Lancashire EP.9 Prospector

Lancashire Prospector

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11/15/06. Remarks by Chas Cooke: "On August 20, 2006 I attended the Redhill Airshow, Surrey, England and there in a hangar was part of a fuselage I didn't recognise at all. On the empty and decaying instrument panel was the registration G-ARDG. Searching on the Civil Aviation Authority's G-INFO database I found it to be a de-registered EP.9 Prospector. Searching for images of a Prospector I arrived at your website where, to my surprise, not only did I find a picture of the type of aircraft, there was a picture of the exact aircraft I had looked at in the Redhill hangar."

Edgar Percival designed the EP.9 utility aiming at the Australian market, it could be used as light transport, passenger or agricultural aircraft. It was powered by a 270 hp Lycoming GO-480-B1 horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine. The prototype G-AOFU (c/n 20) flew for the first time at Stapleford Tawney, Essex, UK, on December 21, 1955. Edgar Percival Aircraft Ltd. built another 21 aircraft with the c/n's 21 to 41.

In 1958 the company was sold, moved to Samlesbury, Lancashire, UK, and renamed Lancashire Aircraft Co. Ltd. The new company completed c/n 41 as G-APWX with a 295 hp GO-480-G1A6 engine, and another 5 airframes were built with the c/n's 42 to 46, however, c/n 45 was never completed.

The last Prospector built was the pictured aircraft. Fitted with a 375 hp Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah 10 seven-cylinder radial engine it flew for the first time in the summer of 1960. Thereafter production was ceased.


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11/15/06. Remarks by Chas Cooke: "On August 20, 2006 I attended the Redhill Airshow, Surrey, England and there in a hangar was part of a fuselage I didn't recognise at all. On the empty and decaying instrument panel was the registration G-ARDG. Searching on the Civil Aviation Authority's G-INFO database I found it to be a de-registered EP.9 Prospector. Searching for images of a Prospector I arrived at your website where, to my surprise, not only did I find a picture of the type of aircraft, there was a picture of the exact aircraft I had looked at in the Redhill hangar." Edgar Percival designed the EP.9 utility aiming at the Australian market, it could be used as light transport, passenger or agricultural aircraft. It was powered by a 270 hp Lycoming GO-480-B1 horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine. The prototype G-AOFU (c/n 20) flew for the first time at Stapleford Tawney, Essex, UK, on December 21, 1955. Edgar Percival Aircraft Ltd. built another 21 aircraft with the c/n's 21 to 41. In 1958 the company was sold, moved to Samlesbury, Lancashire, UK, and renamed Lancashire Aircraft Co. Ltd. The new company completed c/n 41 as G-APWX with a 295 hp GO-480-G1A6 engine, and another 5 airframes were built with the c/n's 42 to 46, however, c/n 45 was never completed. The last Prospector built was the pictured aircraft. Fitted with a 375 hp Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah 10 seven-cylinder radial engine it flew for the first time in the summer of 1960. Thereafter production was ceased.