Avro York
The Avro 685 York was a British passenger and transport aircraft by 1942. There were both civilian and military versions. The York first flew on July 5, 1942.
The wings and the tail came from the Avro Lancaster. Since the " York " a much larger and deeper hull had, had to be built, an additional vertical stabilizer.
Use
The first civilian version of the York was delivered to BOAC in 1944. One of the prototypes was a flying conference room for Winston Churchill. The aircraft was called Ascalon, and flew Churchill to the Yalta Conference, 1945. Others Yorks were used by Lord Mountbatten as Viceroy of India. Other users were Henry, Duke of Gloucester as Governor-General of Australia and Christiaan Smuts January, a South African statesman.
The Royal Air Force used the York for transport flights from England to India. Fifty civilian and 208 machines were built for the RAF. Many RAF machines were used by the retirement of a civilian versions. During the Berlin blockade, the Yorks flew over 58,000 missions, which is about half of British supplies to Berlin mattered, the rest was mostly flown with Douglas DC -3 and Handley Page Hastings.
The BOAC used in the post-war period the machinery for flights from Cairo to Durban, which had previously been carried out with short flying boats. Additional civilian users in the UK included the Dan - Air, British South American Airways and Scottish Airlines. Abroad, the York was used among others by Trans Mediterranean Airways, Air Liban and Middle East Airlines from Lebanon and Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina. In Canada, it was used by Arctic Wings, Associated Airways Maritime Central Airways, Pacific Western Airlines, Spartan Air Services and Transair Canada.
The military versions were in Australia, France, South Africa and the United Kingdom for use.
Special versions
- The Avro York " Ascalon " was a conference machine. You should get a separate pressurized cabin, to save passengers, including Winston Churchill, the placement of oxygen masks. The aircraft was luxuriously appointed with telephone, bar and small library. The pressurized cabin of aluminum was indeed successfully tested at Avro, but not installed due to time constraints. Later, they should be incorporated into the successor aircraft Douglas C- 54B, but the contractor Armstrong Whitworth eventually decided against it.
- The "Endeavour" said York with the RAF serial number MW104 flew to Australia in 1945 and became the personal aircraft of the Governor General of Australia. It was the only machine of its type in the service of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Aircraft received
Currently two non- airworthy aircraft are issued. One is in the RAF Cosford Collection and the other in the Imperial War Museum Duxford. Both are of type York C.1.
Military user
- Royal Australian Air Force
- Armée de l'air
- Aéronavale
- Royal Air Force