Avro 571
| Avro 571 Buffalo | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Torpedo bomber , carrier aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1926 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Avro 571 was a two-seat biplane made by the British manufacturer Avro .
General
When it became known at Avro that the British Navy intended to replace the Blackburn Dart with a modern type, the 571 was developed as a deck landing aircraft for use as a torpedo bomber and maritime patrol in the hope of an order for one after the prototype was presented To get serial production.
The 571 , a single-handled double-decker that first flew in 1926, was fitted with a 450 hp Napier Lion VA engine. The wings were designed to be foldable for use on board ships. Ailerons were only on the lower surfaces, rudder and elevator were identical to those of the Avro 555 Bison II . The fuselage consisted of a tubular steel frame, which was partly covered with duralumin and partly with fabric. The landing gear was oil and rubber sprung.
The pilot had a good view ahead, important for the difficult deck landings. At the place of the second crew member there was a radio system and, if the machine was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, a camera - otherwise the second man acted as a bomb or torpedo shooter. The armament was a synchronized Vickers machine gun, which was attached to the side of the fuselage and fired forward through the propeller circle, as well as a Lewis double machine gun mounted on a mount at the rear seat.
In the event of ditching, air bags were installed in the fuselage on the one hand, and on the other hand there was a quick-release valve on the 160 gallon (727 liter) main tank, which could replace the fuel in the tank with buoyant air in a very short time.
During the flight tests of the machine, now known as the Avro 571 Buffalo , it was decided to replace the initially rounded vertical stabilizer and rudder with a larger rectangular design.
This was followed by comparison flights between the Buffalo and the competing models Blackburn Ripon and Handley Page HP31 Harrow , from which the Harrow emerged as the winner.
In 1927 the Buffalo was brought back to the Avro factory in Hamble and fitted with new wings. The formerly rounded surface ends were now also rectangular, and ailerons were now attached to all surfaces. With the new engine, a 530 hp Napier Lion XIA engine, the machine was given the type designation 572 Buffalo II .
In July 1928, the British Aviation Department acquired the machine after it had been converted into a seaplane in Hamble. Equipped with two floats made of duralumin, she flew in this form in Felixstowe for some time .
Project Avro 597
A light bomber in a version as a land plane under the designation Avro 597 based on the 571 was planned, but was never implemented.
Technical specifications
| Avro 571 | |
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 11.13 m |
| height | 4.19 m |
| Wingspan | 14.02 m |
| Wing area | 63.57 m² |
| drive | a Napier Lion VA Y12 engine with an output of 335.57 kW (456.24 hp) |
| Top speed | 217 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 169 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 4,115 m |
| Rate of climb | 235 m / min |
| Range with a full tank | 1,046 km |
| crew | 2 men |
| Empty weight | 1,920 kg |
| Max. Takeoff weight | 3,370 kg |
See also
literature
- AJ Jackson: Avro Aircraft since 1908. Putnam Aeronautical Books 2nd edition, London 1990, ISBN 0-85177-834-8 .
- Francis K. Mason: The British Bomber since 1914. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1994, ISBN 0-85177-861-5 .
