Comper C.L.A.7 Swift

The Swift light sports aircraft was designed by Lt Nicholas Comper. Formerly of the RAF and Airco, Comper had previously designed amateur builds with the Cranwell Light Aeroplane Club. Of wooden construction with a plywood and fabric covering, the Swift's wing was mounted directly atop the fuselage, ahead of the cockpit, and braced. Initially an A.B.C. Scorpion 40hp engine was fitted. That type, however, was superseded by a 50hp Salmson AD9 radial type, before the specified Pobjoy engine was fitted or retrofitted to most of the 41 examples built. Edward VIII, then Prince of Wales, counted himself among the Swift's owners, and his machine competed in the 1932 (as well as the 1933/4) Kings Cup Race - coming second - powered by a Gipsy Major engine. The Swift participated in many contests and held a number of records in its heyday. Several examples of this exclusive but much loved type remain airworthy today.

Robert Jackson "The Encyclopedia of Aircraft", 2004