ADC Aircraft

Aircraft Disposal Company
Company type	Private company
Industry	Aviation, aircraft disposal, aircraft engines
Founded	March 1920; 106 years ago
Defunct	1930
Fate	Liquidated
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, Latvia
Key people	Frank Halford (engine designer)
Products	Aircraft disposal, modified military aircraft, aircraft engines (ADC Cirrus series)
Owner	Imperial and Foreign Corporation Limited (initial ownership)
Parent	Imperial and Foreign Corporation Limited

The Aircraft Disposal Company (ADC), also known as Airdisco, was a British enterprise established in March 1920 to exploit the extensive inventory of surplus military aircraft from World War I. In 1925, the firm adopted the name ADC Aircraft Limited.

History

In 1920, the British government transferred ownership of more than 10,000 excess aircraft and 35,000 aero-engines to the Imperial and Foreign Corporation Limited via the Disposal and Liquidation Commission for £1,000,000 plus a 50% share of ensuing profits. To oversee sales and storage across numerous aircraft depots throughout the country, the Imperial and Foreign Corporation formed ADC. The Handley Page Company acted as the exclusive managing and sales agent; however, financial challenges prompted a renegotiation in 1921 to shield Handley Page from potential insolvency.

ADC specialized in modifying former military planes for civilian use or resale to armed forces. By 1925, it had disposed of 2,000 airframes and 3,000 engines, generating profits exceeding £2,500,000—half of which was returned to the British Treasury.

The company maintained several locations across Britain, including an 11-acre site at Regent's Park in London known as Marylebone Green. It also took ownership of three National Aircraft Factories situated at Aintree (Liverpool), Waddon (Croydon), and Stockport (near Manchester).

The name "Airdisco" was derived from the firm's telegraphic address based in London. In 1926, Latvia received delivery of eight A.D.C.1 fighters developed from the Martinsyde Buzzard design.

ADC's offices were located at Regent House, 89 Kingsway, London WC2. The company ceased operations and was liquidated in 1930.

Aircraft

Airdisco Phi-Phi
A.D.C.1 (Martinsyde Buzzard)

Aircraft engines

Led by Frank Halford, ADC engineered a series of aircraft engines, notably the 'Cirrus' range, which was subsequently manufactured by Cirrus Aero Engines Ltd and its successors.

Bibliography

Barnes, C.H. Handley Page Aircraft since 1907. London: Putnam, 1976. .
Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Stroud, UK:Sutton Publishing, 2nd Edition, 2005. .
Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .