Aircraft

A selection of pictures of aircraft seen at Croydon throughout it's history

Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd

Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer that was incorporated in 1934, although its origins in aircraft manufacturing began earlier in 1914 and lasted until 1961. The company mainly built and modified aircraft under contract to other manufacturers, but had a few notable designs of its own, such as the Defiant fighter and the Balliol trainer. The company's origins date back to an ironmonger's shop founded in 1797 in Norwich. By the early 1900s, Boulton & Paul Ltd was a successful general manufacturing firm with a construction engineering division. It began building aircraft under contract during the First World War before moving into designing and building its own aircraft. The aircraft building business was sold off - at a low point in the aviation market - from the main construction business in 1934 and then moved to Wolverhampton under its new name Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd in 1936 to take advantage of skilled local workforce and local government incentives. By 1961 Boulton Paul Aircraft was a manufacturer of aircraft equipment rather than aircraft, it merged with the Dowty Group.

Boulton Paul aircraft (including pre 1934 aircraft) First flight date shown

Boulton Paul Bobolink 1918 Boulton Paul Bourges 1918 Boulton Paul P-6 1918 Boulton Paul Atlantic 1919 Boulton Paul P.9 1919 Boulton Paul P.10 1919 Boulton Paul Bolton 1922 Boulton & Paul Bugle 1923 Boulton Paul Bodmin 1924 Boulton Paul Sidestrand 1926 – bomber Boulton Paul Bittern 1927 – night fighter with upward firing guns Boulton Paul Partridge 1928 – fighter Boulton Paul Phoenix 1929 – low cost aeroplane for personal use Boulton Paul P.32 1931 – bomber, not accepted for service Boulton Paul Overstrand 1933 – bomber Boulton Paul P.64 Mail-Carrier 1933 Boulton Paul P.71A 1934 – transport derivative of the Mailplane Boulton Paul Defiant 1937 – turret fighter Boulton Paul P.90 Proposal for a four-engined bomber, to meet Specification B.12/36. Not built. Boulton Paul P.92 1941 – fighter/ground attack Boulton Paul P.98/P.100 1942 – proposed canard-pushprop design Boulton Paul Balliol 1947 – trainer  Boulton Paul P.111 1950 – delta wing research Boulton Paul P.112 1950s – proposed three seat training aircraft, not built Boulton Paul P.116 1950s – proposed two seat training aircraft, not built Boulton Paul P.117 wing controlled aerodyne Boulton Paul P.120 1952 – delta wing research Boulton Paul P.130 proposed VTOL aircraft Boulton Paul P.132 proposed VTOL aircraft Boulton Paul P.134 proposed VTOL aircraft Boulton Paul P.135 proposed VTOL aircraft Boulton Paul P.136 proposed VTOL aircraft Boulton Paul P.137 VTOL research aircraft Boulton Paul P.140 proposed VTOL airliner Boulton Paul P.141 proposed VTOL airliner Boulton Paul P.142 VTOL research aircraft Boulton Paul P.143 proposed VTOL airliner Boulton Paul P.145 proposed VTOL twin-boom aircraft Boulton Paul P.146 proposed VTOL airliner

Boulton Paul P9

Boulton Paul P70

(above & below) Boulton Paul P70A