Private company

Desoutter Aircraft Company

English aircraft manufacturer, 1928–1932

The Desoutter Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Croydon. It was founded by Marcel Desoutter and produced aircraft during the late 1920s and the 1930s.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1928Founded1
  • Industryaerospace industry1
  • HeadquartersCroydon1

The Desoutter Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Croydon. It was founded by Marcel Desoutter and produced aircraft during the late 1920s and the 1930s.2

The story

The company was formed in December 1928 to manufacture the designs of the Dutch Koolhoven company in particular the Koolhoven F.K.41, which had drawn a lot of attention due to its modern design. The licence was obtained and Desoutter set up a production unit at the former ADC factory at Croydon Aerodrome. The F.K.41 became quite successful and was marketed under the name Dolphin. The name "Dolphin" was later dropped and for a while the aircraft was marketed only under the name "Desoutter". A slightly modified version was later produced and the versions received the suffixes Mk.I and Mk.II.

Desoutter's aircraft became a familiar sight in British flying clubs, where they were used for instruction, pleasure flights and taxi flights.

The business folded in 1932 after its main customer, National Flying Services at London Air Park, Hanworth, went into liquidation, having produced 41 aircraft (twenty-eight Mk.Is and thirteen Mk.IIs).

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

Products and brands

Desoutter Mk.I previously also known as "Dolphin" or simply only as "Desoutter"

Desoutter Mk.II Sports Coupé

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

Timeline

  1. 1932Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1928Founded Founded1

Sources

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

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