Sidney Cotton’s work found only grudging approval with the Royal Air Force, but eventually his work was incorporated into 1 Photographic Development Unit (PDU) at RAF Heston and then RAF Benson, a unit from which most later British air reconnaissance developed.
Eleven aircraft were in service at the outbreak of the Second World War, with a 12th following soon after, and all were withdrawn in October 1939; they were to be camouflaged before flying a new route from Heston Aerodrome to Le Bourget Airport, Paris.
The first flight, at Heston Aerodrome, was made by Boulton Paul's chief test pilot Flight Lieutenant Cecil Feather.
Airguard is a 1930s British two-seat cabin monoplane, designed by R.C. Christophorides and B V Leak, and built by Chrislea Aircraft Limited at Heston Aerodrome.
On 20 March 1930, piloted by Alan S. Butler, it departed from Heston Aerodrome for a survey of Northern Rhodesia, it covered the 7,000 miles at an average speed of 128 mph.
The type was demonstrated in civil form at the "Aerial Garden Party" at Heston Aerodrome in July 1929, and in military form as a model at the Olympia Aero Show, complete with a dummy observer with swivelling machine gun to demonstrate the field of fire.
Formed in 1934 by James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker, the Martin-Baker company had embarked initially on an unsuccessful two-place low-wing monoplane design known as the MB 1 before completing an autogyro design by Mr. Raoul Hafner tested by Captain Baker at Heston Aerodrome.
A few weeks later, the Merlin was delivered to Birkett Air Service, for its air taxi and charter business based at Heston Aerodrome.
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Following the death of John Carden in December 1935, in April 1936, Baynes set up Carden-Baynes Aircraft at Heston Aerodrome, and designed the Carden-Baynes Bee, a two-seat wooden aircraft with two Carden-Ford engines in pusher configuration.
In 1936, L. E. Baynes and Sir John Carden, trading as Carden-Baynes Aircraft of Heston Aerodrome, launched the Carden-Baynes Auxiliary, a light aircraft which was essentially a motorized Abbott-Baynes Scud 3 glider.
During the Second World War, Baynes was the aviation adviser to Alan Muntz & Co at Heston Aerodrome, specialists in weapons systems, and he organized an aircraft division of the company.