Avro Bison

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Bison

Type	Fleet Spotter/Reconnaissance
Manufacturer	Avro
Maiden flight	1921
Retired	1929
Status	Retired
Primary users	Fleet Air Arm Royal Air Force
Number built	55

The Avro 555 Bison was a British single-engined fleet spotter/reconnaissance aircraft built by Avro.

1 History
2 Operators
3 Specifications (Bison IA)
4 Reference
5 External links
6 Related content

[edit] History

The Bison was designed to meet the British Air Ministry Specification 3/21 for a carrier based fleet spotter and reconnaisance aircraft. The first Bison I prototype flew in 1921, the second and third prototypes were of a modified design (mainly moving the upper wing higher). A production batch of 12 aircraft, based on the second prototype were built as the Bison 1A. There followed more orders which were built as the Bison II. An early Bison was fitted with floats and retractable wheels but tests proved the design was not suitable for seaborne use.

Although designed for a naval requirement the first deliveries were to the Royal Air Force in 1922 to replace the Westland Walrus for coastal reconnaissance work. Naval aircraft served on HMS Eagle and HMS Furious and on-shore at Gosport, England and Hal Far, Malta. The aircraft were retired in 1929 when they were replaced by the Fairey IIIF.