Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed AS 10 Oxford | |
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Airspeed AS 10 Oxford |
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Type: | School / liaison aircraft |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
June 19, 1937 |
Commissioning: |
November 1937 |
Production time: |
1937 to 1945 |
Number of pieces: |
8586 |
The Airspeed AS 10 Oxford (also called Ox-Box by the flight students ) was a twin-engine training aircraft made of wood. The Airspeed AS 65 Consul derived from it was used as a civil transport aircraft.
history
It was developed on the basis of the Envoy and the specification T.29 / 36. The first flight of the prototype took place in Portsmouth on June 19, 1937. The series machines were delivered from November of the same year.
construction
The machine called Ox-Box by the crews was mainly made of wood. The aircraft was u. a. for the training of navigators, bombardiers, radio operators and - equipped with the appropriate tower - used for machine gunnery. A total of 8,586 aircraft of this type were built in 5 variants (Mk.I – Mk.V), including some by de Havilland and Standard Motors . The last machine was delivered on July 14, 1945.
use
It was the standard training aircraft for crews of multi-engine aircraft in Great Britain during World War II . It was also used as a medical and liaison aircraft and for calibrating radar systems . Some were also used as makeshift bombers in Iraq .
Mk.I with Cheetah-X engines served as a multi-purpose aircraft , for bomb and machine gunner training, Mk.II for navigator and radio operator training. The Mk.III consisted of a single prototype with a Cheetah XV engine and Rotol propeller. Mk.IV was a projected further development of the Mk.III for pilot training, with which tests were carried out with different engines, rudders and landing gear. Mk.V (AS 46) were Mk.III with R-985-AN6-Wasp-Junior engines.
In addition to Great Britain, the AS 10 was also used by the Australians, French, Canadians, New Zealanders, Rhodesians, South Africans and the USA.
After the war, over 100 Oxfords still under construction were completed as AS 65 Consul for the civilian market by 1948 .
production
Approval of the Airspeed Oxford by the RAF:
year | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | TOTAL |
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Oxford | 5 | 115 | 486 | 1164 | 2379 | 2085 | 1446 | 744 | 157 | 8581 |
Oxford producers:
Manufacturer | version | Deliveries |
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Airspeed, Portsmouth | Mk. I | 3295 |
Airspeed, Christchurch | 300 | |
Standard Motors, Coventry | 750 | |
Percival | 780 | |
DeHavilland, Hatfield | 840 | |
Airspeed, Portsmouth | Mk. II | 914 |
Airspeed, Christchurch | 250 | |
Percival | 575 | |
DeHavilland, Hatfield | 675 | |
Airspeed, Portsmouth | Mk. V | 202 |
8581 |
Incidents
The famous British pilot Amy Johnson died on a transfer flight of an Airspeed Oxford Mk. II from Prestwick to Kidlington near Oxford in bad weather conditions on January 5, 1941.
Received aircraft
An Oxford is now in the Imperial War Museum in Duxford . Another aircraft is on display in the Musée Royal de l'Armée in Brussels .
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data |
---|---|
crew | 2-3 |
length | 10.83 m |
height | 4.79 m |
span | 12.81 m |
Wing area | 32.4 m² |
Wing extension | 5.1 |
Empty mass | |
Max. Takeoff mass | 3450 kg |
drive | two Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah X with 260 kW (355 PS) |
Top speed | 292 km / h |
Service ceiling | 5830 m |
Range | 880 km |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Public Record Office, Kew: PRO / AVIA 10/311; for 1937, 1945 and the total number: Hamlin, John F .: The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File, Turnbridge Wells, 2001, p. 66 ff.
- ^ Public Record Office, Kew: PRO / AVIA 10/311; Hamlin, John F .: The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File, Turnbridge Wells, 2001, p. 33 shows slightly different figures