Avro Tudor
Encyclopedia
Avro
's Type 688 Tudor was a British
piston-engined airliner
based on their four-engine Lincoln
bomber, itself a descendant of the famous Lancaster
heavy bomber
, and was Britain's first pressurised airliner. Despite having a reasonably long range, customers saw the aircraft as little more than a pressurised DC-4 Skymaster
, and few orders were forthcoming, important customers preferring to buy US aircraft. The tailwheel undercarriage layout was also dated and a disadvantage.
. The specification was based on recommendations of the Brabazon Committee
, which issued specifications for nine types of commercial aircraft for postwar use.
Avro first proposed to build the Avro 687 (Avro XX), which was a Lincoln bomber with a new circular section pressurized fuselage
and a large single fin and rudder
in place of the predecessor's double ones. During the design stage, the idea of a simple conversion was abandoned and the Avro 688 was designed, which retained the four Rolls-Royce Merlin
engines. It was designed by Roy Chadwick
who, due to wartime restrictions, could not design a completely new aircraft, but had to use existing parts, tools and jigs. Using the Lincoln's wing, Chadwick, who had worked on the Lancaster, designed the Tudor to incorporate a new pressurized fuselage of circular cross-section, with a useful load of 3,765 lb (1,705 kg) and a range of 3,975 mi (6,400 km).
Two prototypes were ordered in September 1944 and the first, G-AGPF, was assembled by Avro's experimental flight department at Manchester's Ringway Airport and first flew on 14 June 1945. It was the first British pressurised civilian aircraft, although the prototype initially flew unpressurised. The prototype Tudor I had 1,750 hp (1,305 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 102 engines, but the standard engines were 1,770 hp (1,320 kW) Merlin 621s.
with four engines, a single fin and rudder and a retractable tailwheel undercarriage (in its original configurations).
The wing was of NACA 23018 section at the root, and was a five-piece, all-metal, twin-spar structure. The untapered centre section carried the inboard engines and main undercarriage, while the inner and outer sections were tapered on their leading and trailing edges, with the inner sections carrying the outboard engines. The aileron
s were fitted with trim and balance tabs, and there were hydraulically-operated split flap
s in three sections on each side of the trailing edges of the centre section and inner wings. A 3300 imp gal (3,963.1 US gal; 15,002.1 l) fuel capacity was given by eight bag tanks, one on either side of the fuselage in the centre section and three in both inner wings.
The all-metal tail unit had a dorsal fin integrated with the fuselage, and a 43 ft (13.1 m) twin-spar tailplane
with inset divided elevator
s. The control surfaces were mass-balanced, and each had controllable trim and servo tab
s.
The circular cross-section fuselage was an all-metal semi-monocoque
structure, of 10 ft (3 m) diameter, fitted with kapok
-filled inner and outer skins above floor level.
The hydraulically-operated main-wheel units were similar to those of the Lancaster, had single Dunlop wheels and retracted rearward into the inboard engine nacelles. The twin tailwheels retracted rearward into the fuselage and were enclosed by twin longitudinal doors.
, which could both carry more passengers than the Tudor's 12, and also weighed less than the Tudor's weight of 70000 lb (31,751.5 kg). The Tudor's tailwheel layout was also a drawback. Despite this, the Ministry of Supply
ordered 14 Tudor Is for BOAC
, and increased the production order to 20 in April 1945.
The Tudor I suffered from a number of stability problems, which included longitudinal and directional instability. To cure this, a larger tailplane was fitted, and the original finely curved fin and rudder were replaced by larger vertical surfaces. BOAC added to the delays by requesting more than 340 modifications, and finally rejected the Tudor I on 11 April 1947, considering it incapable of North Atlantic operations. It had been intended that 12 Tudors would be built in Australia for military transport, but this plan was abandoned.
Twelve Tudor Is were built, of which three were scrapped, while others were variously converted to Tudor IVB and Tudor Freighter Is.
