The Luton L.A.4 Minor was a 1930s British single-seat high-wing ultra-light. Prototype built by the Luton Aircraft Limited and design plans sold for home building.

History

The Minor ultralight was powered by a 35hp Anzani inverted Vee air-cooled engine, and was of spruce, ply and fabric construction. The Minor was designed by C.H. Latimer-Needham and built by Luton Aircraft at Barton-in-the-Clay, Bedfordshire in 1936. The prototype registered G-AEPD, designated the L.A.3 Minor, used the fuselage and components of the earlier experimental L.A.2 tandem-wing aircraft. The aircraft was a successful flyer despite the low-powered engine and it was redesigned for home construction. Designated the L.A.4 Minor it had a strutted undercarriage, parallel wing struts. The first L.A.4 Minor was built at the companies new factory (the Phoenix Works) at Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. It was fitted with a 40hp ABC Scorpion two-cylinder horizontally opposed engine. All subsequent Luton Minors were home-built from plans sold by the company.

The Phoenix Works had burnt down during 1943 and Luton Aircraft had closed the designer C.H. Latimer-Needham and A.W.J.G. Ord-Hume created a new company in March 1958 to take over the design rights for the Luton Minor. Latimer-Needham updated the design to take more modern lightweight four-cylinder engines and an increased all-up weight. The redesigned aircraft was designated the L.A.4A. The design and subsequently the aircraft has been built all over the world as homebuilt aircraft with a wide variety of engines, with the plans for the aircraft being distributed by Alf Knowles as the Knowles Duet before being passed onto the Popular Flying Association in the UK.

Variants

L.A.3 Minor

Prototype ultralight, one built.L.A.4 Minor

Homebuilt version, one factory built and numerous homebuilt examples.L.A.4A Minor

Updated homebuilt version to take more modern engines, all homebuilt.

Specifications (L.A.4A)

References

• Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam.

External links

• PFA specification sheet for Luton Minor

See also