Avro 558

The Avro 558 was a British single-engined ultralight biplane built by Avro at Hamble Aerodrome.

Avro 558
Role Ultralight Biplane
Manufacturer A.V.Roe and Company Limited
First flight 1923
Introduction 1923
Number built 2

Design and development

The Avro 558 was designed for the 1923 light aircraft trials for single-seaters at Lympne Aerodrome. Two Avro 558 biplanes were built, they were biplanes powered by motorcycle engines (one with a B&H twin-cylinder air-cooled engine, the second with a 500 cc Douglas engine). The first aircraft was modified with a 698 cc (42.6 in³) Blackburne Tomtit and both had modifications to the landing gear.

Operational history

The aircraft did not win the competition, but the second aircraft went on to establish a world record for its class of aircraft of 13,850 ft (4,222 m) over Lympne on 13 October 1923.[1] It is not known what happened to the two aircraft, not having been reported since 1923.

Operators
 United Kingdom

Specifications

Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908 [2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
  • Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
  • Wing area: 166 sq ft (15.4 m2)
  • Empty weight: 294 lb (133 kg)
  • Gross weight: 480 lb (218 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Douglas 500cc air-cooled motorcycle engine, 18 hp (13 kW) [3]
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Service ceiling: 13,850 ft (4,220 m)
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gollark: There was an experiment which wanted to demonstrate group selection. They put flies that in an environment with limited resources which could only support so many fly children. If nature was nice and kind, they would magically turn down their breeding. As is quite obvious in retrospect, evolutionary processes would *never do this* and they cannibalized each other's young.
gollark: There are nasty things like those various parasitic wasps.
gollark: Yes, something something just world fallacy.
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See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References
  1. Jackson 1974, p.292.
  2. Jackson 1990, p.215.
  3. Flight 4 October 1923, p.607.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
  • "The Light 'Plane Competitions at Lympne, Oct 8–13: Twenty-Eight Machines Entered". Flight. Vol. XV no. 771. 4 October 1923. pp. 602–611.
  • Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10006-9.
  • Jackson, A.J. (1990). Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.
  • Riding, Richard (July 1984). "British pre-war ultra-lights: No. 40: Avro 558". Aeroplane Monthly. Vol. 12 no. 7. pp. 386–388. ISSN 0143-7240.
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