Percival Proctor
Encyclopedia
The Percival Proctor was a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
with seating for three or four, depending on the model.
Design and development
The Proctor was developed from the Percival Vega GullPercival Vega Gull
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Ellison, Norman H. Percivals Aircraft . Chalford, Stroud, UK: Chalford Publishing Company, 1997. ISBN 0-7524-0774-0....
in response to Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
Specification 20/38 for a radio trainer and communications aircraft. The prototype aircraft first flew on 8 October 1939 and the type was put into production for the RAF and RN
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
. The prototype was tested as an emergency bomber during 1940 but this idea was abandoned as the invasion threat receded. F. Hills & Sons of Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
near Manchester built 812 Proctors of several marks between 1941 and 1945, assembling most of the aircraft at Barton Aerodrome
Barton Aerodrome
City Airport is a general aviation airport in the Barton-upon-Irwell area of Eccles, in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Formerly known as both Barton Aerodrome and City Airport Manchester...
.
Operational history
The Proctor was initially employed as a three-seat communications aircraft (Proctor I). This was followed by the Proctor II and Proctor III three-seat radio trainers.In 1941, the Air Ministry issued Specification T.9/41 for a four-seat radio trainer. The P.31 – originally known as the "Preceptor" but finally redesignated the Proctor IV – was developed for this requirement with an enlarged fuselage. One Proctor IV was fitted with a 250 hp (157 kW) Gipsy Queen
De Havilland Gipsy Queen
|-Survivors:Of the 11 Gipsy Queen-powered de Havilland Doves on the British register, only two remain airworthy .-Engines on display:Preserved de Havilland Gipsy Queen engines are on public display at the following museums:*de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre...
engine. This was used as a personal transport by AVM
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
Sir Ralph Sorley
Ralph Sorley
Air Marshal Sir Ralph Squire Sorley, KCB, OBE, DSC, DFC, FRAeS, FRSA was a World War I pilot with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force, who was also a senior commander during World War II. After the War he held several senior RAF appointments until his retirement in 1948 in the rank...
but production models retained the 210 hp (157 kW) motor of earlier marks.
In 1945, a civil model derived from the Proctor IV was put into production for private owner, business and light charter use as the Proctor 5. The RAF purchased four to be used by air attachés.
The final model of the line was the solitary Proctor 6 floatplane sold to the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
in 1946.
Highly modified Percival Proctors were used in the film Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
as stand-ins for the Ju-87 Stuka
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
.
Variants
P.28 Proctor I- Three-seat communications aircraft, 247 built.
P.30 Proctor II
- Three-seat radio trainer, 175 built.
P.34 Proctor III
- Three-seat radio trainer, 437 built.
P.31 Proctor IV
- Four-seat radio trainer with enlarged fuselage, 258 built.
Proctor 5
- Four-seat civil light aircraft, 150 built. RAF designation was Proctor C.Mk 5
Proctor 6
- Floatplane version, 1 built.
Military operators
- Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
- Governor-General's Flight RAAFGovernor-General's Flight RAAFThe Governor-General's Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force transport unit. The Governor-General's Flight was formed at RAAF Station Canberra on 4 April 1945. The unit was equipped with an Avro York named 'Endeavour', an Avro Anson and a Percival Proctor...
operated one Proctor from 1945 to 1947.
- Governor-General's Flight RAAF
- Belgian Air ForceBelgian Air ForceThe Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded in 1909, it is one of the world's first air forces, and was a pioneer in aerial combat during the First World War...
- 4 P.31C delivered in June 1947, one in October and one in March 1948. Operated as liaison aircrafts by No 367 Sqdn until 1950. Last withdrawn from use 1954.
Canada
- Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air ForceThe history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
- Used by a number of Canadian units in the RAF as a communications aircraft.
- Czechoslovakian Air Force in exile in the United Kingdom - One aircraft in service from 1944 to 1945.
- Royal Danish Air ForceRoyal Danish Air ForceThe Royal Danish Air Force is the air force of Denmark with the capability to undertake homeland defense and homeland security roles as well international operations.-History:...
(RDAF) operated six P.44 Mk. III between November 1945 and November 1951. First aircraft operated by RDAF after World War II.
- Armée de l'Air - 18 Proctor IV received between September 1945 and May 1946 for use by ERN 703 (Radio Navigation School) in Pau. When the navigation training was transferred to Morocco in 1949 the Proctors were replaced by AnsonsAvro AnsonThe Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
and 16 Proctors went to the civil market.
Italy
- Italian Air ForceItalian Air ForceThe Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
- Royal Jordanian Air ForceRoyal Jordanian Air ForceThe Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...
