeroplanes, this is YOUR site. Please don't hesitate to contact me. You can reach me at the e-mail address below, whenever I'm not aloft!
Steve Slater
lutonminor @ kingpinmedia.co.uk (Please cut and paste this address, closing the gaps each side of the @ - we are doing this to prevent inundations of 'spam').
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