Avro 558

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Avro 558
Type Ultralight Biplane
Manufacturer A.V.Roe and Company Limited
Maiden flight 1923
Introduced 1923
Number built 2

The Avro 558 was a British single-engined ultralight biplane built by Avro at Hamble Aerodrome.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Avro 558 was designed for the 1923 Daily Mail-sponsored light-aeroplane trials for single-seaters at Lympne Aerodrome. Two Avro 558 biplanes were built, they were biplanes powered by motorcycle engines (one with a B&H twin-cylinder air-cooled engine, the second with a 500cc Douglas engine). The first aircraft was modified with a 698cc Blackburne Tomtit and both had modifications to the landing gear.

[edit] Operational history

The aircraft did not win the competition but the second aircraft went on to establish a world record for its class of aircraft of 13,850 ft (4,221 m) over Lympne on 13 October 1923 [1]. It is not known what happened to the two aircraft, they have not been reported since 1923.

[edit] Operators

Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m)
  • Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
  • Height: ()
  • Wing area: 166 ft² (15.42 m²)
  • Empty weight: 294 lb (133 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 480 lb (218 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× 500cc Douglas motorcycle engine, ()

Performance


[edit] References

  1. ^ Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10006 9. 
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

Comparable aircraft Hawker Cygnet

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