Avro 618 Ten

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The Avro 618 Ten or X was a passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s.

In 1928 Avro came to an arrangement with Fokker to license production of its successful F.VIIB/3m for sale in the British Commonwealth (except Canada, and Fokker also licensed separately for Italy and Japan.)

The Avro designation 618 Ten was adopted as the aircraft was capable of carrying 2 crew and 8 passengers.

After a modification of the centre motor mounting to accommodate British airworthiness requirements, the aircraft was first displayed at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show.

[edit] Australia

The first aircraft was the first of five sold to Australian National Airways that had been started by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm, the type entering service on 1 January of 1930 for the Brisbane to Sydney route, and later Melbourne-Sydney. They were:

Aviation Pioneers Memorial at Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, with artifacts recovered from the Avro 618 Ten aircraft, "Southern Cloud", that crashed on 21 March 1931 in the Australian Alps' Toolong Mountain range. Its wreck was found on 26 October 1958.

Another two 618 Ten aircraft were also sold to Australian companies.

Unfortunately, two of this fleet were lost in accidents, one being the "Southern Cloud" in the Australian Alps on the Toolong Mountain range on 21 March 1931.

The last surviving 618 Ten in Australia evacuated many people from New Guinea in 1941. This former Australian National Airlines aircraft was rebuilt in 1933 for long-range service, fitted with 330 hp (246 kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engines.

Note: Another F.VIIB/3m was the "Southern Cross" VH-USU registered to Australian National Airways Ltd and flown on record-breaking oceanic flights by Kingsford Smith, probably the most famous historic Australian aircraft ever.

[edit] Britain

Five 618 Tens were delivered to British customers. Two went to Imperial Airways (April and June 1931) and were chartered to the Iraq Petroleum Transport Company before returning to Britain in 1933. Two went to Airwork (December 1931) and were later sold to the Egyptian Army air force, one of these later going to Indian National Airways for use by the Viceroy of India. One went to Midland & Scottish Air Ferries (May 1933).

The last production 618 Ten was delivered to the Royal Aircraft Establishment's Wireless and Equipment Flight in July 1936 and was later fitted with a Monospar wing.

[edit] Variants

• Type 618 Ten : Ten-seat civil transport aircraft.
• Type 619 Five : Five-seat civil transport aircraft.
• Type 624 Six : Six-seat civil transport aircraft.
• Type 642 Eighteen : Eighteen-seat civil transport aircraft.
  • Type 642-2m : Twin-engine civil transport aircraft.
  • Type 642-4m : Four-engine civil transport aircraft.

[edit] Operators

• Australian National Airways.
• Commercial Air Hire.
• Far Eastern Aviation Company.
• The Governmet of China.
• Imperial Airways.
• Indian National Airways.
• Indian State Airways.
• Midland and Scottish Air Ferries.
• Queensland Air Navigation Co.
• Stephans Aviation.
• The Viceroy of India.
• W.R. Carpenter Airlines.
• Wilson Airways

[edit] Military Operators

• Egypt.
  • Egyptian Army Air Force.
• United Kingdom
  • Royal Air Force.

[edit] External links

• Avro 618 Ten VH-UMG - Image collection of Ed Coates

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