As a result of all the Tudor I's delays, BOAC – with the support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation – sought permission to purchase tried and tested aircraft such as the Lockheed Constellation and the Boeing Stratocruiser for its Atlantic routes instead of the Tudor. Despite BOAC's reluctance to purchase Tudors, the Ministry of Supply continued to subsidize the aircraft.
At the end of 1944, while it was still in the design stage, BOAC, Qantas and South African Airways decided to standardise on the Tudor II for Commonwealth air routes, and BOAC increased its initial order for 30 examples to 79.
The prototype Tudor II G-AGSU first flew on 10 March 1946 at Woodford Aerodrome. The changes in design had however resulted in a loss of performance and the aircraft could not be used in hot and high conditions which resulted in Qantas ordering the Constellation and South African Airways, the Douglas DC-4 instead, with the total order reduced to 50.
During further testing, the prototype was destroyed on 23 August 1947 in a fatal crash which killed Roy Chadwick; air accident investigators later discovered that the crash was due to incorrect assembly of the aileron control circuit.
The engines on the second prototype were changed to Bristol Hercules
radials and the aircraft became the prototype Tudor 7, which did not go into production. Unimpressed by the type's performance during further tropical trials, BOAC did not operate the Tudor II and only three production Tudor IIs were built. Six aircraft were built for British South American Airways (BSAA)
as the Tudor V.
The third of the pre-production Tudor 2s, initially G-AGRZ, was used for pressurisation tests as VZ366
by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
at Farnborough Airport, in Hampshire.
The second Tudor II to be completed, G-AGRY, went to Nairobi for tropical trials as VX202, but these were unsatisfactory and Tudor II orders were reduced to 18. Eventually, only four Tudor IIs were completed including the prototype.
From 1946 on, the potential purchase of US aircraft by operators such as BOAC led to criticism of government policy, because of the damage that could potentially be caused to Britain's civil aircraft industry by a failure to buy the Tudor. L.G.S. Payne, the Daily Telegraph's aeronautical correspondent, said that British government policy had led to the development of aircraft which were uncompetitive in price, performance and economy. He blamed the Ministry of Supply's planners for this failure, since the industry had effectively been nationalised and argued that the government should pursue the development of jet aircraft instead of "interim types" such as the Tudor.
BOAC cancelled its order for Tudors in 1947, instead taking delivery of 22 Canadair North Star
s which they renamed C-4 Argonauts, and used them extensively between 1949 and 1960.
Six aircraft ordered as Tudor IIs were intended to be modified with tricycle landing gear, for use by BSAA as freighters, and designated the 711 Trader. They were not built, but a parallel design using the same landing gear was produced as the jet-powered Avro Ashton
.
for completion as VIP transports for cabinet ministers. They could accommodate 10 passengers and had nine berths. They were re-registered as VP301 and VP312, and both were acquired by Aviation Traders
in September 1953, VP301 being reconverted into a Tudor I.
In 1955, G-AIYA and the Tudor I G-AGRG were lenghtened to Tudor IV standard. Together with the un-lengthened Tudor I G-AGRI, which had become a 42-seat passenger aircraft, they were used on the Air Charter Ltd Colonial Coach Services between the UK, Tripoli and Lagos.
BSAA's new flagships received mixed reviews from pilots. Some greeted it with enthusiasm, such as Captain Geoffrey Womersley, who described it as "the best civil airliner flying." Others rejected it as an unsound design. BSAA's chief pilot and manager of operations, Gordon Store, was unimpressed:
The first example, G-AHNJ "Star Panther", flew on 9 April 1947. The Tudor IV received its Certificate of Airworthiness on 18 July 1947, and on 29 September, BSAA took delivery of G-AHNK "Star Lion", the first of its six Tudor 4s to be delivered. It departed the next day from Heathrow on a flight to South America, and on 31 October began flights from London to Havana via Lisbon, the Azores, Bermuda and Nassau.
