Avro 529
The Avro 529 was a twin-engine biplane designed as a long-range bomber during the First World War. Although two prototypes were constructed, it never progressed to mass production.
Development
As Avro's second venture into twin-engined aircraft and heavy bombers, the Avro 529 followed the earlier Avro Pike, which was created in early 1916 to meet Royal Flying Corps (RFC) specifications for a short-range bomber. The Pike was ultimately too late to secure RFC orders, which instead chose the Handley-Page O/100, while the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) had already selected the Short Bomber. Despite this, after testing the Pike, the Admiralty commissioned two prototypes of an enlarged version intended for long-range bombing missions, designated as Type 529.
Constructed primarily from wood and fabric, similar to the Pike, the Avro 529 was a substantial twin-engine biplane featuring three-bay wings without sweepback, dihedral, or stagger—design choices partly made to allow wing folding.[1] Unlike its predecessor, the vertical stabilizer comprised a small triangular fin and a rudder with a rounded balance surface positioned above it, reflecting Avro's distinctive "comma" rudder style.
The fuselage had a rectangular cross-section accommodating three crew members in separate cockpits: the pilot sat just ahead of the wing leading edge; a gunner with emergency dual controls was located between the wing's trailing edge and the tail; and a front gunner/bomb-aimer occupied the nose section.[1] Both gunner stations were equipped with .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Guns mounted on Scarff rings. The undercarriage consisted of two main wheels on split axles complemented by a tail-skid.
The primary distinction between the two prototypes lay in their engines. The first prototype,[1] simply known as the Avro 529, was powered by two uncowled Rolls-Royce Falcon water-cooled inline engines mounted mid-wing. Each engine delivered 190 hp (140 kW) and turned four-bladed, opposite-handed wooden propellers. Fuel capacity was 140 gallons (636 litres), stored in a central fuselage tank.
The second prototype,[1] designated Avro 529A, featured two cowled 230 hp (170 kW) BHP inline water-cooled engines installed in nacelles on the lower wing. These engines drove wooden two-bladed propellers. Fuel was carried in two 60-gallon (273-litre) tanks located within each nacelle and pumped by wind-driven pumps to smaller 10-gallon (45-litre) tanks above the engines, from which gravity fed fuel to the motors.
Compared to its predecessor, the Type 529A had wingspan extended by approximately 13 inches (33 cm), with reduced wing area resulting in a higher aspect ratio. Its weight was roughly 8% less than that of the original prototype.[1]
Another modification between prototypes involved bomb-aiming arrangements.[1] While in the first model bomb-aiming was conducted from the front cockpit seat, the 529A introduced a prone bomb-aimer position featuring a small side window visible in profile. Communication between this position and the pilot was maintained via a Gosport tube. The 529A could carry twenty 50 lb (20 kg) bombs internally, arranged nose-up within the fuselage between the lower wing spars.
Despite being underpowered even with BHP engines, the Type 529 reportedly exhibited acceptable handling characteristics aside from unsatisfactory elevator responsiveness. No production orders followed, and no further development occurred.[1]
Specifications (529A)
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References
- Jackson, A.J. (1965). Avro Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam Publishing.