Avro Tudor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tudor | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A B.S.A.A. Avro Tudor 2 | |
| Type | airliner |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| Designed by | Roy Chadwick |
| Maiden flight | 14 June 1945 |
| Primary users | B.S.A.A BOAC |
| Number built | 38 |
| Developed from | Avro Lincoln |
The Avro Tudor was a piston-engined airliner based on Avro's four-engine Lincoln bomber, itself a descendant of the famous Avro Lancaster. Although it had reasonably long range, customers saw the aircraft as little more than a pressurised Douglas DC-3, and few orders were forthcoming.
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[edit] Development
Avro began work on the Type 688 Tudor in 1943, following Specification 29/43 for a commercial adaptation of the Lancaster IV bomber, which was later renamed Lincoln. Engineer Roy Chadwick, who had worked on the Lancaster, designed the Tudor to incorporate a new pressurized fuselage of circular cross-section, with a useful load of 1,705 kg and a range of 6,400 km.[1] Two prototypes were ordered in March 1944; the first, G-AGPF, was assembled at Manchester's Ringway Airport and first flew on 14 June 1945.[2]
Early Tudors had a short, rounded, fin and rudder; this was discovered to provide insufficient directional stability, and so in later aircraft a taller, straight-edged, fin/rudder combination of greater overall area was fitted. Chadwick was killed on 23 August 1947, aboard a prototype Tudor 2 that crashed due to control reversal after the ailerons were improperly rigged.
The Tudor was used as the basis for the Avro Ashton experimental jet aircraft.
[edit] Production
All built by Avro.
- Tudor 1: 12
- Tudor 2 : Stretched version seating up to 60 passengers. Five built.
- Tudor 3 : VIP transport aircraft. Two built.
- Tudor 4: 12
- Tudor 4B:
- Tudor 5: 6
- Tudor 7: 1
- Tudor 8 : Jet version. Tudor 1 VX195 was fitted with four Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engines.
[edit] Operators
- Air Charter.
- BOAC.
- British South American Airways.
- William Demster Ltd.
[edit] Specifications (Avro 688 Tudor 1)
Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 5 (two pilots, flight engineer, radio operator, navigator)
- Capacity: 24 passengers
- Length: 79 ft 6 in (24.23 m)
- Wingspan: 120 ft 0 in (36.58 m)
- Height: 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
- Wing area: 1,421 ft² (132 m²)
- Loaded weight: 66,000 lb (30,000 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 76,000 lb (34,500 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce Merlin 100 12-cylinder V12 engines, 1,770 hp (1,320 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 320 mph (512 km/h) at 8,000 ft (2,440 m)
- Cruise speed: 283 mph (453 km/h) at 12,000 ft (3,660 m)
- Range: 3,630 mi (5,840 km)
- Service ceiling: 30,100 ft (9,180 m)
- Rate of climb: 990 ft/min (5 m/s)
- Wing loading: 53.5 lb/ft² (261 kg/m²)
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Angelucci, Enzo; Paolo Matricardi. World Aircraft - Commercial Aircraft 1935-1960. Sampson Low Guides: 1979. ISBN 0-562-00125-5
- Holmes, Harry. Avro - The History of an Aircraft Company. Crowood Press, Wiltshire, UK: 2004. ISBN 1-86126-651-0
[edit] Endnotes
- ^ Avro Tudor. Virtual Aircraft Museum. Retrieved on 2006-01-10.
- ^ Avro Timeline. Avro Museum (2005). Retrieved on 2006-01-10.
- ^ Jane, Fred T. “The Avro 688 Tudor I.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. p. 104. ISBN 1 85170 493 0.
[edit] Related content
Related development
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652A - 679 - 683 - 685 - 688 - 689 - 691 - 694 - 695 - 696
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