Elliotts of Newbury EoN

Just one aircraft, but two versions. When first flown the Newbury EoN 1 was powered by 1 x 100 h.p. Blackburn Cirrus and took to the air at Welford Aerodrome Berkshire on 8th August 1947. After initial testing was complete the aircraft was modified to production standard and was revised to the EoN 2 with a 145 h.p. de Havilland Gypsy Major engine and a lengthened nose wheel amongst the primary changes. The one and only aircraft met it's end as noted above at Lympne airfield on the 14th April 1950.

Span 37'0" Length 25'0" Height 10'0" Wing area 173 sq ft
Gross weight 2,340 lb
Max speed 136 mph Range 350 miles Service Ceiling 13,400 ft

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The Moke up of this aircraft was built by Cilton Aircraft at the Chilton Foliat factory before the death being transfered to Newbury with the Glider production about 1949?.

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My late father ( Derrick Lambert ) flew for Wright Aviation at Hooton Park in the late 1940s and according to his log book he flew the above Newbury Eon once only on 2nd May 1948. According to his log book he also had a Mr G Smyth & a Mr Antill on board and his duty notes state" CCT Lndg and 1 stall". I`ve no information about how he came to be flying this aircraft as most of his other flights were in either Austers or a Gemini ? Sadly I have been unable to find any picture of the Eon to date but if I do find one I will let you know !

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The prototype was destroyed in a freak accident when it was being started by the pilot prior to towing a manned glider. The pilot had hand started the aircraft when it started moving off. The glider pilot had the sense to abandon his aircraft and the Eon and the Olympia glider both crashed into a hedge

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Acft was built in 1946, primarily as a modern 4-seat exec plane. elliots, who made furniture before WW2, had been making wooden components for warbirds, e.g. fin spars for Mosquitoes, then went on to produce 3 glider designs including Olympia. The EoN was flown at Radlett SBAC Show in 1947 by the test pilot, Phil Stanbury, and at Farnborough in '48 and '49 by my father, Nelson ("Jimmy") Antill. It was written off in a freak accident (by someone else!) in 1950. Altogether a delight to fly, it performed well on the DH Gypsy Major X, 145 hp. It was never spun, but otherwise aero's were a go. Worst feature were the brakes: landing run 300 yards plus! Although it won very high acclaim everywhere it went, sadly it never went into production; it would have completely eclipsed the then-popular Austers as a private plane and glider tug.

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