Airspeed AS.6
| Airspeed AS 6 Envoy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) ČSA Airspeed Envoy, 1936 |
|
| Type: | light transport aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 26, 1934 |
| Number of pieces: |
60 |
The Airspeed AS 6 Envoy ( English for messenger , envoy ) was a light twin-engine transport aircraft in low-wing design from Great Britain .
history
The first flight took place on June 26, 1934. The prototype was marked G-ACMT. In July 1934 the machine was first presented to the public at an exhibition of the Society of British Aerospace. In October 1936 the British Department of Defense ordered 136 Envoy crew trainers. This order led to the development of the famous Airspeed AS 10 Oxford, an enhanced Envoy.
construction
The wing was self-supporting and had a V-shape on the outer sections. It tapered from trunk to tip and was made of wood with fabric covering. It was designed with two pillars. The profiles NACA 2221 on the wing root and NACA 2212 on the wing tip were used. The hull was also made of wood. In the front it was planked with plywood , in the back it was covered with fabric. To reduce the landing speed, landing flaps were installed. The tail unit was also cantilevered and conventionally arranged.
As a special feature, this type was one of the first from Great Britain to have a retractable landing gear . The two hydraulically damped main landing gear legs were movably attached to the front wing spar and could be retracted to the rear. In order to be able to land safely in the event of a failure of the chassis mechanics, the tires protruded slightly from their shafts. In the stern there was still a non-retractable rear wheel.
In addition to the motors from Armstrong Siddeley, those from Walter and Wolseley Aries were also used.
Versions
In addition to the original AS 6 Envoy, 5 of which were built, there were also a number of variants:
- AS.6A Envoy - 5 pieces
- AS.6E Envoy - 5 pieces
- AS.6H Envoy - 1 piece
- AS.6J Envoy - 27 pieces
- AS.6JC Envoy - 4 pieces
- AS.6JM Envoy - 3 pieces.
A total of 50 machines of this type have been built at Airspeed . In addition, there was license production at Mitsubishi , where another 10 machines were manufactured as Hina-Zuru in 1936 and 1937 .
commitment
The machine turned out to be a commercial success. Lord Nuffield bought an Envoy and won the 1934 London to Johannesburg air race . She was then ordered from across the Commonwealth . Two planes went to Ansett Airlines in Australia. North Eastern Airways also used AS-6 aircraft. In Czechoslovakia, the ČSA (Československé státní aerolinie) ordered four AS 6 Envoy JCs in 1936. At least one machine went to South African Airways , which took up liner service between Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth on October 12, 1936 .
The Airspeed AS 6 Envoy was also used in the air forces of various countries, including Great Britain in Spain, Japan, South Africa, Finland, China and a few others. The RAF used a small number of the AS 6 in a military configuration. The seven machines that were used in South Africa could be converted from the transport version into a light bomber or reconnaissance aircraft by four people within four hours. A rear stand and the corresponding bomb locks were also installed. In this configuration, the crew consisted of a pilot, navigator, radio operator and rear gunner.
For Australia, the Envoy with the registration VH-UXY has been tragically remembered since Lieutenant Charles Ulm disappeared in 1934 while attempting to cross the Pacific between Oakland and Honolulu .
Two machines of the type AS 6 Envoy were to take part in the MacRobertson air race from England to Australia in 1934 , but did not start.
During the Spanish Civil War , two AS 6 Envoy were used on the Nationalist side as light bombers or scouts.
A special version of the AS 6 Envoy was chosen as a private aircraft by the British King in 1937. The decisive factors were the good flight stability and the landing flaps, which made it possible to land at less than 100 km / h. This also made it possible to fly to small airports. The machine received the G-AEXX registration and was painted in the colors of the Union Jack .
During the Second World War , some machines were captured by the German Air Force and used as training aircraft. The German Air Force gave a machine to the Finnish Air Force , which was used there in 1942 and 1943. Another machine was in use in Slovakia from 1941 to 1943.
Technical data (AS.6J, 3rd series)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1-2 |
| Passengers | 6-8 |
| length | 10.50 m |
| span | 15.90 m |
| height | 2.80 m |
| Wing area | 31.50 m² |
| Empty mass | 1920 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 2930 kg |
| Cruising speed | 290 km / h |
| Top speed | 338 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 6800 m |
| Range | 1040 km |
| initial rate of climb | 4.65 m / s |
| Engines | two 7-cylinder radial engines Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX with 349 hp (257 kW) |
See also
literature
- John F. Hamlin: The Oxford Consul and Envoy File. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, o. O. 2001, ISBN 0-85130-289-0 .
- Don H. Middleton: Airspeed, the company and its aeroplanes. Terence Dalton Limited, Lavenham, Suffolk 1982, ISBN 0-86138-009-6 .