On the night of 29–30 January 1948, Tudor IV G-AHNP "Star Tiger"
, with 31 people on board, disappeared without trace between Santa Maria
in the Azores and Bermuda. Tudors were temporarily grounded and while the cause of the accident was never determined, the type returned to service on 3 December 1948, when a weekly service was begun from London to Buenos Aires via Gander, Bermuda, and other stops, returning via the Azores.
Disaster struck again on 17 January 1949, when Tudor IV G-AGRE "Star Ariel"
also disappeared, this time between Bermuda and Kingston, Jamaica
, with the loss of 20 people, and the Tudor IVs were once more grounded. The subsequent fleet shortage led to BSAA being taken over by BOAC. Pressurisation problems were suspected to be the cause of the two accidents, and the remaining aircraft were flown as unpressurised freighters under the designations Tudor Freighter IV and IVB.
After storage for some years at Manchester Airport, four ex-BSAAC Tudor IVs were bought by Air Charter
in late 1953. They were fitted with 6 inch by 5 inch cargo doors aft by Aviation Traders and designated Super Traders IV or IVB, receiving their Certificate of Airworthiness in March 1955. These were operated by Air Charter Ltd on long distance freight flights as far as Christmas Island
. Some remained in service until 1959, until G-AGRH "Zephyr"
crashed in Turkey on 23 April 1959.
On 12 March 1950, G-AKBY
, which had been returned to passenger service with Airflight Ltd, on a charter flight from Ireland, crashed at RAF Llandow
, South Wales, with the resulting death of 80 of its passengers and crew.
In 1953, Lome Airways leased an ex BSAA Tudor 5 from Surrey Flying Services as CF-FCY for freight operations in Canada. It was retired at Stansted and scrapped in 1959.
, but none were built.
The second prototype Tudor I was rebuilt to Tudor IV standards. It was later fitted with four Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 turbojets in under-wing paired nacelles. Given the serial
VX195, The Tudor 8 carried out its first flight at Woodford on 6 September 1948, and a few days later, it was demonstrated at the SBAC Show at Farnborough. Later, the Tudor 8 was used for high-altitude experiments tests at Boscombe Down and RAE Farnborough before being broken up in 1951.
s and utilizing a tricycle undercarriage
. The original design was then modified and the type was produced as the Avro 706 Ashton
with the first Ashton flying on 1 September 1950.
688 Tudor 1
689 Tudor 2
688 Tudor 3
688 Tudor 4
688 Tudor 4B
689 Tudor 5
689 Tudor 6
689 Tudor 7
688 Tudor 8
Tudor 9
Super Trader 4B
Tudor Freighter 1
711 Trader
Canada
Avro
Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
's Type 688 Tudor was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
piston-engined airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
based on their four-engine Lincoln
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
bomber, itself a descendant of the famous Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
, and was Britain's first pressurised airliner. Despite having a reasonably long range, customers saw the aircraft as little more than a pressurised DC-4 Skymaster
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
, and few orders were forthcoming, important customers preferring to buy US aircraft. The tailwheel undercarriage layout was also dated and a disadvantage.
Design and development
Avro began work on the Type 688 Tudor in 1943, following Specification 29/43 for a commercial adaptation of the Lancaster IV bomber, which was later renamed LincolnAvro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
. The specification was based on recommendations of the Brabazon Committee
Brabazon Committee
The Brabazon Committee was a committee formed on 23 December 1942 to investigate the future needs of the British Empire's civilian airliner market...
, which issued specifications for nine types of commercial aircraft for postwar use.
Avro first proposed to build the Avro 687 (Avro XX), which was a Lincoln bomber with a new circular section pressurized fuselage
Cabin pressurization
Cabin pressurization is the pumping of compressed air into an aircraft cabin to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew and passengers when flying at altitude.-Need for cabin pressurization:...
and a large single fin and rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
in place of the predecessor's double ones. During the design stage, the idea of a simple conversion was abandoned and the Avro 688 was designed, which retained the four Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engines. It was designed by Roy Chadwick
Roy Chadwick
Roy Chadwick, CBE, FRAeS was an aircraft designer for Avro. Born at Marsh Hall Farm, Farnworth in Widnes, son of the mechanical engineer Charles Chadwick, he was the Chief Designer for the Avro Company and was responsible for practically all of their aeroplane designs...
who, due to wartime restrictions, could not design a completely new aircraft, but had to use existing parts, tools and jigs. Using the Lincoln's wing, Chadwick, who had worked on the Lancaster, designed the Tudor to incorporate a new pressurized fuselage of circular cross-section, with a useful load of 3,765 lb (1,705 kg) and a range of 3,975 mi (6,400 km).
