Britain - 1913 Avro 501

Early British Military Seaplanes

By 1913 The idea of aircraft designed for military use had firmly taken hold. The needs of different branches of nation's military service were being identified. These needs were reflected in requests for specific operational capability requirements to design firms. In Britain the Naval Admiralty saw the need for a way to project air power into service as the eyes of the fleet far from land. A.V. Roe & Company was eager to help fill the void with their company's designs.

The Avro Type H, Type 501, and Type 503 were a family of early British military seaplanes. They were a development of the Avro 500 design and were originally conceived of as amphibious; the prototype being fitted with a single large main float (equipped with wheels) under the fuselage, and two outrigger floats under the wings. Tests were conducted on Lake Windermere in January 1913. It was later converted to twin-float configuration and bought by the British Admiralty. It now, however, proved too heavy and was converted again - this time to a land plane.

An improved version, designated the 503 was demonstrated for the Inspector of Naval Aircraft, who placed an order for three machines. The prototype itself was demonstrated for the German Navy in its seaplane trials in June 1913 and was purchased by the government of Imperial Germany for evaluation purposes. This machine subsequently became the first aircraft to fly across the North Sea, from Wilhelmshaven to Heligoland, in September 1913. Gotha purchased a licence from Avro and produced the type as the WD.1 (Wasser Doppeldecker - "Water Biplane"). Unlicenced copies were also built by Albatros, AGO, Friedrichshafen. Some WD.1s were provided to the Ottoman Empire following their withdrawal from German Navy service.

References

1. "Avro 501". (2011, January 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:57, January 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_501&oldid=409396299
2. Jackson, A.J. (1990)." Avro Aircraft since 1908" (Second ed.), p. 51. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 -85177-834-8.
3. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation". London: Studio Editions. pp. 91.
4. "World Aircraft Information Files". London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 889 Sheet 93.

Britain - 1912 Avro Type F

The First Enclosed Cockpit

Even before the war the idea of an enclosed cockpit was seen as an advantage. The cold of high altitudes made flying uncomfortable. Add the spray of oil off early engines and exhaust fumes did nothing to make flight a pleasant experience. Although most fighters would use open cockpits, the research on shielding the pilot from the environment would lead to later advances.

Avro Type F - 1912

The Avro Type F was an early single seat British aircraft from Avro and the first aircraft in the world to feature a completely enclosed cabin.

It was a wire-braced mid-wing monoplane of conventional configuration with a tailskid undercarriage. The fuselage itself was teardrop-shaped with flat sides and "glazed" with celluloid windows around the cabin. Two circular windows at the pilot's head level could be opened for the pilot's head to protrude when flying under poor visibility. Ingress and egress was via a trapdoor in the fuselage top. The cabin was quite cramped - at its widest point only 2 ft (60 cm) across.

The Type F made a few test flights in mid 1912 until damaged beyond repair in a hard landing on 13 September after which it was not repaired. Its Viale 35 hp engine is on display at the Science Museum in London.

References

1. Avro Type F. (2010, May 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:17, December 14, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_Type_F&oldid=360032450
2. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 91.
3. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 889 Sheet 92-93.

Britain - 1912 Avro Type E & 500

Early Successes in Design

The evolution of AVRO aircraft continued during 1912. The first difference we note was an enclosed fuselage which is becoming more recognizable as what we would we have come to believe an aircraft should look like. The ability to carry payloads for longer periods of flight became a concern which had to be addressed to meet specifications requested by eager military planners. Military aviation was soon to be possible.

Avro Type E - 1912

Avro 500 - 1912

The Avro Type E, Type 500, and Type 502 made up a family of early British military aircraft, regarded by Alliott Verdon Roe as his firm's first truly successful design.

The Type E biplane was designed in response to a War Office specification for a two-seat aircraft capable (amongst other things) of carrying a 350 lb (160 kg) payload with a total endurance of 4.5 hours. The Avro submission was based on the Avro Duigan design and was originally named "Military Biplane 1". It was a two-bay biplane with equal-span, unstaggered wings, and a boxy, rectangular-section fuselage. Lateral control was by wing warping.

