Avro 529
| Avro 529 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 1917 |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
The Avro 529 was a twin-engine biplane - airplane of the British manufacturer Avro .
history
The 529 was created in two copies on the basis of an order from the British Admiralty. What was required was a larger and more advanced 523 Pike designed as a long-range bomber. This resulted in two different machines, practically two prototypes. Avro hoped to get a serial production order for one of the versions.
The parts of the first machine - designated 529 - were built at the Avro factory in Manchester , and the aircraft was assembled at the Hamble factory . The parts of the second machine - designation 529A - could not be completely manufactured in Manchester, but had to be produced in Hamble, as Avro needed the capacities in Manchester to produce the 504K , Avro's most successful aircraft at the time.
In March 1917, launched 529 , with undisguised 190- hp - Rolls-Royce Falcon engines for its maiden flight in October was followed by the 529A with disguised 230-horsepower BHP engines.
Since the engines were installed differently in the two aircraft, different routes were taken with the gasoline supply lines. While the 529 had a 140-gallon (approx. 636.5 liter) tank in the middle of the fuselage, the 529A had a 50-gallon (approx. 227.3 liter) tank installed in each engine pod. In the 529A , wind-powered pumps ensured that the fuel was transported in 10-gallon (approx. 45.5 liter) tanks over the engines and from there fed to the carburetors according to the downdraft principle .
Lewis machine guns were mounted on ring mounts at the positions for bow and stern guns, and an emergency device was installed on the rear gunner with which he could also operate the bow gun if the bow gunner failed. At the place of the nose gunner, who was also supposed to act as a bomb gunner, a speaking tube was attached, which was supposed to enable easy communication with the pilot when approaching the bomb targets.
Apart from the slow rate of climb, they were satisfied with the flight performance of the more powerfully motorized 529A , but in the end no contract was concluded for series production.
Due to a rudder failure during a test flight, the 529A crashed on November 11, 1917, the 529 last appeared on January 19, 1918 in a comparison flight against the larger and more powerful Blackburn Kangaroo .
construction
The Avro 529 was a three-stemmed biplane with staggered, foldable wings and ailerons on all four surfaces. The rudder and horizontal stabilizer were braced to the fuselage. The landing gear consisted of a rigid two-wheeled main landing gear and a rigid tail spur. The engines were attached to the lower wings.
Technical data (if known)
| Avro 529 | |
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 12.09 m |
| height | 3.96 m |
| Wingspan | 19.2 m |
| Wing area | 85.73 m² |
| Empty weight | 2148 kg |
| Max. Weight in flight with a full tank | 2862 kg |
| drive | two Rolls-Royce Falcon engines with an output of 141.68 kW (192.64 hp) each |
| Top speed | 153 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 11 min 25 sec at 6500 feet (1981 m) |
| crew | three (one pilot, two gunner) |
| Armament | two Lewis MGs |
| Avro 529A | |
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 12.09 m |
| height | 3.96 m |
| Wingspan | 19.53 m |
| Wing area | 84.57 m² |
| Empty weight | 1978 kg |
| Max. Weight in flight with a full tank | 3236 kg |
| drive | two BHP engines with an output of 171.51 kW (233.19 PS) each |
| Top speed | 187 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 7 min at 5000 feet (1524 m) |
| crew | three (one pilot, two gunner) |
| Armament | two Lewis machine guns, device for mounting 20 50 lb (approx. 22.7 kg) bombs in the fuselage |
See also
literature
- AJ Jackson: Avro Aircraft since 1908 , Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990, ISBN 0-85177-834-8 , p. 152 ff.