Two prototypes were ordered in September 1944 and the first, G-AGPF, was assembled by Avro's experimental flight department at Manchester's Ringway Airport and first flew on 14 June 1945. It was the first British pressurised civilian aircraft, although the prototype initially flew unpressurised. The prototype Tudor I had 1,750 hp (1,305 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 102 engines, but the standard engines were 1,770 hp (1,320 kW) Merlin 621s.
Technical description
The Tudor was a low-wing cantilever monoplaneMonoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
with four engines, a single fin and rudder and a retractable tailwheel undercarriage (in its original configurations).
The wing was of NACA 23018 section at the root, and was a five-piece, all-metal, twin-spar structure. The untapered centre section carried the inboard engines and main undercarriage, while the inner and outer sections were tapered on their leading and trailing edges, with the inner sections carrying the outboard engines. The aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
s were fitted with trim and balance tabs, and there were hydraulically-operated split flap
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
s in three sections on each side of the trailing edges of the centre section and inner wings. A 3300 imp gal (3,963.1 US gal; 15,002.1 l) fuel capacity was given by eight bag tanks, one on either side of the fuselage in the centre section and three in both inner wings.
The all-metal tail unit had a dorsal fin integrated with the fuselage, and a 43 ft (13.1 m) twin-spar tailplane
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
with inset divided elevator
Elevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
s. The control surfaces were mass-balanced, and each had controllable trim and servo tab
Servo tab
A servo tab is a small hinged device installed on an aircraft control surface to assist the movement of the control surface.-Servo tabs:...
s.
The circular cross-section fuselage was an all-metal semi-monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
structure, of 10 ft (3 m) diameter, fitted with kapok
Kapok
Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae , native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and to tropical west Africa...
-filled inner and outer skins above floor level.
The hydraulically-operated main-wheel units were similar to those of the Lancaster, had single Dunlop wheels and retracted rearward into the inboard engine nacelles. The twin tailwheels retracted rearward into the fuselage and were enclosed by twin longitudinal doors.
Tudor I
The Tudor I was intended for use on the North Atlantic route. At the time, the US had the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed ConstellationLockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
, which could both carry more passengers than the Tudor's 12, and also weighed less than the Tudor's weight of 70000 lb (31,751.5 kg). The Tudor's tailwheel layout was also a drawback. Despite this, the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
ordered 14 Tudor Is for BOAC
Boac
Boac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
, and increased the production order to 20 in April 1945.
The Tudor I suffered from a number of stability problems, which included longitudinal and directional instability. To cure this, a larger tailplane was fitted, and the original finely curved fin and rudder were replaced by larger vertical surfaces. BOAC added to the delays by requesting more than 340 modifications, and finally rejected the Tudor I on 11 April 1947, considering it incapable of North Atlantic operations. It had been intended that 12 Tudors would be built in Australia for military transport, but this plan was abandoned.
Twelve Tudor Is were built, of which three were scrapped, while others were variously converted to Tudor IVB and Tudor Freighter Is.
As a result of all the Tudor I's delays, BOAC – with the support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation – sought permission to purchase tried and tested aircraft such as the Lockheed Constellation and the Boeing Stratocruiser for its Atlantic routes instead of the Tudor. Despite BOAC's reluctance to purchase Tudors, the Ministry of Supply continued to subsidize the aircraft.
