UK
Lovaux Ltd was a subsidiary of FLS Aerospace for aircraft maintenance. Took over Optica Scout observation aircraft from Brooklands and marketed Optica and Scoutmaster derivative for electronic surveillance. Also purchased SAH-1 from Orca Aircraft Ltd. See FLS Aerospace for fate of Optica.
Manufacturer
Louis-Clement
France
Based in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Produced a gullwing monoplane racer at the 1919-1920 Paris Salon and an ultralight single-seat triplane.
Lotus Cars Ltd
1983: Lotus Cars Ltd, Norwich, Norfolk, Great Britain.
Built the Lotus Prototype UL
Lookout Mountain Flight Park (LMFP)
1999: Matt Tabor.
1999-2009: Lookout Mountain Flight Park, 7201 Scenic Hwy, Rising Fawn, GA 30738, USA
Trike unit builder
Lorraine-Hanriot
Aeroplanes Hanriot et Cie
Compagnie des Avions Hanriot
Operated at Argenteuil as Aeroplanes Hanriot et Cie to 1930, when it became Lorraine-Hanriot, a division of Societe Generate Aeronautique. When this organization broke up in 1933 the company became known as Compagnie des Avions Hanriot.
Lorraine / Lorraine-Dietrich
Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissments de Dietrich and Cie (known as De Dietrich et Cie, founded in 1684 by Jean de Dietrich) branched into the manufacture of automobiles. The Franco-Prussian War divided the company’s manufacturing capacity, one plant in Niederbronn-les-Bains, Alsace, the other in Lunéville, Lorraine.
In 1896, managing director of the Lunéville plant, Adrien, Baron de Turckheim, bought the rights to a design by Amédée Bollée. This used a front-mounted horizontal twin engine with sliding clutches and belt drive. It had a folding top, three acetylene headlights, and, very unusual for the period, plate glass windshield. While the company started out using engines from Bollée, de Dietrich eventually produced the entire vehicle themselves.
After World War I, with Lorraine restored to France, the company restarted manufacture of automobiles and aero-engines. Their 12-cylinder aero-engines were used by Breguet, IAR, and Aero, among others.
The de Dietrich family sold its share in the company, which became simply known as Lorraine from 1928 on.
Automobile production eventually became unprofitable and, after the failure of their 20 CV model, the concern ceased production of automobiles in 1935.
In 1930, de Dietrich was absorbed by Société Générale Aéronautique, and the Argenteuil plant was converted to making aircraft engines and six-wheel trucks licenced from Tatra. By 1935, Lorraine-Dietrich had disappeared from the automobile industry. Until World War II, Lorraine concentrated on the military market, manufacturing vehicles such as the Lorraine 37L armoured carrier.
The Lunéville plant returned to rail locomotives. In 2007, it still operated as De Dietrich Ferroviaire.
Loring, Dr Jorge
Spain
Founded in Madrid by Dr. Loring of the Compania Espanola de Trafico Aereo. Received order for 20 Fokker CIV for Spanish Army Air Corps in 1924. First indigenous design was the R.1 for the army. Further reconnaissance types followed, and light aircraft. Built Cierva Autogiro under license.
Lopresti Flight Concepts
USA
Founded 1991 to take over development of Swift Fury two-seat aerobatic lightplane (first flown 1989 as Lopresti Piper development of Globe/Temco Swift).
Longren Aircraft Inc
USA
Longren Aircraft Inc was a Topeka, Kansas, company which in 1921 pioneered vulcanised moulded fibre fuselages on small folding-wing light aircraft. The built an experimental aircraft for the U.S. Navy in 1922. Liquidated in 1924, Longren re-formed about 1933 to build experimental metal monocoque fuselage.
Long, Les
In the 1930s, Les Long designed a couple of homebuilts. The Longster was one. Long even performed a trade study with the Longster…it started out as a mid-wing aircraft, but Long did some experimentation with wing position. He tried a parasol wing, and a low-wing configuration. He decided the low wing was best.
His design work culminated in the Wimpy, which caught the imagination of an Oregon man named Tom Story, who built one just before World War II. It had a welded-steel fuselage, tail feathers, and landing gear, and a wooden wing. It used external wire bracing, like the Fly Baby, except the flying wires attached to a bit of structure behind the tires rather than through the wheel hub.
After the war, Story’s airplane was bought by another Oregon man named George Bogardus. Prior to the war, reaction against homebuilt aircraft had caused them to be banned in every state except Oregon. Bogardus wanted the CAA to implement a new certification category that would overrule the state limitations.
Bogardus modified the Story Wimpy, calling it Little Gee Bee. He successfully flew across the country several times, and his efforts helped lead to the introduction of the Experimental/Amateur-Built category.
All Aero 