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Private company

Central Aircraft Company

Defunct aircraft manufacturer

Central Aircraft Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1916 to its closure in 1926.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1916Founded1

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Central Aircraft Company Limited (1919)
Photo: British industrial expansion; the official publication issued in connection with the world tour conducted by the Moving Picture Exhibition of British Industries, Limited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Central Aircraft Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1916 to its closure in 1926.2

The story

The company was formed in 1916 as a subsidiary of the woodworking firm R. Cattle Limited. In common with other joinery companies during the First World War it turned to sub-contract manufacturing of aircraft components. In 1919 shortly after the end of the war the company produced two original designs, the Centaur IV and Centaur IIA. The aircraft were built at the company works at Kilburn, London. The first aircraft were flown from a field next to the factory, but later aircraft were test flown and operated from Northolt Aerodrome. Unable to sell the aircraft the company used the Centaur IV for joyriding and training. The last aircraft produced was the Sayers Monoplane, built for the 1922 Itford Hill gliding competition. The company closed in May 1926.

From Wikipedia’s article on Central Aircraft Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

Central Centaur IV

Central Centaur IIA

Sayers S.C.W.

From Wikipedia’s article on Central Aircraft Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1916Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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