Presenting the new
Portsmouth Aerocar
Portsmouth
Aerocar
From Aerocar to Motor
Car in a few easy steps
Origin of the Portsmouth Aerocar
The Portsmouth Aviation Companys Portsmouth Aerocar emerged in the
immediate post war period as a versatile, multi-role light general aviation aircraft.
The ideas for the Aerocar originated from the managing director of Portsmouth
Aviation, Lionel Balfour. He had anticipated that after the war the commercial
aviation industry would be faced with a shortage of aircraft. The Aerocar was
envisaged as being suitable for re-instating the sort of air service operated by
PSIOWA in the 1930s and could be easily adapted for a number of roles.
The Aerocar concept was conceived and developed by Lionel Balfour. The Aerocar
design took the form of a high wing twin engined, twin boom configuration with an
under-slung fuselage pod that could be tailored for a number of different roles
without affecting the basic design. Key aspects of the design were its practicality,
versatility and simplicity.
The Prototype Aerocar G-AGTG was flown in 1947 when it was exhibited at the
1947 SBAC Show held at Radlett. The pod and boom layout and its multi-role
capability attracted much interest, despite the fact that the prototype was
somewhat under powered/over weight.
However, after a promising start financial backing for full development and
production was not forthcoming such that by the latter part of 1948 the Aerocar
project was abandoned following re-structuring of the Portsmouth Aviation
Company.
Portsmouth Aerocar General
Arrangement
Artists impression of the Portsmouth
Aerocar
Portsmouth Aerocar Aeroplane
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Portsmouth Aerocar Land-plane
Variant
Portsmouth Aerocar Ski-plane
Variant
Portsmouth Aerocar Float-plane
Variant
Portsmouth Aerocar in Aerial
Drop/Pick-up Role
Portsmouth Aerocar as a
Private/Light Executive Transport
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Portsmouth Aerocar in Flying Office
Role
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Portsmouth Aerocar Under
Construction at Portsmouth c1946
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Portsmouth Aerocar Pilots Control
Panel
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Rotol Variable Pitch Propellers for the
Portsmouth Aerocar
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Portsmouth Aerocars First Flight on June
18th 1947
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Portsmouth Aerocar on Show at
Radlett in 1947
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Portsmouth Aviation Stand at the
SBAC Farnborough Show in 1948
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Peter Masefield takes a look at the
Portsmouth Aerocar
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Portsmouth Aerocar ready for a flight
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Portsmouth Aerocar makes a low
pass to impress spectators
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Portsmouth Aerocar seen at Portsmouth
c1947 with several Airspeed Consul
(converted military Oxfords) aircraft parked
in the background
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Novel design of the Portsmouth
Aerocar is evident in this air to air
publicity shot
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Although the prototype was underpowered the Portsmouth Aerocar
appeared to be set for a successful
future
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Demise of the Portsmouth Aerocar
Lionel Balfours vision of the Portsmouth Aviation Companys Portsmouth
Aerocar as the main element of its business in the post war era was sadly
not realised.
Despite the fact that the Aerocar was a practical, imaginative and
affordable aircraft design that showed much promise of being capable of
fulfilling a variety of roles for civil and military purposes, financial
constraints and adverse circumstances beyond the control of the company
meant that backing for the project diminished to a point where the
Aerocar project could not continue.
The main chance of success for the Aerocar rested on an agreement for
licence manufacture in India. However, the deal collapsed as a result of
the Indian principals being unable to proceed due to internal troubles
arising from partitioning of India as part of the process of granting the
Indian nation independence to become part of the British Commonwealth.
The knock on effect of this situation was that the Portsmouth Aviation
Company financial position became untenable and as result the company
was re-organised and restructured financially whereby Lionel Balfour no
longer had any financial interest in the company. Further development of
the Aerocar ceased and G-AGTG was stored for a few years and then
scrapped.
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