Avro 539
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| Avro 539 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Racing biplane |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| Maiden flight | 1919 |
| Retired | 1921 |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Number built | 1 |
The Avro 539 was a British single-seat racing biplane built by Avro for the 1919 Schneider Trophy.
[edit] Development
The Avro 539 (later 539A) was a single-seat floatplane first flown on 29 August 1919. It was single bay, unstaggered biplane with a nose-mounted 240hp (179kW) Siddeley Puma piston engine and twin wooden floats. It had a single open cockpit for the pilot aft of the wings. Registered G-EALG it was modified before the race with a balanced rudder and elongated fin. The Schneider Trophy was held on the 10 September 1919 but the 539 was eliminated. It was later modified as a landplane with a smaller fin and flown at an Aerial Derby at Hendon Aerodrome in July 1920. The aircraft forced landed but was re-built as the Avro 539B for the 1921 Aerial Derby with a 450hp (336kW) Napier Lion and a revised landing gear and registered G-EAXM. It was destroyed in a landing accident at Hamble on 15 July 1921 on the eve of the race.
[edit] Variants
- Avro 539A
- Schneider Trophy float plane with a 240hp (179kW) Siddeley Puma engine, later modified as a landplane, rebuilt as the Avro 539A after a forced landing.
- Avro 539B
- 539A rebuilt with a 450hp (336kW) Napier Lion engine.
[edit] Specifications (539A)
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 21 ft 4 in (6.5 m)
- Wingspan: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
- Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.9 m)
- Wing area: 195 ft² (18.1 m²)
- Empty weight: 1670 lb (758 kg)
- Gross weight: 2119 lb (961 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Siddeley Puma, 240 hp (179 kW)
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
- ^ Jackson 1974, p 290
- Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10006 9.
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