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Avro 529

1917 WORLD WAR 1

History

The Avro 529 follows Avro's previous bomber attempt - the 523. Both were designed as large bomber types, with a three-seat layout, two engines and a biplane configuration. Like the 523, the 529 failed to impress the British authorities and was not selected for series production. Instead, only two airframes were completed.

The first flight was recorded in April 1917, and the 529 became Avro's second twin-engine heavy bomber attempt. However, the company rose to prominence elsewhere during World War I with its 504 trainer.

It was followed by the fabled Lancaster heavy bomber from World War II and the unforgettable Vulcan nuclear bomber during the Cold War.

The design of the 523 series appeared in 1916 and was assessed by the British Admiralty as an obsolete attempt. Therefore, no production order was placed, and two prototypes were used in subsequent tests.

The 529 series is a larger version of the 523 developed in response to the interest of the Admiralty, which ordered two complete prototypes for evaluation.

The 529 mimics the original 523 design. A pair of engines are housed in the biplane's inverted wings, each with parallel struts and three compartments. The main difference between the two designs is the type of engine - the 523 uses a "propeller" type with aft-facing propellers, while the 529 uses a conventional pairing with forward-facing propellers in a "tractor" arrangement. The wings are located amidships.

Avro 529 had a crew of three, including the pilot and two gunners. The first gunner controlled his position at the front of the fuselage, with the pilot just behind him. The third operator is located in the tail gun cockpit between the wing assembly and the tail. The landing gear is fully connected to a pair of nose gear below the lower wing assembly and a simplified tail skid below the tail.

The rear wing is conventional, with two horizontal planes and a circular vertical rear wing.

Avro 529 completed in two different prototypes. The first featured two Rolls-Royce Falcon engines and the second a pair of BHP Billiton engines. The difference in engine trim necessitated a revision of the designation of the second aircraft, known as "529A". Both engines are water-cooled, with the Rolls-Royce version producing 190 horsepower each and the BHP version producing 230 horsepower.

The 529A was also fitted with various lighter wings, spanning more than a foot compared to the 529, but with a smaller overall footprint. The 529A also has a rather novel prone bomber position compared to the more traditional seating arrangement in the 529.

The BHP engine is mounted on the lower wing assembly instead of the center wing setup on the Rolls-Royce engine. Unlike the open-air treatment of Rolls-Royce models, the BHP engine is also housed in a streamlined cabin.

With a water-cooled Rolls-Royce inline-piston engine, the Avro 529 achieves a top speed of 95 mph and a service ceiling of up to 13,500 feet. Takeoff weight is specified at 6,314 pounds and empty weight is 4,740 pounds.

The span measures 63 feet, the length of the fuselage is 40 feet 8 inches, and the height to the upper wing assembly is exactly 13 feet.

Using a water-cooled BHP inline-piston engine, the Avro 529A has a top speed of 116 mph and a service ceiling of up to 17,500 feet. Takeoff weight is specified at 7,135 pounds and empty weight is 4,361 pounds.

The span measures 64 feet 1 inches, the fuselage length is 39 feet 8 inches, and the height to the top wing assembly is exactly 13 feet.

Standard armament on both prototypes consisted of a pair of 7.7mm Lewis machine guns, one mounted in the forward cockpit and the other in the rear cockpit. Both guns were mounted on flexible mounts (scarf rings) that allowed the gunner to train on the target.

Internal bomb bays between the wings can carry up to 20 x 50 lb bombs.

Although the 529A outperformed the original 529 prototypes, none of the prototypes impressed British authorities enough for mass production. The prototype's speed has been improved, as has the operating ceiling and rate of climb.

In any case, the genre is still surpassed by its contemporaries and forgotten by history.