Max. Speed 170 km/h
(cruising speed) 150 km/h
(stalling speed) 55 km/hr
Initial Climb Rate 200 m / sec
Range at cruising speed 500 km
Weight
(empty) 270 kg
(useful load) 195 kg
(maximum) 470 kg
Span 10.72 m
(folded) 3.56 m.
Length 7.24 m
Wing Area 15.1 m2
The Luton Major on display at the
North East Aircraft Museum
was donated by Peter Jobes, the museum's solicitor. The aircraft registration G-ARAD was started
in 1959; however this came to an end due to difficulties with
stress calculations.
Commentary from the 1950s
Readers
may be interested in details of a little-known ultra-light two-seat aircraft
which was built just before the war. The machine, the Luton L.A.5 Major, was designed
by Mr. G. H. Latimer-Needham of the Luton Aircraft Company
and built at the Luton works, Gerrards Cross, in 1939.
The Major, based on the earlier single-seat Minor, was of all-wood construction, the fuselage
centre-section consisting of five
steel tubular cross members (three at the bottom, two at the top) with tubular plan bracing.
The undercarriage was similar to that of the Piper Cub and was sprung by means of rubber blocks
in compression housed in neat fairings on the tension struts.
The cabin door consisted of two halves, one folding down and the other upwards to a
latch on the underside of the wing.
Designed as a tandem two-seat touring and training machine, full dual control was fitted.
A great feature of the Major was its folding wings. Folding was accomplished by the
withdrawal of two pins from the front spar fittings at the root end. The wings then folded
back until their trailing edges met along the center-line of the fuselage. To permit the
relatively large chord wings to fold thus, the trailing edge tapered inversely towards the
root from the inboard aileron rib.
The Major used a number of Luton Minor components, and wing ribs were built in the same jigs
as those for the Minor with slight modifications. Tailplane and elevators were the same
save for the addition of a trim-tab to the port elevator.
The wing consisted of two built-up plywood-and-spruce spars, and each was divided into
three wire-braced drag bays. "Vee" struts braced the wings to the fuselage.
Powered by a 62-h.p. Walter Mikron II, the one and only Major, registered G-AFMU, made its
first flight at Denham on 12th March 1939. The pilot was Squadron-Leader (now Group Captain)
E. L. Mole, who was to do a considerable amount of the subsequent test-flying of the machine.
He reported that the machine flew remarkably well and was very stable.
In the summer of 1939, with the price fixed at £525 ex-works, the manufacturers had orders
for five machines. The fuselages were built and wings started. When war was declared, the
factory was converted for the manufacture of war supplies, and G-AFMU , the unfinished Majors,
several Luton Minors and the one and only Buzzard were stored in a corner. In 1943, during
the machining of magnesium castings, fire broke out and gutted the works with the loss of
several lives.
Of the aircraft, nothing remained. However, from the remains of the office were salvaged
the badly burned and wate-.soaked drawings for the Major. Mr. Latimer- Needham preserved these
fragile documents until, at the suggestion of the writer, they were unearthed a few months ago.
The task of deciphering and redrawing the plans began. Some drawings were totally destroyed
which necessitated a certain amount of basic design work. At last the drawings were
finished and ready to start work from.
News that a new company is being formed to take over the development of a modernized Luton
Minor as well as the Luton Major for amateur construction means that at last we are to have
a British-designed single-seater and two-seater for the amateur constructor.
Arthur W. J. G. Ord-Hume, Popular Flying Association, Bembridge, Isle of Wight.
I am particularly interested in the Luton Major, G-ARAD, as I did help in the building of the
machine, as a friend of the builder, the late William Sproat. I have enclosed a photograph of the same William Sproat which I took myself while warming up the engine of the Piper Cub. If you look closely the fuselage and fin and rudder of G-ARAD are plain to see. I thought you might be interested in a little bit of back ground, just let me know.
I now live in Cape Town, near Mr Sproat's Daughter, so any news about the old aeroplane would be nice to have and would be of interest to both of us.