Tudor II
The passenger capacity of the Avro 688 was considered unsatisfactory, so a larger version was planned from the outset. Designated the Avro 689 (also Avro XXI), the Tudor II was designed as a 60-seat passenger aircraft for BOAC, with the fuselage lengthened to 105 inch compared to the Tudor I's 79 inch and the fuselage increased by 1 ft (0.3048 m) to 11 ft (3.4 m) diameter, making it the largest UK airliner at the time.At the end of 1944, while it was still in the design stage, BOAC, Qantas and South African Airways decided to standardise on the Tudor II for Commonwealth air routes, and BOAC increased its initial order for 30 examples to 79.
The prototype Tudor II G-AGSU first flew on 10 March 1946 at Woodford Aerodrome. The changes in design had however resulted in a loss of performance and the aircraft could not be used in hot and high conditions which resulted in Qantas ordering the Constellation and South African Airways, the Douglas DC-4 instead, with the total order reduced to 50.
During further testing, the prototype was destroyed on 23 August 1947 in a fatal crash which killed Roy Chadwick; air accident investigators later discovered that the crash was due to incorrect assembly of the aileron control circuit.
The engines on the second prototype were changed to Bristol Hercules
Bristol Hercules
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, B. Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways. Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-526-8*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
radials and the aircraft became the prototype Tudor 7, which did not go into production. Unimpressed by the type's performance during further tropical trials, BOAC did not operate the Tudor II and only three production Tudor IIs were built. Six aircraft were built for British South American Airways (BSAA)
British South American Airways
British South American Airways or British South American Airways Corporation was a state-run airline in Britain in the 1940s. It was originally called British Latin American Air Lines Ltd....
as the Tudor V.
The third of the pre-production Tudor 2s, initially G-AGRZ, was used for pressurisation tests as VZ366
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
at Farnborough Airport, in Hampshire.
The second Tudor II to be completed, G-AGRY, went to Nairobi for tropical trials as VX202, but these were unsatisfactory and Tudor II orders were reduced to 18. Eventually, only four Tudor IIs were completed including the prototype.
From 1946 on, the potential purchase of US aircraft by operators such as BOAC led to criticism of government policy, because of the damage that could potentially be caused to Britain's civil aircraft industry by a failure to buy the Tudor. L.G.S. Payne, the Daily Telegraph's aeronautical correspondent, said that British government policy had led to the development of aircraft which were uncompetitive in price, performance and economy. He blamed the Ministry of Supply's planners for this failure, since the industry had effectively been nationalised and argued that the government should pursue the development of jet aircraft instead of "interim types" such as the Tudor.
BOAC cancelled its order for Tudors in 1947, instead taking delivery of 22 Canadair North Star
Canadair North Star
The Canadair North Star was a 1940s Canadian development of the Douglas C-54 / DC-4 aircraft. Instead of radial piston engines found on the Douglas design, Canadair employed Rolls-Royce Merlin engines in order to achieve a 35 mph faster cruising speed. The prototype flew on 15 July 1946 and...
s which they renamed C-4 Argonauts, and used them extensively between 1949 and 1960.
Six aircraft ordered as Tudor IIs were intended to be modified with tricycle landing gear, for use by BSAA as freighters, and designated the 711 Trader. They were not built, but a parallel design using the same landing gear was produced as the jet-powered Avro Ashton
Avro Ashton
|-References:NotesBibliography* Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2000 . ISBN 0-85177-797-X.* Winchester, Jim. X-Planes and Prototypes. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-40-7....
.
Tudor III
Two Tudor Is, G-AIYA and G-AJKC, were sent to Armstrong WhitworthArmstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
for completion as VIP transports for cabinet ministers. They could accommodate 10 passengers and had nine berths. They were re-registered as VP301 and VP312, and both were acquired by Aviation Traders
Aviation Traders
was a war-surplus aircraft and spares trader formed in 1947. In 1949, it began maintaining aircraft used by some of Britain's contemporary independent airlines on the Berlin Airlift. In the early 1950s, it branched out into aircraft conversions and manufacturing. During that period it also became a...
in September 1953, VP301 being reconverted into a Tudor I.
