Avro Anson
| Avro 652 Anson | |
|---|---|
 Avro Anson WD413 during the Air Atlantique Historic Flight on takeoff |
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| Type: | Airliner , reconnaissance aircraft , trainer aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 24, 1935 |
| Production time: |
until 1952 |
| Number of pieces: |
approx. 11,000 |
The Avro 652 Anson was a twin-engine low- wing aircraft produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro . It was designed as a light passenger and mail plane . Its first flight was in 1934 for the civilian version and in 1935 for the later military version. Named after Admiral George Anson named aircraft came in World War II to 1942 as a reconnaissance and training aircraft and for many years afterwards mainly as liaison aircraft used.
history
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The Avro Anson was created in response to a request from Imperial Airways in 1933. George Woods-Humphrey , the General Manager of Imperial Airways, inspired by modern twin-engine developments in the USA, presented the idea to John Davenport Siddeley , owner of the vehicle and engine manufacturer Armstrong Siddeley . He passed it on to the Avro company . It was there that chief designer Roy Chadwick began developing the aircraft. He designed one of two radial engines of the type Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah V powered machine for four passengers. She had a retractable tail wheel - suspension . Imperial Airways approved the design and the machine went into production in 1934 as a passenger and mail plane .
According to specification 18/35 of the British Department of Aviation, the Avro 652 emerged as the Avro 652A military variant for coastal surveillance and reconnaissance purposes.
The prototype of the military Avro 652A completed its maiden flight on March 24, 1935 with the aircraft registration number K 4771 . In July of the same year, the British Air Force (Royal Air Force) ordered 174 Mk. I machines , but according to specification 18/35 no fewer than 38 changes to the prototype were required. The first series aircraft were then delivered to the units from March 1936.
The first trainer arrived in RAF Wittering in March 1938 and by the beginning of the Second World War in 1939 there were already over 400 trainers in service. After the outbreak of war, the order was increased to a total of 1,500 Anson as training aircraft , which were used in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan , an extensive program for the training of air personnel.
The first Allied attack on a German submarine took place on September 5, 1939 by an Anson of the 500th Squadron , the RAF Coastal Command already owned three hundred Ansons at that time. The Anson was mainly used as a reconnaissance aircraft until 1942 , but was then replaced by the American Lockheed Hudson .
Production of the model ended in May 1952. 8138 machines, 6704 of which were Mk. I, were built in Great Britain. In Canada, another 2882 machines were manufactured by Federal Aircraft and de Havilland Canada . The guy was in RAF service until June 1968.
From around 1957 to the 1960s, Aero Exploration carried out both passenger sightseeing flights and survey flights for air security as well as for geodesy and commercial aerial photography with its Anson from the Rhein-Main airport in Frankfurt am Main. To procure spare parts, the company had acquired several used machines of the same type, which were also located on the Rhine-Main in 1957.
description
The aircraft was a low- wing aircraft made entirely of metal , but was largely covered with fabric. Later there were also variants with a wooden hull. The landing gear was - for the first time in England - partially retractable into the motor gondolas and had a fixed tail wheel. As defensive armament, a rigid, forward-firing machine gun was installed above the main bulkhead and a manually operated rotating turret with a movable machine gun on the back of the fuselage. The drive was provided by two 7- cylinder - radial engines Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah VI involved in the series Mk I by Cheetah IX with 350. HP were replaced.
variants
Different versions of the aircraft were produced, some of which differed greatly from one another.
- Anson Mk.I : basic series, almost 7000 copies built, some of them as a trainer. The latter had a modified windshield and landing flaps.
- Anson Mk.II : The Anson II was a Canadian license production with two 330 HP Jacobs L-6 BM engines and a hydraulic retractable landing gear; Built in 1401.
- Anson Mk.III : The Mk. III had a slightly modified engine compared to the Mk.II; 432 converted copies.
- Anson MK.IV : The only copy built had Wright R-975 -E3 engines.
- Anson MK.V : The Mk. V navigation trainers - also made in Canada - were given a wooden hull and Pratt & Whitney R-985 -AN14B engines because of the tight raw material situation; Built in 1069
- Anson MK.VI : The Mk. VI - also made in Canada - also had a Pratt & Whitney R-985 -AN14B engine; the only copy was used for training in shooting and bombing.
- Anson Mk.X , XI and XII ...: The versions Mk X, XI and Mk Mk XII were partly of Mk I converted. Sanitary and transport aircraft without the turret; 104, 90 or 20 converted Mk.I plus 221 newly built MK.XII.
- Anson Mk.C19 : post-war transport version for liaison duties, many of which received metal wings and tail units; 296 built
- Anson Mk.T20 , T.21 and T.22 : post-war trainer versions for navigation, radio and communication training, many of which were also equipped with metal wings and tail units; 60, 252 and 33 respectively
Military use
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Technical data (Anson Mk.I)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2-6 |
| length | 12.88 m |
| span | 17.27 m |
| Wing area | 43.1 m² |
| Empty mass | 2440 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 3640 kg |
| Top speed | 301 km / h at 2140 m |
| Service ceiling | 5800 m |
| Range | 1265 km |
| Engines | two air-cooled 7- cylinder - radial engines Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX , each with 305 hp (224 kW) |
| Armament | two 7.62 mm machine guns, weapons up to 167 kg |
See also
literature
- David Donald, Jon Lake (Eds.): Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. AIRtime Publishing, London 1996, ISBN 1-880588-24-2 .
- Bill Gunston: Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways. Osprey, London 1995, ISBN 1-85532-526-8 .
- AJ Jackson: Avro Aircraft since 1908. 2nd edition, Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1990, ISBN 0-85177-834-8 .
- Alan W. Hall: Avro Anson Mks. 1-22. (Warpaint Series No. 53) Warpaint Books Ltd., Blechley 2006.
- Alan W. Hall, Eric Taylor: Avro Anson Marks I, III, IV & X. Almark Publishing Co. Ltd., London 1972, ISBN 0-85524-064-4 .
- Harry Holmes: Avro Anson (Images of Aviation). Tempus Publishing Ltd., London 2000, ISBN 0-7524-1738-X .
- David Mondey: The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. Chancellor Press, London 1994, ISBN 1-85152-668-4 .
Web links
- www.warbirdalley via the Avro 652 Anson (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ C. Peter Chen: Anson. In: World War II Database. December 28, 2004, accessed October 31, 2017 .
- ↑ http://www.themukiwa.com/rhodesianwar/rhodesianairforce.htm