Avro Avian
| Avian | |
|---|---|
| |
| Bert Hinkler's Avro Avian displayed at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia | |
| Role | Tourer/Trainer |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| Designer | Roy Chadwick[1] |
| First flight | 1926 |
| Introduction | 1927 |
| Primary users | Private pilot owners Royal Canadian Air Force South African Air Force Chinese Naval Air Service Estonian Air Force |
| Produced | 1926–1928 |
| Number built | 405 |
TheAvro Avianis a series ofBritishlight aircraft designed and built byAvroin the 1920s and 1930s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by thede Havilland Mothand its descendants.
Design and development
[edit]The Avro 581 Avian prototype was designed and built to compete in theLympne light aircraft trialsatLympne Aerodromein September 1926. Its wooden fuselage was based on that of the Avro 576autogyro,but it was fitted with conventional biplane wings and powered by a 70 hp (50 kW)Armstrong Siddeley Genetengine.[1]It performed well at the trials, but was eliminated due to engine failure.
In early 1927 it was re-engined with an 85 hp (63 kW)ADC Cirrusengine as the Type 581A and sold toBert Hinkler.
Production aircraft were designated Type 594 and were built in a number of versions, mainly powered by Cirrus engines.[2]A version with a welded steel tube fuselage was produced in 1929 as the Avro 616 Avian IVM to meet overseas requirements for an easier-to-repair structure.[3]This version was built in the largest numbers, with approximately 190 built.[4]
The Avian was also produced under licence in Canada, byOttawa Car Manufacturing CompanyinOttawa,Ontario.[5]
Operational history
[edit]While outsold by thede Havilland Mothand its derivatives—which first flew more than a year earlier than the Avian—the Avian was used extensively as a civil tourer or trainer, with many being sold overseas. Avians were assembled by the Whittesley Manufacturing Co.,Bridgeport, Connecticut,USA, and the Ottawa Car Manufacturing Company, Canada,[6]as well as by Avro itself.[7]
After further modifications to wings and undercarriage as the Avro 581E, Hinkler used this aircraft for a series of long-distance flights, culminating in a 15½-day solo flight fromCroydon,UKtoDarwin,Australia.[8]In 1998 Lang Kidby recreated this flight in a 1927 Type 594 Avian VH-UFZ (ex G-AUFZ)
Avro Avian 594 Avian III (SN R3/AV/101) was owned by Lady Mary Heath andAmelia Earhart.Earhart's Avian had an 84 hp (63 kW) Cirrus Mk II engine. It was originally registered to Lady Heath on 29 October 1927 and given the UK aircraft markingG-EBUG.When Earhart brought it to the United States it was assigned "unlicensed aircraft identification mark"7083;aircraft not officially certificated in the United States were allowed to be flown as unlicensed but identified aircraft. Avian7083was used on Earhart's first long solo flight, which occurred just as Amelia was coming into the national spotlight. By making the trip in August 1928, she became the first woman to fly solo across the North American continent and back. In 2001 Carlene Mendita recreated this flight in Greg Herrick's Type 594 Avian which he had purchased from Lang Kidby. At the time Herrick purchased the Avian from Kidby, two years prior, it was the oldest flying aircraft in Australia. It is now based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Wilfrid R. "Wop" Mayused a 594 to make his January 1929 mercy flight withdiphtheriaantitoxin fromEdmontontoFort Vermilion,Alberta.[9]
An Avian (Red Rose) was used byBill Lancasteron a successful long distance flight to Australia, and another (Southern Cross Minor) on his final record attempt to South Africa in 1933.
In July 1930,Winifred Brownwon theKing's Cup Raceflying Cirrus III Avian.[10]One Avian, piloted by Sydney Thorn, took part in theChallenge International de Tourisme 1930with moderate success (16th place).
On 7 January 1931,Guy Menziesflew an Avian, theSouthern Cross Junior,fromAustraliatoNew Zealand.He was the first person to fly solo across theTasman Sea.
A single Genet-powered Avian II was bought by theRoyal Air Force,while Avians were also bought by theSouth African Air Force,theChinese Naval Air Service,theEstonian Air Forceand theRoyal Canadian Air Force.
