of not only complete aircraft but also partially-assembled examples that were in progress at various factories. The conversion process commenced immediately upon acquisition, with the first aircraft, G-AGVY, being certified for operations in March 1946 and sold to a private operator shortly thereafter. Due to it being a relatively straightforward conversion of an existing aircraft with only minor modifications being made, securing civil airworthiness certification was both quick and easy. The type was assigned the name Consul. In addition to targeting airlines, Airspeed believed there was a viable market for the type amongst private owner-pilots, as there had been for such aircraft during the interwar period. Furthermore, there was an intention focus on marketing the aircraft towards business purposes, a direction which aviation author H. A. Taylor observed to be a particularly innovative approach for the era. Launch From 1946, 162 Oxfords were refurbished by Airspeed and adapted for civilian use at the firm's facility in Portsmouth. Of these, 50 alone were produced between May and October 1946. Structural alterations involved in the conversion included cut-outs to add an extra pair of windows on either side of the fuselage, the installation of an elongated nose that functioned as a forward compartment for storing baggage, and the addition of a partition wall between the cockpit and the cabin areas. The tail plane was also adjusted to account for the changed centre of gravity resulting from these other modifications, which also increased the aircraft's fore-and-aft stability. The Consul was a relatively affordable endeavour as surplus Oxfords were both common and inexpensive to acquire. It proved to be superficially attractive as a small twin-engine airliner, and Airspeed promptly offered a conversion kit for this specific purpose. In a charter configuration, the Consul's cabin would be typically outfitted with five seats, although the addition of a sixth seat was possible. The cabin furnishings consisted of detachable carpets, leather upholstery, and fabric trimmings of various colours. In the cockpit, the radio operator would be seated alongside the pilot in the former instructor's position. Multiple variants of the Consul were developed by Airspeed, often to suit particular niche roles of the market. One such model, intended for use as an air ambulance, featured a large upwards-opening door and could accommodate a pair of stretcher-bound patients along with one or two seated patients. A convertible model featured the same large door, which was intended to be alternatively