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The Hillson Helvellyn was a 1940s British two-seat training monoplane designed by Norman Sykes and built by F Hills & Sons of Trafford Park.

Design and development

With the prospect of war and the requirement for the Royal Air Force to train pilots the company decided to design a small basic trainer that could be built quickly and cheaply. The Helvellyn was a mid-wing monoplane with two tandem open cockpits and powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Blackburn Cirrus Minor I piston engine. It had a conventional landing gear but was designed to be fitted with a tricycle landing gear.

Designed by Norman Sykes and built at Trafford Park in Manchester in 1939, only the prototype registered G-AFKT was completed. With an ample supply of de Havilland Tiger Moths and Miles Magisters and a lack of interest from the RAF development was stopped in 1940 and the prototype was used by the company as a liaison aircraft particularly between Barton and Ispwich. It was dismantled in November 1942.

Specifications

Data from British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
• Wingspan: 33 ft 0 in (10.06 m)
• Empty weight: 900 lb (408 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,500 lb (680 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Blackburn Cirrus Minor I , 90 hp (67 kW)

Performance

• Cruise speed: 110 mph (176 km/h, 96 kn)

References

1. Orbis 1985, p. 2159
2. ^ Jackson 1974, p. 254
3. ^ "F.Hills & Sons - The Helvelllyn". FlyPast. 23 (2). Merseyside Aviation Society: 46–49. February 1978.
4. "United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority record for G-AFKT" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2011.

Bibliography

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
• Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.

• 1930s British military trainer aircraft