Avro 539

Avro 539
Role Racing biplane
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Avro
First flight 1919
Retired 1921
Status Destroyed
Number built 1


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

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

See also


Related lists

References

  1. Jackson 1974, p 290

External links

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