During initial trials, it soon became apparent that while top speed and rate-of-climb were below the War Office specification, the aircraft excelled in every other way. The second prototype, however, first flew on 3 May 1912 and sufficiently impressed the War Office for them to buy the prototype and place an order for two more examples, which Roe now renamed the 500. The type proved an immediate success, and orders for another four machines plus five single-seat derivatives (designated 502 by Avro) soon followed. Other examples produced included six for the British Admiralty's Air Department, one presented to the government of Portugal (paid for by public subscription), one kept by Avro as a company demonstrator, and one bought by a private individual, J. Laurence Hall (commandeered by the War Office at the outbreak of World War I). The first prototype was destroyed in a crash on 29 June 1913 that killed its student pilot.

Avro 500s were flown by the British armed forces during the first years of the war, mostly as trainers. In service, most were fitted with ailerons and a revised rudder.

References

1. Avro 500. (2010, May 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:27, December 9, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_500&oldid=360032279
2. Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane''s Encyclopedia of Aviation. (1989). London: Studio Editions. pp. 91.
3. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 889 Sheet 92.

Britain - 1911 AVRO Type D

Avro: In The Beginning

Before the Great War designers were busy building the forerunners of what would become military aircraft. In Britain one of the primary innovators was A.V. Roe and Company. produced the first plane to strafe troops on the ground, it was also the first British plane to be shot down by enemy ground fire. Better aircraft soon replaced the Avro 504 in combat, but it remained the standard British trainer for the duration of the war.In the next few posts I will cover the evolution of AVRO designs through the early war.

Avro Type D - 1911

The Type D was a two-bay biplane of conventional configuration, with equal-span, unstaggered wings. The fuselage was triangular in cross-section, and lateral control was provided by wing warping. The first of seven aircraft flew at Brooklands on 1 April 1911.

The Type D aircraft were used in a variety of roles by the Avro, mostly concerned with exploring the limits of what an airplane could do. In its first few weeks of existence, the prototype was used to make a number of attempts on aerial endurance records, as well as demonstrations for the Parliamentary Aerial Defense Committee.

One Type D was purchased by the Royal Navy and fitted with floats for trials from HMS Hermione. This aircraft became the first British seaplane when it took off on 18 November 1911. Type D was also used for air racing, the prototype participating in one such event very early in its career. Another example was specially built and modified to compete in the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Race, but crashed before the event. Other Type D aircraft remained in service until 1914.

The Type D is notable in two respects. First, the prototype was at one point fitted with floats to make the first British take-off from water on November 18, 1911. Secondly, it was a biplane rather than A.V. Roe's previous triplane wing designs. It is believed that six examples of the Type D, with its triangular shape fuselage, were manufactured. They were all different, including one example with a 60hp engine that was intended to compete in the Daily Mail Air Race, but suffered a prior accident. The Avro Type D was the company's first successful and semi-production standard design.

References

1. Avro Type D. (2010, May 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:52, December 14, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_Type_D&oldid=360032443
2. Avro Type D 1911 Virtual Aircraft Museum Retrieved 01:50, December 14, 2010, from http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/avro_d.php
3. Sharpe, Michael. Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes, pg.56. London, England: Friedman/Fairfax Books , 2000. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.
4. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane''s Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
5. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 889 Sheet 92.
6. britishaircraft.co.uk

Britain - 1917 Avro 529

Avro's Second Bomber Design

By 1917 the need for long range bombers became painfully apparent. Britain had been on the receiving end of bombing and the psychological value of attacks on urban centers where civilians were killed became an attractive proposition. There were attempts to resurrect old rejected designs as well as newer ones. Even though the Pike was a failure British Admiralty ordered two bombers based on an enlarged version of the Type 523. The new design had many improvements over the original design, however the 529 still had problems which doomed the aircraft in the prototype phase of development.

Avro 529 - 1917

The Avro 529 was a twin-engined biplane long-range bomber of the First World War. Two prototypes were built but no production ensued.

The Avro 529 was Avro's second twin-engined aircraft and their second attempt at a heavy bomber. Their first in both categories was the Pike, developed in early 1916 to Royal Flying Corps (RFC) guidelines for a short-range bomber. The Pike arrived too late to secure orders from the RFC who would order the Handley-Page O/100 and for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) who had ordered the Short Bomber. Nonetheless, after trials of the Pike, the Admiralty ordered two prototypes of an enlarged Pike for a long range bomber role. This was the Type 529.

Like the Pike, it was a large twin-engined biplane of the then-standard wood and canvas construction. It had three-bay wings without sweepback, dihedral or stagger, partly to facilitate wing folding. The vertical tail was different to that of the Pike: it had a small, roughly triangular fin and a rudder with a round balance surface above the fin, a reminder of Avro's "comma" rudder form.

