Beagle Aircraft

The British Executive & General Aviation Limited (trading as BEAGLE) was formed in 1960 when the Pressed Steel Company created an aircraft design office (to design the Beagle B.206) and took over two separate aircraft manufacturers, Auster Aircraft Company of Rearsby, Leicestershire and F.G Miles Limited of Shoreham, Sussex.[1]

Initially the three parts of the company operated independently, the Rearsby factory as Beagle-Auster Limited[2] and the Shoreham factory as Beagle-Miles Limited. This did not last long and the three parts of the company were merged as Beagle Aircraft Limited in 1962.[3]

In 1965 the parent company Pressed Steel was acquired by the British Motor Corporation,[4] who reviewed the involvement in light aircraft manufacturing and requested financial help from the British Government. The British government bought Beagle in 1966[5] and provided the help needed. When the company needed more financial help in 1969, the Government put the company into receivership.[6] The Receiver tried to revive and sell the company (now renamed Beagle Aircraft (1969) Limited), but failed and the company assets were disposed of.

The Beagle B.206 was a twin piston-engined design evolved from the Bristol 220 project which was expected to be ordered in great quantity by the RAF,[7] but was only made in small numbers from 1961 to 1969; this was to have been the company's flagship aircraft[8] but the RAF only bought 20 and sales were always difficult.

The first aircraft made by Beagle were developed from Auster designs: the Airedale, Terrier and D5/180 Husky. The Airedale and Terrier were intended as stop-gap designs to keep production shops busy and to be sold whilst more modern designs were developed[9] However, Beagle lost almost £500,000 on the Airedale, due to its old design, poor performance and high cost;[9] the Terrier was also not profitable, due to the extensive number of manhours in conversion[10] and, again, the age of the design. The Beagle Husky was made in very small numbers and each was sold at a significant loss[10], while the Beagle Mark Eleven project was another expensive sideline.[11] In 1968, the Auster assets (including all spares, jigs and partly completed airframes) were sold to Hants and Sussex Aviation[10] in order to make room for the production of the Pup.

In 1967 the single-engined Beagle Pup made its first flight and was made and sold in greater numbers until the company's bankruptcy. The receiver sold a number of incomplete Pup aircraft which were then completed by other companies. At the time of the company's bankruptcy in 1969, the military Bulldog was being developed from the Pup by Beagle; Bulldog production was then completed by Scottish Aviation at their Prestwick factory following the demise of the Beagle Aircraft company. At the turn of the 21st Century, many Bulldogs were being sold by air forces to civilian operators, in much the same way that Austers were transferred from Army or RAF squadrons during the 1940s and 1950s.

• Beagle Husky - single-engined high-winged monoplane, a re-designated Auster D5/180
• Beagle A.61 Terrier – single-engined high-winged monoplane
• Beagle A.109 Airedale – single-engined high-winged monoplane
• Beagle Mark Eleven - re-engined Auster AOP.9 single-engined high-winged monoplane
• Beagle B.206 – twin-engined low-winged light transport aircraft
• Beagle B.206R Basset – military version of the B.206
• Beagle M.218 – twin-engined light transport aircraft
• Beagle B.121 Pup – single-engined low-winged light aircraft
• Beagle B.125 Bulldog – military version of the Pup, built by Scottish Aviation after the company was liquidated.

Beagle also collaborated with Ken Wallis in building five Wallis WA-116 autogyros at Shoreham in 1962 for evaluation by the British Army. This collaboration ended when the British Army chose the Westland Sioux for this role.

• Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

• Beagle – British Aircraft Directory