Avro Aldershot

infobox Aircraft
name = Aldershot
type = Heavy Bomber
manufacturer = Avro



caption =
designer =
first flight = 1922Sharpe, Michael. "Biplanes, Triplanes, an Seaplanes". London, England: Friedman/Fairfax Books , 2000. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.]
introduced = 1924
retired = avyear|1925
produced =~15
number built =
status = Retired
unit cost =
primary user = No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force
more users =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Avro 549 Aldershot was a British single-engined bomber aircraft built by Avro.

History

The Aldershot was designed to meet the 1920 British Air Ministry Specification 2/20 for an interim bomber design. In competition with the de Havilland Derby the ministry gave Avro a contract for two Aldershot I prototypes, both of which first flew at Hamble Aerodrome in 1922. As a result of test flying the original Rolls Royce Condor engine was replaced with the water-cooled Napier Cub and the fuselage was lengthened by 6 ft. One of the prototypes was converted to this standard as the Aldershot II.

In 1923 the Air Ministry ordered 15 aircraft under the designation Aldershot III. The only operator of the aircraft was No. 99 Squadron RAF which formed on the 1 April 1924. The Aldershot was used for night flying, but by 1925 the Air Ministry had decided only to operate multi-engined bombers and the Aldershots were replaced by the Handley Page Hyderabad.

The only Aldershot II was re-engined with an 850 hp (634 kW) Beardmore Typhoon I inline engine as the Avro 549C Aldershot IV for test flying.

Operators

;UK
*Royal Air Force
**No. 99 Squadron RAF

pecifications (Aldershot III)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop<|ref=
crew=3
length main=45 ft
length alt= 13.72 m
span main=68 ft
span alt= 20.73 m
height main=15 ft 3 in
height alt= 4.65 m
area main=1,064 ft²
area alt= 98.85 m²
empty weight main=6,310 lb
empty weight alt= 2862 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=10,950 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 4,967 kg
engine (prop)=Rolls Royce Condor III
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main=650 hp
power alt=485 kW
max speed main=110 mph
max speed alt=177 km/h
range main= 625 mi
range alt= 1,006 km
ceiling main= 14,500 ft
ceiling alt= 4,420 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament= *1 Lewis gun in rear cockpit, up to 2,000 lb (907 Kg) of bombs

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=
* de Havilland Derby

lists=
*List of aircraft of the RAF

see also=

References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=270 British Aircraft Directory]