The fuselage was rectangular in cross-section and seated three in separate cockpits. The pilot sat just forward of the wing leading edge, there was a gunner's position (with emergency dual control) mid-way between the trailing edge and the tail and the front gunner/bomb-aimer's position was in the nose. Both gunners' positions were provided with a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun mounted on a Scarff ring. The landing gear used two main wheels on split axles, plus a tail-skid.

The two prototypes differed from each other chiefly in their power plants. The first, just known as the Avro 529 had a pair of uncowled Rolls-Royce Falcon water-cooled in-line engines mounted midway between the wings. Each produced 190 hp (140 kW) and drove four-bladed, opposite-handed wooden airscrews. It carried 140 gal (636 L) of fuel in a tank in the center fuselage.

The second machine, designated Type 529A had a pair 230 hp (170 kW) BHP in-line water-cooled engines, cowled and mounted in nacelles on the lower wing. These drove wooden, two-bladed airscrews. In this aircraft fuel was held in a pair of 60 gal (273 L), one in each nacelle. Fuel was pumped from these to 10 gal (45 L) tanks above the engines by wind-driven pumps, and fed to the motors under gravity.

The type 529A had slightly different wings to the first prototype, 13 in (33 cm) greater in span, smaller in area and hence of higher aspect ratio. It was about 8% lighter.

Another difference between the two prototypes were the arrangements for the bomb-aimer. In the first machine, this was done from the seat of the front cockpit, but in the 529A there was provision for a prone bomb-aimer's position with a small window, noticeable in side view. From there, he communicated with the pilot by Gosport tube. The 529A could carry twenty 50 lb (20 kg) bombs racked nose up inside the fuselage between the lower wing spars.

The Type 529 was, even with the B.H.P. engines rather low powered, but seems to have handled well apart from poor elevator control. There was no production order and the type was not developed further.

References

1. Avro 529. (2011, January 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:09, January 28, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_529&oldid=409163298
2. Jackson, A.J. "Avro Aircraft since 1908". 1965, pp. 92-94. London: Putnam Publishing.

Britain - 1916 Avro 523 Pike

Snatching Order Out Of Chaos

Aviation development in the early war was punctuated with stops, starts, and wrong turns. In the beginning of the war British high command were slow to see a purpose for military aviation. One general said aircraft had no place in modern warfare. Early British development was hampered by a chaotic lack of direction. There was no central organization for aircraft procurement and many small companies tried to build their idea of a viable military aircraft. The result was a waste of time, material, and man hours better spent on practical designs. It was not till 1915 that Britain established a coherent organizational structure.

By 1916 the situation was finally in place so efficient development could begin. One problem remained, that was one of defining the purpose for designs. The idea of form follows function had not hit home yet. Many aircraft were classified as multi-role aircraft, instead of optimizing the design for a particular type of mission. The Avro 523 Pike is an example of this unfortunate practice.

An Avro White Elaphant

Avro 523 Pike - 1916

The Avro 523 Pike (the first Avro aircraft to receive a name) was a British multi-role combat aircraft of the First World War that did not progress past the prototype stage. It was intended to provide the Royal Naval Air Service with an anti-Zeppelin fighter that was also capable of long-range reconnaissance and light bombing.

The Avro Pike was a large, three-bay biplane of conventional layout driven by two pusher propellers. Three open cockpits were provided, the center one for the pilot, and gunners fore and aft of him. The Admiralty evaluated the type, but rejected it. Avro then built a second prototype, changing the original's Sunbeam engines for Green E.6 engines instead and designating it the 523A.

The Admiralty evaluated this in November 1916, but found that the type was now obsolete and did not place an order. The two prototypes flew as testbeds with Avro for the remainder of the war.

References

1. Avro Pike. (2010, November 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:46, November 27, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_Pike&oldid=395871349
2. Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.
3. Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam, 1994. ISBN: 1557500851 ISBN-13: 978-1557500854.
4. Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 93.
5. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing.

Britain - 1918 Avro 531 Spider

The Ill-Fated Avro 531 Spider

Avro 531 Spider - 1918

 

Avro 531 Upper and Lower Wing Paint Scheme

An unsponsored private-venture single-seat fighter designed by Roy Chadwick and flown for the first time in April 1918, the Spider made use of a number of Avro 504 components and had a fabric-covered wooden structure with a system of Warren-girder steel-tube interplane struts.

