MAYLANDS HISTORICAL AND PENINSULA ASSOCIATION

In about 1930 the Monospar Wing Company Ltd was set up to build a new design of wing for the British Air Ministry, the new wing being fitted to a three-seat low-wing monoplane named the Monospar ST.3. Powered by two 37 kw (50 hp) Salmson radial engines, this aircraft undertook much testing to prove the strength of the new design. Success led to the formation of a new company, General Aircraft Ltd, to build aircraft utilising the new method of construction and this ultimately led to the development of the Monospar series of monoplanes.

Initially a batch of five aircraft, known as the ST.4, was built, the prototype G-ABUZ (c/n 1) flying for the first time in May 1932. One G-ABVN (c/n 2), the first production aircraft, served with Portsmouth Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation before being flown to Australia in December 1936 / January 1937 by C D and M M Kelman, his wife. It was used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an Instructional Airframe during World War II but its subsequent history in Australia is not known. The fuselage was noted at Bankstown, NSW amongst derelict aircraft in 1954. Its ultimate fate is not known.

The Monospar developed through a series of models in the 1930s with the ST.4 Mk II and the ST.6, of which only three were completed. In 1933 the manufacturer’s Croydon plant was closed and the company re-organised, production re-commencing at a facility at Hanworth in Middlesex. A new model, the ST.10, later appeared, fitted with 67 kw (90 hp) Pobjoy Niagara radial engines. However, it did not go into production and only two examples were completed. Of these one, VH-UST (c/n ST10/34), was operated by Robert Bryce & Company of Melbourne, VIC; WASP Airlines of Sydney, NSW; and J J Larkins and J N Jackson of Mascot, NSW, but was destroyed when it collided with de Havilland DH.60G VH-UFV (c/n 1A) at Mascot on 19 November 1939.

In 1935 a new model appeared, this being basically the ST.10 with additional windows and a folding seat for a fifth passenger. Known as the ST.25 Jubilee, 30 examples were built. Three came to Australasia: VH-UUV (c/n ST25/48 – ex HB-AIR) was operated by Adelaide Airways Ltd from 25 October 1935, later Australian National Airways Pty Ltd (named ‘Boyana’) from 1 November 1936. On 8 October 1938 it was damaged at Somerton, VIC and lay inactive until struck off the register on 14 June 1940.

VH-UVJ (c/n ST25/60) was first registered in December 1935 to Airlines (WA) Ltd, having first flown on 9 October 1935. It was shipped to Fremantle, WA and named ‘Miss Wiluna’, initially operating on the Perth – Wiluna – Kalgoorlie route in Western Australia. It suffered an engine failure on 22 December 1936 near Meekathara, WA, and made a forced landing. It was substantially damaged, was not rebuilt, and was struck off the register in December 1936.