Percival Gull

The Percival Gull was a British single-engined, low-wing monoplane first flown in 1932 and the first aircraft of the Percival Aircraft Company, the firm that later became Hunting Aircraft. Edgar Percival designed it himself, drawing on the Hendy 302 racer he had owned. It was built of wood with fabric covering, with tapered wings that folded rearwards for storage, a glazed cabin that seated the pilot in front and two passengers behind, and a fixed spatted undercarriage. Variants used five different inverted inline air-cooled engines, from the 130 horsepower Gull Four to the faster Gull Six with a 200 horsepower de Havilland Gipsy Six. Gulls sold well to private owners and charter companies and became famous for long-distance records, flown by Charles Kingsford Smith, Jean Batten and Amy Johnson. The design led to the Vega Gull and the Proctor.