Avro Club Cadet

Club Cadet

Manufacturer: Avro
First flight: 1933
Introduced: 1933
Produced: 1933-1935
Number built: 27 (17 · 638 + 1 · 639 + 9 · 640)
Developed from: Avro Cadet

The Avro Club Cadet was a single-engined British biplane trainer aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1930s as a development of the earlier Cadet. It was planned for private and club use and, unlike the Cadet, was fitted with folding wings for ease of storage.

Design and development

The Avro 638 Club Cadet was a version of the earlier Avro Cadet, again intended for private and club use. The staggered biplane wings of the Cadet prevented the wings from folding to save hangar space, which was a disadvantage for an aircraft planned for private use, so the Club Cadet was fitted with unstaggered folding wings. The first prototype flew in May 1933, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major radial piston engine, with only 16 others being built, production finishing in 1935.

A single prototype of an enclosed three-seat cabin version, the Avro 639 Cabin Cadet was built, flying in 1933, but did not enter production. A second three-seat version, the Avro 640 Cadet, this time with a widened fuselage with an open cockpit for two passengers side by side in front of the pilot, was produced for joy-riding work. Nine of these were built, the first four powered by 140 hp (104 kW) Cirrus Hermes IV engines with the remaining five with Genet Major engines.

Operational history

While intended for private as well as club use, the majority of the Club Cadets were used by flying schools, with the largest user being Airwork, which operated five Club Cadets. These were later re-engined with 130 hp (100 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major engines, the air-cooled in-line inverted engines reducing drag and improving fuel consumption .

Variants

Avro 638 Club Cadet Two seat trainer aircraft, powered by 135 hp (101 kW) Genet Major (radial) or 130 hp (100 kW) Gipsy Major I (inverted in-line) engine, 17 built. Avro 638 Club Cadet Special One aircraft was fitted with a 140 hp (104 kW) Cirrus Hermes IVA inverted in-line engine. Avro 639 Cabin Cadet Enclosed cockpit, 1 built. Avro 640 Cadet Three seat joyriding aircraft, powered by 140 hp (104 kW) Cirrus Hermes IV inverted in-line (first 4 aircraft) or 135 hp (101 kW) Genet Major engine, 9 built.

Operators

United Kingdom

Airwork

Specifications (Avro 638)

Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 24 ft 9 in (7.55 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 2 in (9.20 m)
Height: 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Wing area: 262 ft² (24.3 m²)
Empty weight: 1,244lb (565 kg)
Loaded weight: 2,000 lb (909 kg)
Powerplant: 1x— Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major 1 seven cylinder radial, 135 hp (101 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 100 kn (115 mph, 185 km/h)
Cruise speed: 87 kn (100 mph, 161 km/h)
Range: 283 nmi (325 mi, 523 km)
Service ceiling: ft (m)
Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
Wing loading: 7.63 lb/ft² (37.4 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.075 hp/lb (0.12 kW/kg)

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Source: WikiPedia