General Aircraft ST-18 Croydon

General Aircraft Limited · United Kingdom · first flew 1935 · airliner

The General Aircraft ST-18 Croydon was a 1930s British cabin monoplane built by General Aircraft Limited.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	13.18 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Low-wing monoplane with bracing struts under the wing
Two radial engines on the wing leading edges
Hydraulically retractable main gear with a tailwheel

A low-wing monoplane with a conventional tail unit, a tailwheel undercarriage with hydraulically retractable main gear and two Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior radials on the wing leading edges. It had a crew of three and a cabin for ten passengers.

Specifications

The General Aircraft ST-18 Croydon has a length of 13.18 m (43 ft).
It has a wingspan of 18.14 m (60 ft).
Its maximum speed is 327 km/h (203 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

After the mixed success of the Monospar family, the company designed a ten-seat light transport. Because of its longer-span wing it was not a cantilever monospar wing and had to be fitted with bracing struts.

Variants

Only one was built, registered T22 and later G-AECB.

Where you'll see it

It first flew on 16 November 1935 at Hanworth Aerodrome, piloted by Harry M. Schofield. It won no orders, so it was prepared for a record flight; it left Croydon Airport for Australia on 30 July 1936 and on the return flight on 7 October 1936 made a forced landing on Seringapatam Reef and was abandoned.

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