Avro 508

Avro 508

National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Avro
First flight: April 1915
Number built: 1

The Avro 508 was a prototype British reconnaissance aircraft of the 1910s.

Development

After the Air Ministry issued a specification in 1914 for a reconnaissance aircraft with a cockpit for observers in the front, with the pilot housed closer to the wings.

The Avro 508 was built at Avro's Manchester works in December 1913 and assembled at Brooklands in January 1914. First exhibited in Manchester in January 1914, the 508 was a wooden fabric-covered pusher biplane of unusual shape, resembling a back-to-front Avro 504. Its top and bottom three bay wings were equal in length, made of fabric-covered wood.

Operational history

It was completed by March 1914, and shown at the Olympia Aero Show in London, however its first flight was at the start of official testing in April 1915 at Brooklands. However, the Royal Flying Corps showed no interest in the sole prototype and therefore the aircraft lived out the rest of its days as a training aircraft and engine tester at RAF Hendon, until it was dismantled in April 1916.

Specifications

Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908

General characteristics

Crew: 1 pilot, 1 observer
Length: 26 ft 9 in (8.16 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Wing area: 468 ft² (43.5 m²)
Empty weight: 1,000 lb (455 kg)
Gross weight: 1680 lb (762 kg)
Powerplant: 1 x— Gnome engine, 80 hp (61 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 65 mph (105 km/h)
Range: 261 miles (420 km)
Endurance: 4.5 hours

"The Olympia Exhibition: The Exhibits: Avro (A.V. Roe & Co.)". Flight, 21 March 1914. pp. 295-297.
Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London:Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.

Avro 508 Pictures and Avro 508 for Sale.

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Source: WikiPedia