Presenting the new

Portsmouth Aerocar

Portsmouth
Aerocar

From Aerocar to Motor

Car in a few easy steps

Origin of the Portsmouth Aerocar

The Portsmouth Aviation Companys Portsmouth Aerocar emerged in the
immediate post war period as a versatile, multi-role light general aviation aircraft.
The ideas for the Aerocar originated from the managing director of Portsmouth
Aviation, Lionel Balfour. He had anticipated that after the war the commercial
aviation industry would be faced with a shortage of aircraft. The Aerocar was
envisaged as being suitable for re-instating the sort of air service operated by
PSIOWA in the 1930s and could be easily adapted for a number of roles.
The Aerocar concept was conceived and developed by Lionel Balfour. The Aerocar
design took the form of a high wing twin engined, twin boom configuration with an
under-slung fuselage pod that could be tailored for a number of different roles
without affecting the basic design. Key aspects of the design were its practicality,
versatility and simplicity.
The Prototype Aerocar G-AGTG was flown in 1947 when it was exhibited at the
1947 SBAC Show held at Radlett. The pod and boom layout and its multi-role
capability attracted much interest, despite the fact that the prototype was
somewhat under powered/over weight.
However, after a promising start financial backing for full development and
production was not forthcoming such that by the latter part of 1948 the Aerocar
project was abandoned following re-structuring of the Portsmouth Aviation
Company.

Portsmouth Aerocar General

Arrangement

Artists impression of the Portsmouth

Aerocar

Portsmouth Aerocar Aeroplane

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Portsmouth Aerocar Land-plane

Variant

Portsmouth Aerocar Ski-plane

Variant

Portsmouth Aerocar Float-plane

Variant

Portsmouth Aerocar in Aerial

Drop/Pick-up Role

Portsmouth Aerocar as a
Private/Light Executive Transport

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Portsmouth Aerocar in Flying Office

Role

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Portsmouth Aerocar Under

Construction at Portsmouth c1946

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Portsmouth Aerocar Pilots Control

Panel

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Rotol Variable Pitch Propellers for the

Portsmouth Aerocar

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Portsmouth Aerocars First Flight on June

18th 1947

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Portsmouth Aerocar on Show at

Radlett in 1947

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Portsmouth Aviation Stand at the

SBAC Farnborough Show in 1948

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Peter Masefield takes a look at the

Portsmouth Aerocar

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Portsmouth Aerocar ready for a flight

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Portsmouth Aerocar makes a low

pass to impress spectators

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Portsmouth Aerocar seen at Portsmouth

c1947 with several Airspeed Consul
(converted military Oxfords) aircraft parked
in the background

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Novel design of the Portsmouth

Aerocar is evident in this air to air
publicity shot

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Although the prototype was underpowered the Portsmouth Aerocar

appeared to be set for a successful
future

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Demise of the Portsmouth Aerocar

Lionel Balfours vision of the Portsmouth Aviation Companys Portsmouth
Aerocar as the main element of its business in the post war era was sadly
not realised.
Despite the fact that the Aerocar was a practical, imaginative and
affordable aircraft design that showed much promise of being capable of
fulfilling a variety of roles for civil and military purposes, financial
constraints and adverse circumstances beyond the control of the company
meant that backing for the project diminished to a point where the
Aerocar project could not continue.
The main chance of success for the Aerocar rested on an agreement for
licence manufacture in India. However, the deal collapsed as a result of
the Indian principals being unable to proceed due to internal troubles
arising from partitioning of India as part of the process of granting the
Indian nation independence to become part of the British Commonwealth.
The knock on effect of this situation was that the Portsmouth Aviation
Company financial position became untenable and as result the company
was re-organised and restructured financially whereby Lionel Balfour no
longer had any financial interest in the company. Further development of
the Aerocar ceased and G-AGTG was stored for a few years and then
scrapped.
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