Grace's Guide

1929. Three-seater coupe monoplane.

Desoutter Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Croydon.

1928 The Desoutter Aircraft Company, Ltd., of Croydon Aerodrome, London, was a newcomer to the ranks of British aircraft manufacturers. It was founded by Mr. Marcel Desoutter, who in the years before the war was a well-known pilot at Hendon, being particularly associated with the Bleriot school. Mr. Desoutter secured the services as works manager of Mr. G. H. Handasyde, who as long ago as 1911 was engaged in the production of aircraft, and who, in conjunction with Mr. Martin, established the Martinsyde firm, which during its lifetime turned out some remarkable machines. The Desoutter Company, therefore, started its career with connections extending back to the pioneer days of flying.

The company was formed in December 1928 to manufacture the designs of the Dutch Koolhoven company in particular the Koolhoven F.K.41, which had drawn a lot of attention due to its modern design. The licence was obtained and Desoutter set up a production unit at the former ADC factory at Croydon Aerodrome. The F.K.41 became quite successful and was marketed under the name Dolphin. The name "Dolphin" was later dropped and for a while the aircraft was marketed only under the name "Desoutter". A slightly modified version was later produced and the versions received the suffixes Mk.I and Mk.II.

Produced aircraft during the late 1920s and the 1930s.

Desoutter's aircraft became a familiar sight in British flying clubs, where they were used for instruction, pleasure flights and taxi flights.

Twenty-eight Mk.Is and thirteen Mk.IIs were produced.

Aircraft

• Desoutter Mk.I previously also known as "Dolphin" or simply only as "Desoutter"

• Desoutter Mk.II Sports Coupé

See Also

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Sources of Information

• [1] Wikipedia