AviatorBeryl Markhamused an Avian extensively in East Africa in the 1930s.[11]
Variants
[edit]
- Avro 581 Avian
- First prototype, one 70 hp (52 kW)Armstrong Siddeley Genet.[1]
- Avro 581A
- Modified first prototype, one 85 hp (63 kW) ADC Cirrus and reduced span wings.[12]
- Avro 581E
- Further modified Avro 581A for long distance flights, with new wings and modified fuselage.[13]
- Avro 594 Avian I
- Preproduction aircraft, two built.
- Avro 594 Avian II
- Initial production, 85 hp (63 kW) Cirrus II engine, nine built.
- Avro 594 Avian III
- Modified engine mount and tubular steel struts, 33 built.
- Avro 594 Avian IIIA
- 95 hp (71 kW) Cirrus III engine, 58 built.
- Avro 594 Avian IV
- Revised undercarriage and ailerons, 90 built.
- Avro 605 Avian
- Two Avro 594 Avian IIIs were converted into floatplanes.
- Avro 616 Avian IVM
- Steel tube fuselage. Powered by 105 hp (78 kW) Cirrus Hermes I or 100 hp (75 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major, approximately 190 built.
- Avro 616 Sports Avian
- Version for racing with reduced drag, 16 built.
- Avro 616 Avian IVA
- modified one-off long range version forCharles Kingsford Smith,Southern Cross Junior,120 hp (90 kW)de Havilland GipsyII engine, with additional fuel tank and revised 30 ft span wings.[14]
- Avro 616 Avian V
- Long range single-seater again built for Charles Kingsford Smith,Southern Cross Minor.Bill Lancasterwould later attempt to fly solo from England to South Africa in this aircraft, and die in the attempt.
- Avro 625 Avian Monoplane
- Low-wing monoplane development, two built.
Operators
[edit]Military operators
[edit]
Surviving aircraft
[edit]
- 5116 – 581 on display at theQueensland MuseuminBrisbane, Queensland.It is G-EBOV, the prototype Avro Avian flown byBert Hinkleron some of his record-breaking flights.[16][17][18]
- R3/AV/127 – Avian IV airworthy at the Ala Doble Flying Collection in Esparto, California. It was once the oldest flying aircraft in Australia and has been converted from an Avian II configuration. It is painted to represent G-EBUG, an aircraftAmelia Earhartflew across the United States in 1928–1929.
- R3/CN/160 – Avian IIIA on static display at Hooton Park in Cheshire. It carries G-EBZM and is a composite of several others.[19][20][21]
- CN/171 G-ACGT, a Genet II powered Type 594B Avian III under restoration at Coventry, Warwickshire.
- R3/CN/314 – Avian IVM on static display at theCanada Aviation and Space MuseuminOttawa,Ontario.[22][23]
- R3/CN/316 – Avian IVM on display at theReynolds-Alberta MuseuminWetaskiwin, Alberta.[24]It has Genet engine installed and is painted as CF-CDV.[citation needed]
- R3/CN/318 – Avian IV on static display at Arlanda Flygsamlingar[1],close toArlanda Airportnorth ofStockholm,Sweden.[25]
- R3/CN/522 – Avian IV airworthy with Geoffrey Arthur Davis ofSalisbury, South Australia.[26][27]
- R3/CN/531 – Avian IV airworthy with Geoffrey Arthur Davis of Salisbury, South Australia.[28][29]
- Replica – Avian IIIA on display at theAlberta Aviation MuseuminEdmonton,Alberta.[30]It is painted as G-CAVB as a memorial to a heroic flight byWop Maywhen he flewdiphtheriamedicine mid-winter to a village where an outbreak was occurring on the Canadian prairies.[citation needed]
Specifications (Avian IVM)
[edit]
Data fromBritish Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1[31]
General characteristics
- Crew:2
- Length:24 ft 3 in (7.39 m)
- Wingspan:28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
- Height:8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
- Wing area:245 sq ft (22.8 m2)
- Empty weight:1,005 lb (456 kg)
- Gross weight:1,523 lb (691 kg)
- Powerplant:1 ×Cirrus Hermes I4-cylinder air-cooled in-line piston engine, 105 hp (78 kW)
- Propellers:2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed:105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn)
- Cruise speed:90 mph (140 km/h, 78 kn)
- Range:360 mi (580 km, 310 nmi)
- Service ceiling:12,500 ft (3,800 m)[32]
- Rate of climb:600 ft/min (3.0 m/s)[32]
- Wing loading:6.21 lb/sq ft (30.3 kg/m2)
- Power/mass:0.069 hp/lb (0.113 kW/kg)
See also
[edit]- Wop May"The Race against Death – Mercy flight in an Avian."