In 1955, G-AIYA and the Tudor I G-AGRG were lenghtened to Tudor IV standard. Together with the un-lengthened Tudor I G-AGRI, which had become a 42-seat passenger aircraft, they were used on the Air Charter Ltd Colonial Coach Services between the UK, Tripoli and Lagos.
Tudor IV
To meet a BSAA requirement, some Tudor Is were lengthened by 5 inch, powered by 1,770 hp (1,320 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 621s and 1,760 hp (1,310 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 623s. With 32 seats and no flight engineer position, these were known as Tudor IVs, and when fitted with a flight engineer's position and 28 seats, as Tudor IVBs.BSAA's new flagships received mixed reviews from pilots. Some greeted it with enthusiasm, such as Captain Geoffrey Womersley, who described it as "the best civil airliner flying." Others rejected it as an unsound design. BSAA's chief pilot and manager of operations, Gordon Store, was unimpressed:
"The Tudor was built like a battleship. It was noisy, I had no confidence in its engines and its systems were hopeless. The Americans were fifty years ahead of us in systems engineering. All the hydraulics, the air conditioning equipment and the recircling [sic] fans were crammed together underneath the floor without any thought. There were fuel-burning heaters that would never work; we had the floorboards up in flight again and again.
The first example, G-AHNJ "Star Panther", flew on 9 April 1947. The Tudor IV received its Certificate of Airworthiness on 18 July 1947, and on 29 September, BSAA took delivery of G-AHNK "Star Lion", the first of its six Tudor 4s to be delivered. It departed the next day from Heathrow on a flight to South America, and on 31 October began flights from London to Havana via Lisbon, the Azores, Bermuda and Nassau.
On the night of 29–30 January 1948, Tudor IV G-AHNP "Star Tiger"
G-AHNP "Star Tiger"
Star Tiger was an Avro Tudor Mark IV passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways which disappeared without trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Santa Maria in the Azores and Bermuda on 30 January 1948...
, with 31 people on board, disappeared without trace between Santa Maria
Santa Maria Airport (Azores)
Santa Maria Airport is an airport on Santa Maria Island, in the autonomous region of the Azores, Portugal, serving the municipality of Vila do Porto, within the archipelago and to the continent...
in the Azores and Bermuda. Tudors were temporarily grounded and while the cause of the accident was never determined, the type returned to service on 3 December 1948, when a weekly service was begun from London to Buenos Aires via Gander, Bermuda, and other stops, returning via the Azores.
G-AGRE "Star Ariel"
Star Ariel was an Avro Tudor Mark IVB passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways which disappeared without trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Bermuda and Kingston, Jamaica on 17 January 1949...
also disappeared, this time between Bermuda and Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, with the loss of 20 people, and the Tudor IVs were once more grounded. The subsequent fleet shortage led to BSAA being taken over by BOAC. Pressurisation problems were suspected to be the cause of the two accidents, and the remaining aircraft were flown as unpressurised freighters under the designations Tudor Freighter IV and IVB.
After storage for some years at Manchester Airport, four ex-BSAAC Tudor IVs were bought by Air Charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
in late 1953. They were fitted with 6 inch by 5 inch cargo doors aft by Aviation Traders and designated Super Traders IV or IVB, receiving their Certificate of Airworthiness in March 1955. These were operated by Air Charter Ltd on long distance freight flights as far as Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
. Some remained in service until 1959, until G-AGRH "Zephyr"
1959 Air Charter Turkey crash
G-AGRH Zephyr was an Avro Super Trader IV cargo aircraft, which crashed on Mount Süphan in eastern Turkey on 23 April 1959. The Super Trader IV was a modified Avro Tudor IV, which had been fitted with an aft cargo door and was flown unpressurized.- Loss :...
crashed in Turkey on 23 April 1959.
