The Airspeed company was established to build aeroplanes in 1931 in York, England by A.H. Tiltman and N.S. Norway. Following production of the AS4 Ferry, a three engined, ten passenger biplane, the company concentrated on transport monoplanes. In March 1933 the firm moved to Portsmouth and in the following year became associated with the Tyneside ship builder Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited.

Their most productive period was during World War II. A graceful, twin engined trainer-cum-light transport aircraft known as the AS10 Oxford had a production run exceeding 8,500. Almost 3,800 AS51 and AS58 Horsa gliders were built for the Royal Air Force and its allies. Many of these made one-way journeys into occupied France as part of the D-Day landings, towed from England by Commandos, Dakotas and other piston-engined aircraft.

In 1940, de Havilland bought into Airspeed and, besides adapting some surplus Oxford aircraft as AS65 Consuls for the commercial market, they went on to produce a superbly streamlined twin-engined piston airliner called the AS57 Ambassador.

Airspeed completely merged with de Havilland in 1951.

List of aircraft & first flight

• AS4 Ferry - April 5, 1932
• AS5 Courier - April 11, 1933
• AS6 Envoy - June 26, 1934
• AS8 Viceroy - August 1934
• AS10 Oxford - June 19, 1937
• AS30 Queen Wasp - June 11, 1937
• AS39 Fleet Shadower - October 18, 1940
• AS45 Cambridge - February 19, 1941
• AS51 Horsa - September 12, 1941
• AS57 Ambassador - July 10, 1947
• AS65 Consul - March 1946

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