Avro 539

The Avro 539 was a British single-seat racing biplane built by Avro for the 1919 Schneider Trophy.

Avro 539
Role Racing biplane
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Avro
First flight 29 August 1919
Status Destroyed 15 July 1921
Number built 1

Development

The Avro 539 (later 539A) was a single-seat floatplane first flown on 29 August 1919. It was a single-bay, unstaggered biplane with a nose-mounted 240 hp (180 kW) Siddeley Puma piston engine and twin wooden floats. It had a single open cockpit for the pilot aft of the wings. Registered G-EALG it was modified before the race with a balanced rudder and elongated fin. The Schneider Trophy was held on 10 September 1919 but the 539 was eliminated. It was later modified as a landplane with a smaller fin and flown at the Aerial Derby in July 1920. The aircraft forced landed but was rebuilt as the Avro 539B for the 1921 Aerial Derby with a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion and revised landing gear and registered G-EAXM. It was destroyed in a landing accident at Hamble on 15 July 1921 on the eve of the race.

Variants

Avro 539A
Schneider Trophy floatplane with a 240 hp (180 kW) Siddeley Puma engine, later modified as a landplane, rebuilt as the Avro 539A after a forced landing.
Avro 539B
539A rebuilt with a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Specifications (539A)

Data from [1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 21 ft 4 in (6.5 m)
  • Wingspan: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
  • Wing area: 195 sq ft (18.1 m2)
  • Empty weight: 1,670 lb (758 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,119 lb (961 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Siddeley Puma , 240 hp (179 kW)

See also

Related lists

References

  1. Jackson 1974, p 290
  • Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10006-9.
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