Tudor V
The Tudor V was a modified version of the stretched Tudor II equipped with 44 seats. BSAA acquired five which never entered passenger service with the airline. They were instead stripped of their fittings and used as fuel tankers on the Berlin Airlift. They completed a total of 2,562 supply sorties in 6,973 hours, carrying 22,125 tons (20,071 tonnes) of fuel into Berlin.On 12 March 1950, G-AKBY
Llandow air disaster
The Llandow air disaster was an aircraft accident in Wales in 1950. At that time it was the world's worst air disaster with a total of 80 fatalities...
, which had been returned to passenger service with Airflight Ltd, on a charter flight from Ireland, crashed at RAF Llandow
RAF Llandow
RAF Llandow was a Royal Air Force airfield situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles west of Cardiff. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1957....
, South Wales, with the resulting death of 80 of its passengers and crew.
In 1953, Lome Airways leased an ex BSAA Tudor 5 from Surrey Flying Services as CF-FCY for freight operations in Canada. It was retired at Stansted and scrapped in 1959.
Tudor VI
The Tudor VI was to be built for the Argentinian airline FAMA for South Atlantic service, with 32–38 seats or 22 sleeper berthsBerth (sleeping)
The word berth was originally used to describe beds and sleeping accommodation on boats and ships and has now been extended to refer to similar facilities on trains, aircraft and buses.-Beds in boats or ships:...
, but none were built.
Tudor VII
The Tudor VII was the first production Tudor II fitted with Bristol Hercules air-cooled radial engines in an attempt to give better performance. The sole example built, G-AGRX, made its first flight on 17 April 1946, and was later fitted in June 1948 with shorter landing gear with the engines repositioned (inclined) to give better ground clearance. G-AGRX was used for cabin temperature experiments, and was finally sold for spares in March 1954.Tudor 8
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
VX195, The Tudor 8 carried out its first flight at Woodford on 6 September 1948, and a few days later, it was demonstrated at the SBAC Show at Farnborough. Later, the Tudor 8 was used for high-altitude experiments tests at Boscombe Down and RAE Farnborough before being broken up in 1951.
Tudor 9
Following tests of the Tudor 8, the Ministry of Supply ordered six Tudor 9s, based on the Tudor II but powered by four Rolls-Royce NeneRolls-Royce Nene
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgman, L, Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II. Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7-External links:* *...
s and utilizing a tricycle undercarriage
Tricycle gear
Tricycle gear describes an aircraft undercarriage, or landing gear, arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one wheel in the front, called the nose wheel, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity...
. The original design was then modified and the type was produced as the Avro 706 Ashton
Avro Ashton
|-References:NotesBibliography* Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2000 . ISBN 0-85177-797-X.* Winchester, Jim. X-Planes and Prototypes. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-40-7....
with the first Ashton flying on 1 September 1950.
Variants
All built by Avro at Woodford Aerodrome.688 Tudor 1
- Production variant, 12 built, later conversion to other variants.
689 Tudor 2
- Stretched version, five built.
688 Tudor 3
- Tudor 1 modified by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft as executive transport aircraft. It could seat up to nine passengers, two built.
688 Tudor 4
- Stretched version of the Tudor 1 (but not the same as the Tudor 2 with the fuselage lengthened by only 6 ft/1.83 m). It could seat up to 32 passengers, 11 built.
688 Tudor 4B
- As Tudor 4 but retained the Tudor 1's flight engineers station. Small number of Tudor 1s were converted into Tudor 4Bs.
689 Tudor 5
- Tudor 2 for BSAA, powered by four 1,770 hp (1,320 kW) Rolls-Royce MerlinRolls-Royce MerlinThe Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
621 piston engines, six built. One aircraft crashed in 1950 killing 80 in the Llandow Air DisasterLlandow air disasterThe Llandow air disaster was an aircraft accident in Wales in 1950. At that time it was the world's worst air disaster with a total of 80 fatalities...
.
689 Tudor 6
- Ordered by the Argentinian airline FAMA, but the order was cancelled. None of the airframes were completed.
689 Tudor 7
- Tudor 2 fitted with four 1,750 hp (1,305 kW) Bristol HerculesBristol Hercules|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, B. Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways. Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-526-8*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
120 radial piston engines, one prototype only.
