Avro 530
| Avro 530 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 1917 |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
The Avro 530 was a single-engine, two-seat biplane - airplane of the British manufacturer Avro .
history
The 530 , an extremely neatly built aircraft with clear lines, could have been a successful fighter for Avro in the First World War and thus an economic success, but there were problems with obtaining a suitable engine. Originally a water-cooled Hispano-Suiza with 300 hp (224 kW, 304 PS) was planned, but even the engine with 200 hp (149 kW, 203 PS) from the same manufacturer could not be procured in sufficient numbers, since most of the production for the Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A was reserved.
With this model, Avro was subject to the competitor Bristol when participating in the tender for a new fighter aircraft and in the end only two prototypes were built (two more machines are said to have been built, but nothing is known about the assigned serial numbers).
As with other types, Avro built the first machine in two production facilities; the parts were made in Manchester , assembly and test flights were in Hamble .
The first flight of the 530 took place in July 1917. Initially, it was flown without a water cooler. Therefore, in order to get as much cooling air as possible, a spinner was not used. Later - with a cooler - a streamlined spinner was used. The machine had landing flaps that could be operated by the pilot using a hand wheel.
The second prototype received a 200 hp Sunbeam Arab engine because of the difficult procurement of the Hispano Suiza engine; this machine had no spinner and the vertical tail was larger. In addition, new wings without airbrakes but with ailerons were used.
Since the aircraft was denied success in the military, in 1920 Avro considered converting the 530 into a fast touring aircraft with a tandem cockpit and a large luggage compartment, but nothing more is known about it; However, a 530 never received a civil registration number .
construction
The Avro 530 was a two-legged, braced biplane with the same length upper and lower wings. The fuselage and wings consisted of a wooden structure covered with fabric.
The 530 did not have the tried and tested Avro landing gear with a central skid, but a newly developed landing gear consisting of a rigid two-wheeled main landing gear and a rigid tail spur. The engine mount was made of duralumin .
The machine was designed so that the pilot's head was above the upper wing, this provided a good view forwards and upwards, the rear gunner could cover the area downwards and to the rear.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Avro 530, prototype 1 | Avro 530, prototype 2 |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 2 | |
| length | 8.69 m | |
| height | 2.92 m | |
| span | 10.97 m | |
| Wing area | 30.25 m² | |
| Empty mass | 779 kg | 798 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1216 kg | 1134 kg |
| Cruising speed | 153 km / h | 165 km / h |
| Top speed | 184 km / h | 190 km / h |
| Climb rate at 1524 m | 6:30 min | 5:30 min |
| Summit height | 5486 m | |
| Flight duration | 4 h | |
| Engine | 1 × Hispano-Suiza (Sunbeam Arab), 203 PS (149 kW) | |
| Armament | 1 × Vickers machine gun in front (pilot), 1 × Lewis machine gun in rear | |
