While Cratchit kept business affairs regulated, and steered the company away from the motorcycle business, cars and taxis proved to be a problem, as Fedden encouraged the diversion. Meanwhile, Smith designed a fighter, the Bandit, employing a Jupiter engine, followed by a reconnaissance bomber, the Bandicoot, based on the Bandit. Both performed and sold well at home and abroad, and Jupiter sales supplied a substantial boost to company coffers.
The Brampton bomber, in 1927, was hailed worldwide for it's modern structure and design, while, in fact, it was an amalgam of previously forgotten leading edges of history, compiled by the Beardmore design staff. Fedden, more than most, enjoyed travelling and observing accomplishments and incorporating pieces into a whole. He was instrumental in promoting the construction of the Brant 10-seat airliner, using parts of the revolutionary bomber. While the bomber didn't sell as well as expected, the airliner sold very well, indeed, at home and abroad. It was presumed that the bomber's sales lagged because it was faster than most fighters of the era.
To address some issues, and respond to Ministry specifications, the Bushtit fighter was built employing a cantilever monoplane, stressed skin monocoque fuselage, retractable gear, enclosed canopy, and Fedden's Mercury engine. An engineer named George Dowty helped with the hydraulic gear and flaps. A Bendix-Stromberg pumper carburetor was an additional innovation.
In the proving stages, much was learned in the wind tunnel built in cooperation with the University of Glasgow and Alexander Thom. Fedden had toured the U.S. and found American educational institutions more suited to the needs of industry. He set about addressing the needs, and, as a result, the University of Glasgow received a boost in facilities as well as some guest lecturers from around the globe.