Avro 618 Ten

infobox Aircraft
name = Avro 618 Ten
type = Passenger & military transport
manufacturer =Avro


caption =
designer = Anthony Fokker
first flight =
introduced = 1930
retired =
status =
primary user = Australian National Airways, Imperial Airways
more users =
produced =
number built =
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The Avro 618 Ten or X was a passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. It was a licenced copy by Avro of the Fokker F.VIIB/3m.

Development

In 1928 Avro came to an arrangement with Fokker to license production of its successful F.VIIB/3m for sale in the British Empire (except Canada).

The Avro designation 618 Ten was adopted as the aircraft was capable of carrying 2 crew and 8 passengers.

After a modification of the centre motor mounting to accommodate British airworthiness requirements, the aircraft was first displayed at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show.

Operational history

Australia

The first five aircraft were sold to the new Australian National Airways. The type entered service on 1 January of 1930 on the Brisbane-Sydney route, and later Melbourne-Sydney. They were:

:VH-UMF "Southern Cloud":VH-UMG "Southern Star":VH-UMH "Southern Sky" :VH-UMI "Southern Moon":VH-UNA "Southern Sun"

Two of this fleet were lost in accidents: "Southern Cloud" in the Toolong range of the Australian Alps on 21 March 1931 (the wreckage was not found until 1958) and "Southern Sun" in Malaya in November 1931, while attempting the first airmail flight to the United Kingdom. The airline folded and the remaining aircraft were sold. "Southern Moon" was rebuilt in 1933 for long-range flights, fitted with 330 hp (246 kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engines and restyled as "VH-UXX Faith in Australia". The last surviving 618 Ten in Australia, it evacuated many people from New Guinea in 1941.

Another two 618 Ten aircraft were also sold to Australian companies ["Virtue in Flying" p.23] .

Three of the 619 Five aircraft went to two Austalian airlines, as did (after commercial service in Britain) the sole 642/2m.

Britain and elsewhere

Four 618 Tens were delivered directly to British customers. Two went to Imperial Airways (April and June 1931) and were chartered to the Iraq Petroleum Transport Company before returning to Britain in 1933. One went to Midland & Scottish Air Ferries (May 1933) and at the end of 1931 one went to Indian State Airways for the use of the Viceroy of India.

Two Tens went to the Egyptian Army air force in January 1932, one of them surviving to join Indian National Airways in September 1934.

The last production Ten was delivered to the Royal Aircraft Establishment's Wireless and Equipment Flight in July 1936 with the RAF serial "K2682".

One of the 624 Sixes was used by A.S.T Ltd; the other two were eventually sold to the Chinese government.

The sole 642/4m was used by the Indian state as Viceregal transport, and ended in RAF service as "L9166".

Variants

* Type 618 Ten : Ten-seat civil transport aircraft. Fourteen built.

* Type 619 Five : Five-seat civil transport aircraft. Scaled down version of Avro Ten. Three 105 hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major 1 engines. Four aircraft built.

* Type 624 Six : Six-seat civil transport aircraft. Revised version of Avro Five with accommodation for two pilots and four passengers. Three Genet engines again, but outers in fairings merged into underside of the wing. Three aircraft built.

* Type 642 Eighteen : Eighteen-seat civil transport aircraft, using same wing as Avro Ten.
** Type 642-2m : Two 450 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VID engines mounted on the wings. One built.
** Type 642-4m : Four 215 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engines. One built.

Operators (all variants)

;AUS
* Airlines of Australia
*Australian National Airways
* Australian Transcontinental Airways
* W.R.Carpenter Airlines (later Mandated Airlines)
* Commercial Air Hire
* Far Eastern Aviation Company.
* Hart Aircraft Co.
* Kingsford Smith Air Service Ltd.
*New England Airways (see Keith Virtue)
* Queensland Air Navigation Co.
* Stephens Aviation (New Guinea based);China as ROC
*The Government of China;flagicon|India|British India
*Indian National Airways
*Indian State Airways;UK
* Air Service Training Ltd.
*Imperial Airways
*Midland and Scottish Air Ferries
*Wilson Airways (Kenya based)

Military Operators (618, 642/4m)

; flag|Egypt|1922
* Egyptian Army Air Force;UK
* Royal Air Force
* Royal Aircraft Establishment

pecifications (Avro 618)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=Avro Aircraft since 1908 cite book |last= Jackson|first= A J |title=Avro Aircraft since 1908 |edition= 2nd edition|year= 1990 |publisher= Putnam Aeronautical Books|location= London |isbn= 0-85177-834-8 ]
crew= Two
capacity= Eight passengers
length main= 47 ft 6 in
length alt= 14.48 m
span main= 71 ft 3 in
span alt= 21.72 m
height main= 12 ft 9 in
height alt= 3.89 m
area main= 772 ft²
area alt= 71.7 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 6,020 lb
empty weight alt= 2,736 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 10,600 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 4,818 kg
more general=

engine (prop)=Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVB or IVC
type of prop= radial engine
number of props=3
power main= 240 hp
power alt= 179 kW
power original=
max speed main= 100 knots
max speed alt= 115 mph, 185 km/h
cruise speed main= 87 knots
cruise speed alt= 100 mph, 161 km/h
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main= knots
stall speed alt=
range main= 348 nm
range alt= 400 miles, 644 km
ceiling main= 16,000 ft
ceiling alt= 7270 m
climb rate main= 675 ft/min
climb rate alt= 3.43 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Fokker F.VIIB/3m
similar aircraft=

sequence=

lists=
* List of aircraft of the RAF
see also=

References

* Priest, Joan "Virtue in Flying". 1975 Angus & Robertson ISBN 0207132305

External links

* [http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austu/vhumg.html Avro 618 Ten VH-UMG] —Image collection of Ed Coates
* [http://www.tomcampbellblack.150m.com] —Wilson Airways purchased two Avro 619 Five aircraft, the first in 1929 VP-KAE and VP-KAD at a later date.