I used to work for the company that originally made the "Compact" back in the late 1970's. The Compact was made by Interstate Engineering Corp, a subsidiary of Interstate Electronics Corp. of El Segundo and later Anaheim, California. As was stated, the Compact was originally designed and made for Howard Hughes and his Airline and Aircraft companies. They are still available today.
The Compact was also affectionately known as "the Little Green Pig" as its only available color was a shade of green and its appearance in size similar to a Pig. They were and remain an incredible vacuum cleaner for their little size and abilities. We used them throughout the manufacturing process because of their excellent abilities, small size and quietness. Thanks for bringing back some memories. Dougwood