Armstrong Whitworth Atlas

infobox Aircraft
name = Atlas
type = Army cooperation aircraft
manufacturer = Armstrong Whitworth

---

caption =
designer =
first flight = 1925
introduced = 1927
retired = 1935
status =
primary user = Royal Air Force
more users = Royal Canadian Air Force

produced = 1927 - 1933
number built = 478
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Armstrong Whitworth Atlas was a British single engined biplane designed and built by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. It served as an army cooperation aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the 1920s and 1930s. It was the first purpose-designed aircraft of the type to serve with the RAF.

Development

The was designed by a team led by John Lloyd, chief designer of Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, as a replacement for the DH.9A and Bristol Fighter as an army cooperation aircraft for the RAF, in parallel with the related aircraft, the Armstrong Whitworth Ajax and Armstrong Whitworth Aries. The Atlas was intended to meet the requirements of Specification 20/25.

The prototype Atlas ("G-EBLK") was built as a private venture, first flying on 10 May 1925. Cite book |author=Mason, Francis K |authorlink =
|title=The British Bomber since 1914 |publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books |year=1994 |id= ISBN 0 85177 861 5 It was delivered to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A & AEE), Martlesham Heath, where it was evaluated against the Bristol Boarhound, de Havilland Hyena, Vickers Vespa, and Shorts Chamois. It proved superior in performance and handling and was recommended for production.

While the performance was generally good, the prototype could not be sideslipped steeply, and this resulted in a redesign where sweptback metal wings, with differing wing section, were fitted. When tested again, the Atlas was found to have lost its good handling, having dangerous stall characteristics. The Atlas had already been ordered for service, however, and suffered a number of accidents during takeoff and landing in the first few months of operation until modified with automatic slats and increased sweepback. This cured the poor handling.

The production Atlas had a steel tube fuselage with fabric covering with single bay swept metal wings. It could be fitted with a hook under the fuselage to pick up messages and could carry a 460 lb (210 kg) bombload under the wings.

Operational history

The first batch of 37 aircraft were ordered in 1927, entering service with 13 Squadron RAF and 26 Squadron in that year. Once the initial handling problems had been solved by the fitting of slats, the Atlas proved well suited to the army cooperation role, serving both at home and overseas, with 208 squadron, being the first squadron to operate Atlases outside Britain, replacing Bristol fighters at Heliopolis, Egypt in 1930 Cite book|author=Thetford, Owen|title=Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57|edition= 1st edition |publisher=Putnam |location= London|year=1957|id=.

Atlases were also used for communications duties and as advanced trainers, with 175 dual-control models built.

The Atlas continued in service in the Army co-operations role until replaced with the Hawker Audax, a variant of the Hawker Hart, with the last operational squadron, 208, re-equipping in 1935. It was also replaced in the advanced trainer role in 1935, by the Hawker Hart Trainer.

Four civil registered Atlas trainers were used by Air Service Training Ltd for advanced and reserve flying training. They were scrapped in 1938. cite book |last= Jackson|first= A.J.|authorlink= |coauthors= |title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1|year= 1974|publisher= Putnam|location= London|isbn=0 370 10006 9 ]

Variants

*Atlas I Army cooperation aircraft - 271 built for the RAF.
*Atlas Trainer Daul control trainer version of Atlas I - 175 built.
*Atlas II Cleaned up, more powerful version, powered by convert|525|hp|abbr=on Armstrong Siddeley Panther. Rejected in favour of Audax by RAF . 15 built for Kwangsi Air Force, China .
*Ajax minor differences from Atlas I - 4 built for RAF.
*Aries improved Atlas I with easier access for maintenance and increased dimensions - one built

Operators

Military

;flag|Canada|1921
*Royal Canadian Air Force;flagcountry|Republic of China|1912
*Kwangsi Air Force;flagcountry|Egypt|1922;flag|Greece|old
*Hellenic Air Force;JPN;UK
*Royal Air Force
**No. 2 Squadron RAF
**No. 4 Squadron RAF
**No 13 Squadron RAF
**No. 16 Squadron RAF
**No. 26 Squadron RAF
**No. 208 Squadron RAF
**No 1 Flying Training School RAF
**No. 3 Flying Training School RAF
**No. 5 Flying Training School RAF
**RAF College Cranwell

Civil

;UK
*Air Service Training Ltd.

pecifications (Atlas I)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=The British Bomber since 1914 .
crew=Two
capacity=
length main= 28 ft 6½ in
length alt= m
span main= 39 ft 6½ in
span alt= m
height main= 10 ft 6 in
height alt= m
area main= 391 ft²
area alt= m²
airfoil= RAF 28
empty weight main= 2,550 lb
empty weight alt= 1,160 kg
loaded weight main= 4,020 lb
loaded weight alt= 1,827 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVC
type of prop= 14 cylinder radial engine
number of props=1
power main= 450 hp
power alt= 336 kW
power original=
max speed main= 123 knots
max speed alt= 142 mph, 229 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 348 nm
range alt= 400 mi, 644 km
ceiling main= 16,800 ft
ceiling alt= 5,120 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt= |thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=*Climb to convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on: 5 min 30 sec
*Endurance: 3 hours 25 min
guns=One forward firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun and one .303 Lewis machine gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit
bombs=Up to four 112 lb (50 kg) bombs under wings

avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
lists=
*List of aircraft of the RAF
*List of aircraft of the Canadian Air Force
see also=

Notes

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://avia.russian.ee/air/england/arm_atlas.php Virtual Aircraft Museum]

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=109 British Aircraft Directory]

* [http://www.rcaf.com/aircraft/fighters/atlas/index.php?name=atlas RCAF.com - Canadian Atlases]