RC2083 Airspeed Courier by Tim Hooper First published in RCM&E May 2011 Back to the 30s with Tim Hoopers take on a little-known six-seater Despite being largely ignored in the annals of British aviation, the Airspeed Courier was actually something of a minor landmark with its semi-retractable u/c, & served as the predecessor to the much better-known twin-engine Oxford & Envoy. Although the production run of 16 aicraft means it was hardly prolific, the 1933 Courier could be considered ahead of its time in several respects.A six seater cabin monoplane, with a range of over 500 miles in standard trim & featuring the aforementioned retracting u/c, the Courier also boasted a high-aspect ratio wing of around 47" span. The seven cylinder AW Lynx radial engine was encircled with a cowling, & endowed the Courier with a top speed of just over 150mph. Not bad going for 1933!