Cheap and efficient aircraft were the hallmark of Australian aircraft designer Geoffrey N. Wikner, who achieved a measure of success in his own country with his Wicko and Wicko Lion sports monoplanes, before setting up in Britain. Joining with V. Foster and J. F. Lusty, he formed the Foster Wikner Aircraft Co Ltd, operating from Lusty's furniture factory at Bromley-by-Bow, East London. The first prototype two-seat Wicko FW1, with a modified Ford V8 engine known as the Wicko F, was completed in September 1936, but was later re-engined with a 90hp Cirrus Minor I as the FW2. A 150hp Cirrus Major installation, specifically for the 1937 King's Cup race, resulted in the FW3, and this engine became the standard powerplant for all GMI production models. The company was by then established at Southampton Airport, Eastleigh, but ceased production at the outbreak of war.