Airspeed Ambassador

The Airspeed Ambassador AS.57 was a twin-engined British airliner, which was built from 1947 in 23 copies. Although it enjoyed great popularity among passengers that designed for 50 passengers airplane reached only a small spread.

The design of the Ambassador went back to the proposal IIA of the Brabazon Committee, which provided for a twin-engine short-range airliner for use between UK and Western Europe.

History

As early as 1938 there was a design called "Ambassador" ( AS14 ), which was also designed as a twin-engined high-wing monoplane with Airspeed. However, the project did not come through the design phase addition.

In 1945 the work on the prototype of the AS.57 an airspeed, a subsidiary of de Havilland Aircraft Company, began. The machine with the registration G - AGUA led on July 10, 1947, its maiden flight. The second prototype with the registration G - AKRD first flew on 26 August 1948. Two cells were used for strength tests. The prototype was powered by two engines of the type Bristol Centaurus, each with 2600 HP driven 631 (1913 kW).

For the acceptance flights for obtaining the air transport authorization of third prototype G- ALFR was used, which was equipped with the laid down for the production version of Centaurus 611 engines. This aircraft, which had carried out its first flight in May 1950, was used by the British European Airways ( BEA) tentatively on its network.

With an order for twenty AS.57 the BEA ordered in 1948, her last airliner pattern with piston engines. The first provided for the airline machine made ​​its maiden flight on 12 January 1951. The test flights took place in August 1951 with the issue of marketing authorization to an end, but it was only on 13 March 1952, the BEA the new, as Elizabethan designated aircraft type on its network in service.

In addition to the BEA was found for the AS.57 no other buyers, so production after delivery of the 20 machine has been set.

Under the name AS.59 passed various development projects, which among other things, for the pattern also has a turboprop engine with four Dart turboprops. An other interesting projects are the AS.60 Ayrshire, to name a designed according to the specifications 13/45 military transport and cargo AS.67, but none of these projects was realized.

At present ( 2006) restored a machine in the English Imperial War Museum Duxford.

Use

It quickly became apparent that the AS.57 specially created short distances the lowest operating costs of any aircraft in the BEA fleet. Nevertheless, the AS.57 was replaced by a barely six -year term of the advanced turboprop Vickers Viscount pattern and led on 30 July 1958 by the last scheduled flight.

Upon their retirement in the BEA flew three aircraft in Australia at Butler Air Transport, two more bought Swiss Globe Air and another pair was acquired by the Royal Jordanian Air Force for VIP transport tasks. In the 1960s, but returned all AS.57 back to Britain, where they ( three copies), Autair and BKS Air Transport as a passenger and cargo aircraft were still about ten years in use by the charter airlines as Dan - Air London.

Two AS.57 served the Shell Petroleum as business aircraft and an Ambassador was used by the Decca Navigation Company as a demonstration aircraft for airborne avionics. The second prototype G- AKRD and the serial Machine G - AlZr served temporarily as flying test beds to test the Napier Eland turboprops, Bristol Proteus and the Rolls- Royce Dart and Tyne types.

Construction

The passenger cabin was designed to carry a maximum of 50 passengers. Since the aircraft was designed as a high-wing monoplane, the passengers had a good view of the large-sized, rectangular windows.

The aircraft type was characterized by extreme ease of maintenance, as when working on the engines, the engine cowlings could be opened on all sides. In addition, the complete engines with the associated aggregates could be replaced as a unit. The Ambassador further distinguished by good short take-off and superior flight performance even with only one engine out.

Airlines

  • Australia Australia Butler Air Transport
  • NorrØnafly
  • South Seas Airways
  • Globe Air
  • Autair International Airways
  • BKS Air Transport
  • British European Airways.
  • Dan - Air
  • Decca Navigator Company
  • Rolls- Royce
  • Shell Aviation Limited

Specifications

Accidents

  • On February 6, 1958 Ambassador ( British European Airways Flight 609) crashed at the airport Munich -Riem. At the start of accident 23 people were killed, including several professional soccer players of Manchester United came.
  • On September 14, 1967 Ambassador ( G- ALZS ) rolled over the Autair after landing in London - Luton the end of the runway. The aircraft was written off as a total loss. All 69 occupants of the machine were unharmed.
  • On July 3, 1968, used by BKS Air Transport Ambassador ( G- AMAD serial number 5211 ) crashed at London Heathrow Airport from the landing approach. The aircraft thereby destroyed two parked Trident and then crashed into the terminal 2 This accident involved six people were on board the Ambassador died.
Airspeed Ltd. Functional specification Dan-Air Court Line Rolls-Royce Dart Rolls-Royce Tyne Shoulder wing New Zealand Munich air disaster Manchester United F.C. Airspeed Ferry Airspeed Fleet Shadower Airspeed Cambridge
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