Avro Spider
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 531 Spider and 538 | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| Maiden flight | April 1918 |
| Number built | 2 |
The Avro 531 Spider was a British fighter aircraft of World War I that did not proceed past the prototype stage. It was a sesquiplane of largely conventional configuration but used Warren truss-type interplane struts, hence the appellation "Spider". In tests, the aircraft demonstrated exceptional performance, handling, and pilot visibility. Unfortunately, by the time it flew, the War Office had already selected the Sopwith Snipe for mass production.
A second, refined version, the 531A was apparently never completed, but some of its components seem to have been used to build a derivative design, the 538. This had standard interplane struts and was intended as a racing aircraft. It was never used for this purpose, however, since it was discovered that it had a faulty wing spar, so the Avro firm used it as a hack instead.
[edit] Specifications (531)
General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Length: 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
- Wingspan: 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
- Height: 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m)
- Wing area: 189 ft² (17.6 m²)
- Empty weight: 963 lb (437 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,517 lb (688 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Clerget rotary, 130 hp (97 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 120 mph (193 km/h)
- Range: 250 miles (400 km)
- Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,970 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s)
Armament
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine gun
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 93.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 889 Sheet 94.
- britishaircraft.co.uk
[edit] See also
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