688 Tudor 8
- Jet-engined version of the Tudor 1. Tudor 1 VX195United Kingdom military aircraft serialsIn the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
was fitted with four Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.V turbojet engines.
Tudor 9
- Jet-engined version of the Tudor 2, became the 706 AshtonAvro Ashton|-References:NotesBibliography* Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2000 . ISBN 0-85177-797-X.* Winchester, Jim. X-Planes and Prototypes. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-40-7....
Super Trader 4B
- Re-engined version, fitted with four 1,760 hp (1,312 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 23 piston engines.
Tudor Freighter 1
- Freight and cargo version, three aircraft were used by BOACBoacBoac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
during the 1949 Berlin Airlift.
711 Trader
- Proposed freighter development of the Tudor 2 fitted with a tricycle landing gear; not built.
Operators
Canada
- Lome Airways
- Air CharterAir Charter LimitedAir Charter was an early post-World War II private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline formed in 1947. The airline conducted regular trooping flights to Cyprus as well as worldwide passenger and freight charter flights from its bases at Southend Airport and...
- AirflightAirflightAirflight Limited was a British charter, and cargo airline from 1948 to 1950.- History :The airline was formed by former Air Vice-Marshall Don Bennett to operate in the Berlin Airlift operating two long-fuselage Avro Tudor aircraft. These were flown by Bennett and a single other pilot...
- British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)British Overseas Airways CorporationThe British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
(freight only) - British South American AirwaysBritish South American AirwaysBritish South American Airways or British South American Airways Corporation was a state-run airline in Britain in the 1940s. It was originally called British Latin American Air Lines Ltd....
- Surrey Flying Services
- William Dempster
Accidents and incidents
- 23 August 1947 – Tudor 2 prototype G-AGSU crashed on takeoff from Woodford.
- 30 January 1948 – Tudor 1 G-AHNP "Star Tiger"G-AHNP "Star Tiger"Star Tiger was an Avro Tudor Mark IV passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways which disappeared without trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Santa Maria in the Azores and Bermuda on 30 January 1948...
of British South American AirwaysBritish South American AirwaysBritish South American Airways or British South American Airways Corporation was a state-run airline in Britain in the 1940s. It was originally called British Latin American Air Lines Ltd....
disappeared in the western Atlantic. - 17 January 1949 – Tudor 4B G-AGRE "Star Ariel"G-AGRE "Star Ariel"Star Ariel was an Avro Tudor Mark IVB passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways which disappeared without trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Bermuda and Kingston, Jamaica on 17 January 1949...
of British South American Airways disappeared in the western Atlantic. - 12 March 1950 – Tudor 5 G-AKBYLlandow air disasterThe Llandow air disaster was an aircraft accident in Wales in 1950. At that time it was the world's worst air disaster with a total of 80 fatalities...
of Airflight Limited crashed on approach, Llandow, Wales. - 26 October 1951 – Tudor 5 G-AKCC President Kruger of William Dempster Limited was damaged beyond repair landing at Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
- 27 January 1959 – Super Trader G-AGRG El Alamein of Air Charter destroyed by fire on takeoff from Brindisi, Italy.
- 23 April 1959 – Super Trader G-AGRH "Zephyr"1959 Air Charter Turkey crashG-AGRH Zephyr was an Avro Super Trader IV cargo aircraft, which crashed on Mount Süphan in eastern Turkey on 23 April 1959. The Super Trader IV was a modified Avro Tudor IV, which had been fitted with an aft cargo door and was flown unpressurized.- Loss :...
of Air Charter flew into Mount Suphan, Turkey.
Specifications (Avro 688 Tudor 1)
See also
External links
- British Aircraft Database - Avro Tudor via the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Tudor
- A picture of the jet-powered Tudor 8 via the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- The Avro Tudor II A 1946 FlightFlight InternationalFlight International is a global aerospace weekly publication produced in the UK. Founded in 1909, it is the world's oldest continuously published aviation news magazine...
advertisement for the Tudor
