Avro Baby

The Avro 534 was a single-engined baby, single-seat biplane of the British manufacturer Avro from the 1920s. Almost any of the 12 built 534 was unique, for Avro a testbed for further development of light aircraft.

Although the Avro 534 was not produced in large numbers, put Avro with this aircraft the foundation for a new movement, the lightweight flying, which reached a peak seven years later in England

History

First versions

After the end of the First World War, Alliott Verdon Roe turned with his company again small, lightweight and equipped with relatively weak engines to aircraft. The key data that Roe had sat down, were not more than 750 kg in weight with an engine power of about 20-30 hp. Avro chief designer Roy Chadwick, however, tended to machines with greater capacity and engine power by 40-50 HP.

Ultimately, the development of the engine from the engine availability was dependent. Was available to a water-cooled 35.5 horsepower Green engine ( it is reported that this engine of the Avro Type D had been built in the first copy ). Such a design of the "small " Avro to this engine was built around a einstieliger, braced with wire biplane with the same span of the upper and lower wing. The engine was overhauled at the manufacturer Green Engine Co. and equipped with aluminum pistons, new crank shaft, slide control and an oil pressure regulator.

First, the aircraft should get the name " The Popular " in order to document that this machine is to be determined for the masses, but shortly thereafter, it was decided at Avro for the name "Baby". As was noted that the draft harmonized with the engine, were new and lighter Green engines at the company Peter Brotherhood Ltd.. ordered in Peterborough.

The first flight of the prototype on April 30, 1919 was a disaster; it ended after 2 minutes after pilot H. A. Hamersley accidentally after starting the ignition switch umlegte, the machine could be due to the no longer intercepted at a low height of about 90 meters and was destroyed by the inevitable crash.

With the first series machine, however, Hamersley delivered by winning various racing events prove that the baby was not an underpowered machine. Striking and painted in large letters "Avro Baby" on the fuselage, the aircraft was to Amsterdam at an aviation exhibition, the " First Air Traffic Exhibition", flown.

This was followed - after a few modifications in the height control - aerial acrobatics shows on the south coast, to campaign for the Avro Transport Company, the commercial audience flights Avro 504 by led.

I this machine crashed Roy Chadwick from on January 13, 1920, while it was completely destroyed; only the engine remained undamaged. To this engine was a new "baby" up and incorporated some improvements in this machine. In April 1920, Avro chief pilot Bert Hinkler purchased this aircraft from his employer and thus launched on 31 May to a sensational non-stop flight from Croydon to Turin ( about 1050 miles) in 9 hours and 30 minutes. On July 24, was Hinkler with the "baby " second in the Aerial Derby at Hendon.

Later modified Hinkler his machine so that a person was, even under adverse conditions, is able, even for difficult maintenance work on the motor alone and launched on 11 April 1921 a 800 mile trip across Australia from Sydney to his home town of Bundaberg. Later accident Hinkler with this machine, after which it was sold, rigged with floats and took as a " performer " in a movie part. After the shooting they should fly to New Guinea, but proved to be unsuitable. So the machine again received a wheeled chassis, changed hands several times the owner, but could be preserved for posterity: the plane with the checkered history is now in the " Queensland Museum " in Brisbane.

Improved versions

The closest built copy ( April 1919 ) received a double float, accompanied by a reduction of the lower wing and a required bending of the wing supports. She was also provided with other sites and elevators than its predecessor. This seaplane, Avro 534 A Water Baby named showed considerable flight performance.

The third- built machine learned again changes, so a return to the proven rounded sides and elevators and a lined with plywood fuselage. This Avro 534B was the machine that had 534 Hinklers beaten the Aerial Derby 1920. However, the plane crashed shortly after this race off on the way to another competition.

Presented in July 1920 machine number 4, called Avro 543 Baby was a further variation of the basic model. It was a two-seater, pilot and passenger were place in a single enlarged cockpit. Although the 543 was appealing flight performance, but won due to technical defects in several competitions no success. So it was sold; the new owner replaced the Green engine by an air-cooled ADC Cirrus I, Avro what inspired you to build a version of the baby with this engine. The project, called Avro 534G, however, was never realized.

Another machine was designated the Avro 534C; their wings were shortened for participating in the Aerial Derby in 1921, where they ultimately did not participate because they had to make an emergency landing at Hinkler race preparation.

The next machine, Avro 534D - first flight on 14 September 1921 - was a tropical suitable for special design on request by a customer who used this aircraft in the area of Calcutta until 1928. Among other things, a baggage compartment was fitted behind the cockpit with the 534D.

The proposed version Avro 534E with foldable wings was as little realized as the project Avro 534F, a variant with a 100 hp ( 101.4 hp ) Bristol Lucifer engine.

In another specimen there was a standard baby, which was bought by the Russian government. The ferry flight in June 1922 by London to Moscow by a Russian pilot was also the first flight between the two capitals.

The last 534 produced was a special model of a seaplane with the equipment as a photo - observer for the fourth Antarctic expedition of Ernest Shackleton. The requirements for the 554 Antarctic baby were exceptional - they had to be dismantled to save space for ship transport and be mountable because of the extremely cold weather with gloves. Thus, in this machine, on large coil was used and the machine is more next to the double float in some other details of the standard baby from. The use of a 80 hp ( 81.1 hp) Le Rhone rotary engine required a complete redesign of the nose section.

To use the Antarctic baby did not come because Shackleton on the basis of which occurred on the descent in London machine problems with his ship 's planned course needed to change on the way to the South Pole and the port of Cape Town, where parts of the machine that were deposited there could not accept. The aircraft was sold, and after a few tests with a wheeled undercarriage was a convert to a Skifahrwerk. The machine was used in Newfoundland to 1927 for the observation of seals.

A curiosity should not go unmentioned: The Brit HG Leigh used in December 1920 an Avro 534 Baby as the basis for an unusual machine. He removed the top wing and replaced it with six very narrow, staggered mounted single space. On a contemporary photo of the builder, along with Bert Hinkler in addition to its peculiar construction, to recognize " the Multiple Aerofoil Baby ".

In another variant of the Avro 534 was configured, the. 554, a two-seater based on the baby with a Le Rhone engine This project was never realized.

Construction

The Avro 534 was a baby einstieliger biplane with a fabric-covered wooden trunk, the wood wings were covered with fabric with ailerons on all four surfaces. The chassis consisted of a two-wheeled, rigid main chassis and a rigid tail skid.

Specifications

Alternative: a A.D.C. Cirrus - I engine with a capacity of 44.74 kW ( 60.83 hp)