The Airspeed Consul is a twin-engined light transport aircraft and affordable airliner designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited. Introduced during the immediate post-war period, it was a straightforward conversion of surplus Airspeed Oxford military trainers that had been extensively used during the Second World War. The Consul was developed into various models, each being typically suited for a particular role, such as an air ambulance, freighter, executive transport, and airliner. Airspeed marketed the type particularly heavily towards private owner-pilots and businesses, the latter being an atypical choice for the era. A number were also produced with armaments, having been militarised and exported to multiple overseas air forces. By the end of production, 162 Consuls had been produced. During the first half of the 1930s, the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited produced the Envoy, an eight-seat civil transport that was also promptly attracted the attention of military operators. Accordingly, during the late 1930s, a militarised derivative of the Envoy, known as the Oxford, was developed and introduced, being primarily used as a trainer aircraft. The Oxford was used in vast numbers by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in addition to several other air forces, forming a key element of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan; a total of 8,586 were produced. As early as 1940, Airspeed's management were considering the future postwar era and the fate of the large numbers of Oxfords that the company was mass-producing at that time; recognising that military demands would be curtailed, it was thus sensible for surplus aircraft to be converted for use by civilian operators instead. It was recognised that an affordable general purpose twin-engined transport aircraft, suitable for use as an airliner, would likely appeal to such operators. Having planned in advance of the conflict's end, following Victory in Europe Day, Airspeed quickly negotiated to buy back Oxfords from the British government, arranging the purchase of not only complete aircraft but also partially-assembled examples that were in progress at various factories. For more details of development, operational history and operators, click here.
