The Birth of Beagle: A short history of the origin of the company and aircraft

THE United Kingdom pioneered the practical light aircraft in the 1920s and continued to be one of its major producers and exporters until the early 1950s. More than 15 years ago, however, as a result of the Royal Air Force decision to use jet aircraft for training its pilots, and because the bigger British aircraft manufacturers were becoming entirely preoccupied with large and complicated high performance military and civil aircraft, which in turn led to these companies being consolidated into large groups, the British development of light aircraft practically ceased. Production of such aircraft had in fact almost entirely stoppped by the late 1950s. This represented a grave loss to British exports in a world market worth more than £80,000,000 a year, and it had a serious effect on the prestige and competitive strength of this country's aircraft industry as a whole.