The upper wing was mounted close to the fuselage and directly above the cockpit. In its original form, the Spider was powered by a 110hp Le Rhone 9J nine-cylinder rotary engine, and proved to possess exceptional manoeuvrability, but overall performance was not sufficiently in advance of the contemporary Sopwith Camel to warrant quantity production. Armament comprised one fixed synchronized 7.7mm Vickers machine gun, and a 130hp Clerget 9B rotary was later fitted.

The Spider was a sesquiplane with a largely conventional configuration, but it used Warren truss-type interplane struts, hence the appellation "Spider". In tests, the aircraft demonstrated exceptional performance, handling, and pilot visibility. By the time it flew, the War Office had already selected the Sopwith Snipe for mass production.

A second, refined version, the 531A was apparently never completed, but some of its components seem to have been used to build a derivative design, the 538. This had standard interplane struts and was intended as a racing aircraft. It was never used for this purpose, however, since it was discovered that it had a faulty wing spar, so the Avro firm used it as a hack instead.

References

1. Avro 531 Spider. (2010, September 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:46, November 18, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avro_531_Spider&oldid=384956305
2. Avro 531 Spider 1918 The Virtual Aircraft Museum http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/avro_spider.php
3. Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.
4. Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 93.
5. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 889, Sheet 94.

Britain: 1914-1917 Some Early War Float Planes

Early British Float Planes

Avro 510 - 1914

Avro 510 - 1914

The Avro 510 was a two-seat racing seaplane designed by Avro to compete in the 1914 Circuit of Britain Race. It was a conventional two-bay biplane of greatly uneven span equipped with two large central floats and two outriggers. The race was called off at the outbreak of the First World War, but the British Admiralty was aware of the type and ordered five examples, with modified floats and tail. In service, these proved completely unsuitable, and it was discovered that with a second person aboard the aircraft could barely fly. In October 1915, the 510s in service were sent to Supermarine for modification and improvement, but by March the following year all were removed from service.

Short Admiralty Type 166 - 1914

Short Admiralty Type 166 - 1914

The Short Type 166 was a British two-seat seaplane designed by Short Brothers designed as a "folder" aircraft to operate from the Ark Royal as a torpedo-bomber. Six aircraft, known within Shorts as the Type A, were originally ordered before the outbreak of World War I and assigned the Admiralty serial numbers 161 to 166. As was normal at the time, the type was designated the Admiralty Type 166 after the naval serial number of the last aircraft in the batch. Sometimes the aircraft are referred to as the Short S.90 (S.90 was the manufacturer's serial number of the first aircraft, naval serial 161).

Similar to the earlier Short Type 136 but slightly larger, the 166 was designed from the start as a torpedo carrier, although it was never used in this role. The Type 166 was a two-bay biplane with twin wooden pontoon floats, with a water rudder fitted to the tail float and a stabilizing float mounted near the wing-tip under each lower wing. The 166 was powered by a nose-mounted 200hp (149kW) Salmson engine.

Sopwith Baby - 1915

Sopwith Baby - 1915

The Sopwith Baby was a development of the two-seat Sopwith Schneider. Although the Schneider had won the Schneider trophy in 1914, the RNAS did not place a formal order until January 1915. The production version of the Baby differed little from the Schneider Trophy winner. The design was also built by Blackburn Aircraft, Fairey, and Parnall in the United Kingdom. In Italy licensed manufacture was undertaken by SA Aeronautica Gio Ansaldo of Turin.

The Baby was used as a shipborne scout and bomber aircraft operating from larger ships such as seaplane carriers and cruisers, and smaller vessels such as naval trawlers and mine layers. It was even considered for operation from submarines. The main role of the Baby was to intercept German Zeppelin raids as far from Britain as possible.

Fairey Campania - 1917

Fairey Campania - 1917

The Fairey Campania two-seat seaplane got its name from the ex-Cunard ocean liner Campania which the Admiralty had converted into a seaplane carrier during the winter of 1914-15. Fairey designed the Campania float plane in response to the Royal Navy's specification for a purpose-built, two-seat patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. The initial prototype first flew on 16 February 1917. This was the first of two prototypes, designated F.16 which was powered by a 250 hp (190 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle IV. The second prototype was powered by a 275 hp (205 kW) Eagle V engine, it was designated F.17. Both prototypes would later see active service operating from Scapa Flow.