Avro 558

Avro 558

Manufacturer: A.V.Roe and Company Limited
First flight: 1923
Introduced: 1923
Number built: 2

The Avro 558 was a British single-engined ultralight biplane built by Avro at Hamble Aerodrome.

Design and development

The Avro 558 was designed for the 1923 light aircraft trials for single-seaters at Lympne Aerodrome. Two Avro 558 biplanes were built, they were biplanes powered by motorcycle engines (one with a B&H twin-cylinder air-cooled engine, the second with a 500 cc Douglas engine). The first aircraft was modified with a 698 cc (42.6 in³) Blackburne Tomtit and both had modifications to the landing gear.

Operational history

The aircraft did not win the competition, but the second aircraft went on to establish a world record for its class of aircraft of 13,850 ft (4,220 m) over Lympne on 13 October 1923 . It is not known what happened to the two aircraft, they have not been reported since 1923.

Operators

United Kingdom

Specifications

Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 19 ft 6 in (5.95 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Height: ()
Wing area: 166 ft² (15.42 m²)
Empty weight: 294 lb (133 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 480 lb (218 kg)
Powerplant: 1x— 500cc Douglas motorcycle engine, 18 hp (13 kW)

Performance

Service ceiling: 13,850 ft (4,221 m)

Comparable aircraft

Avro 560
Hawker Cygnet

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
"The Light 'Plane Competitions at Lympne, Oct 8-13: Twenty-Eight Machines Entered". Flight: 602-611. 4 October 1923. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1923/1923%20-%200602.html.
Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10006 9.
Jackson, A.J. (1990). Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.

Avro 558 Pictures and Avro 558 for Sale.

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Source: WikiPedia