- Lebanese Air ForceLebanese Air ForceThe Lebanese Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The seal of the air force is constituted of a Roundel with two wings and a Lebanese Cedar tree, surrounded by two laurel leaves on a blue background.-History:...
- Royal Netherlands Air ForceRoyal Netherlands Air ForceThe Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with four pilots...
- One Mk III was delivered in juin 1956, scrapped in february 1951, but the Koninklijke Luchtmacht also took delivery of 10 Proctor IV in juin 1947. Used as liaison aircrafts they were all scrapped in october 1953.
- Polish Air Force in Great Britain operated few aircraft (liaison duty). Example aircraft: DX190, LZ603.
:
- Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
- No. 24 Squadron RAF
- No. 31 Squadron RAFNo. 31 Squadron RAFNo. 31 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, known as the 'Goldstars', currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Marham, Norfolk.-History:The squadron was formed at Farnborough on October 11, 1915. Its first deployment was to Risulpur, India with its BE2Cs and Farmans, and during this time it took...
- No. 117 Squadron RAFNo. 117 Squadron RAFNo. 117 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a transport and communications unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:...
- No. 173 Squadron RAFNo. 173 Squadron RAFNo. 173 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a communications unit in World War II.-Formation in World War II:The squadron formed on 9 July 1942 at Heliopolis, Egypt and equipped with the Hawker Audax and it went on to operate many other types of aircraft...
- No. 267 Squadron RAFNo. 267 Squadron RAFNo. 267 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force that served during World War I & World War II. The squadron has been formed a total of four times.The squadron was formed at RAF Kalafrana, Malta on 27 September 1918 from Nos...
- No. 510 Squadron RAFNo. 510 Squadron RAFNo. 510 Squadron was a Royal Air Force transport and liaison aircraft squadron that operated during the Second World War.-History:During 1942 it was decided that 24 Squadron was too large and the internal communication flight became no. 510 Squadron on 15 October 1942 at RAF Hendon...
- Middle East Communications Squadron
- No. 2 Radio School
- No. 4 Radio School
- No. 2 Signals School
- No. 4 Signals School
- Fleet Air ArmFleet Air ArmThe Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
- No. 752 Squadron
- No. 754 Squadron
- No. 755 Squadron
- No. 756 Squadron
- No. 758 Squadron
Civil Operators
Canada
- Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay CompanyThe Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
- CTA - Companhia de Transportes Aéreos operated one Proctor V (serial number AE1) between 1945 and 1950.
:
- Air Taxis (Croydon) Ltd
- Cambrian AirwaysCambrian AirwaysCambrian Airways was a Welsh airline based in Cardiff, Wales, which started operations in 1935. It was incorporated into British Airways in 1976.-Company history:...
- East Anglian Flying Services
- Lancashire Aircraft Corporation
Notable Owners
- Nevil ShuteNevil ShuteNevil Shute Norway was a popular British-Australian novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. He used his full name in his engineering career, and 'Nevil Shute' as his pen name, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.-...
flew his Percival Proctor from BurmaMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
to AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Neville Shute Norway flew his Proctor from England to Australia and terminated the return flight in Italy, 1500 miles short of his goal, after a ground loop caused by a cross wind landing damaged the undercarriage. Italian bureaucracy delayed the importation of replacement parts and he was forced to return to England by commercial air.
Flying
Proctor Mk III G-ALJF and Proctor Mk IV G-ANXR (RAF number RM221) are both airworthy and based at Biggin Hill.Proctor Mk I ZK-DPP and Proctor Mk Vs ZK-AQZ & ZK-ARP are airworthy and flying in New Zealand.
Under restoration
Proctor III LZ766 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Proctor IV NP294 at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, G-AHTE at Clacton and Air Atlantique Classic FlightAir Atlantique Classic Flight
Air Atlantique Classic Flight has re-branded itself as ClassicFlight.com, but still retains the Air Atlantique heritage by using the Air Atlantique name in its logo. It is the operational part of the Air Atlantique Group historic aircraft operation based at Coventry Airport in Coventry, West...
's G-AKIU are under restoration.
Proctor Mk III G-AOGE has been at Biggin Hill for at least 20 years. The airframe has been completely restored over this time with much new wood and modern glue, but it has lain in the corner of one of the hangars for the last 5–6 years awaiting the finances to restore its engine.
On display
Proctor III Z7197Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
is on display at RAF Museum
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...
, Hendon. Another Mark III is on show at the RAAFAWA Museum, Bullcreek, near Perth, Western Australia.