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
Notes
[edit]- ^abcJackson 1990, p. 241.
- ^Jackson 1990, pp. 249, 256.
- ^Jackson 1990, p. 265.
- ^Donald 1997, pp. 78–79.
- ^Payne, Stephen, ed.Canadian Wings(Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd., 2006), p.162 & p.163 caption.
- ^Payne, p.162.
- ^Jackson 1990, p. 273.
- ^Jackson 1974, p. 114.
- ^Payne, pp.162–163.
- ^"The King's Cup: Miss W. Brown's Win, A Record Entry."Flight,11 July 1930 viaflightglobal.com.Retrieved: 12 June 2010.
- ^Markham, Beryl (1942).West with the Night.ISBN978-0-86547-118-4.
- ^Jackson 1990, p. 243.
- ^Jackson 1990, pp. 243–245.
- ^Jackson 1974, p. 120
- ^"Aircraft that took part in the Spanish Civil War".Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2015.Retrieved18 November2010.
- ^"Moving: Wheels, Wind, Water".Queensland Museum.The State of Queensland.Retrieved18 December2016.
- ^"Airframe Dossier – Avro 581 Avian, c/n 5116, c/r G-EBOV".Aerial Visuals.AerialVisuals.ca.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"Bert Hinkler & Avro Avian G-EBOV – c.1928".The Airways Museum & Civil Aviation Historical Society.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"Air and Space Hall".Museum of Science & Industry.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"AIRCRAFT".The Aeroplane Collection.The Aeroplane Collection.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"[Untitled]".The Aeroplane Collection.The Aeroplane Collection.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"AVRO AVIAN IVM".Canada Aviation and Space Museum.Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation. Archived fromthe originalon 7 January 2017.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"Airframe Dossier – Avro 581/594/605/616/625 / Avian, c/n R3/CN/314, c/r CF-CDQ".Aerial Visuals.AerialVisuals.ca.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^Trussell, George (23 July 2008)."AVRO 616 AVIAN IVM, CF-CDV / 316, REYNOLDS ALBERTA MUSEUM".ABPic.Air-Britain.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"Flygaren Allen Widman och hans maskiner"(in Swedish).Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"Aircraft Register [VH-UVX]".Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"VH-UVX Avro 616 Avian IVM".Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^"Airframe Dossier – Avro Avian IV, c/n R3/CN/531, c/r VH-UQE".Aerial Visuals.AerialVisuals.ca.Retrieved18 December2016.
- ^"Aircraft Register [VH-UQE]".Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority.Retrieved18 December2016.
- ^"Aircraft G-CAVB Data".Airport-Data.com.Airport-Data.com.Retrieved19 December2016.
- ^Jackson 1974, p.123.
- ^abJackson 1990, p. 272.
Bibliography
[edit]- Donald, David, ed.The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997.ISBN1-85605-375-X.
- Gerdessen, Frederik. "Estonian Air Power 1918 – 1945".Air Enthusiast,No. 18, April – July 1982. pp. 61–76.ISSN0143-5450.
- Grant, James Ritchie. "Anti-Clockwise: Australia the Wrong Way".Air Enthusiast,No. 82, July–August 1999, pp. 60–63.ISSN0143-5450
- Jackson, A.J.Avro Aircraft since 1908.London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2nd edition, 1990.ISBN0-85177-834-8.
- Jackson, A.J.British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 1.London: Putnam, 1974.ISBN0-370-10006-9.
- Prins, François (Winter 1993). "Brisbane's Heritage".Air Enthusiast.No. 52. pp. 26–27.ISSN0143-5450.
External links
[edit]