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Avro 585

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Avro 585, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 202523 sources
Avro
IndustryAerospace
Founded1910
FounderAlliott Verdon Roe
Headquarters
Manchester
,
England, United Kingdom
ProductsAircraft


Template:Infobox aircraft

The Avro 504 is a single-engine biplane bomber originally produced by the Avro company and also manufactured under licence by various other firms. With a production total of 8,970 units during World War I, it stands as the most extensively built aircraft to serve in any military role throughout that conflict. Overall, over 10,000 units were constructed between 1913 and the end of production in 1932.

Design and development

Technical drawing

The Avro 504 took to the skies for the first time on 18 September 1913 at Brooklands, piloted by Fred "Freddie" Raynham. It was equipped with an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome Lambda seven-cylinder rotary engine. This model evolved from the earlier Avro 500 and was intended primarily for training purposes and civilian flying. Featuring a two-bay biplane configuration, the airframe was constructed entirely from wood with a fuselage of square cross-section.

Avro 504K from the Shuttleworth Collection

Manufacturers

Numerous companies produced the Avro 504 under licence agreements.[1][2]

  • A. V. Roe and Co Ltd., Park Works, Newton Heath, Manchester; and Hamble Aerodrome near Southampton, Hampshire
  • Australian Aircraft and Engineering, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • Bleriot and SPAD Aircraft Works, Addlestone
  • The Brush Electrical Engineering Co Ltd, Loughborough
  • Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • The Eastbourne Aviation Co Ltd, Eastbourne
  • Aero Historic, Paraná, Argentina
  • Fabrica Militar de Aviones, Córdoba, Argentina
  • Frederick Sage and Co Ltd, Peterborough and London
  • The Grahame-White Aviation Co Ltd, Hendon Aerodrome, London
  • Harland and Wolff Ltd, Belfast
  • The Henderson Scottish Aviation Factory, Aberdeen
  • Hewlett and Blondeau Ltd, Luton
  • Humber Limited, Coventry
  • Morgan and Co, Leighton Buzzard
  • Nakajima Hikoki Seisaku Sho, Ohta-Machi, Tokyo, Japan
  • Parnall & Sons, Bristol
  • Regent Carriage, Fulham
  • S. E. Saunders Ltd, East Cowes, Isle of Wight
  • Savages Ltd, King's Lynn
  • Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA), Brussels, Belgium
  • The Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd, Wolverhampton
  • TNCA at Balbuena field in Mexico City
  • Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Japan

Operational history

Foster-mounted Lewis gun fitted on a night fighter Avro 504K
Queenslander Pictorial (1919) image titled "Flight Commander Smith flies for the Peace Loan" featuring Flight Commander Smith[3]

Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, limited quantities of early models were acquired by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and these aircraft were deployed to France at the war’s onset. Notably, one RFC machine became the first British plane to be downed by German forces on 22 August 1914. The crew consisted of pilot 2nd Lt. Vincent Waterfall and navigator Lt Charles George Gordon Bayly, both serving with 5 Squadron RFC.[4][5] The RNAS organized a special flight of four 504s to bomb the Zeppelin manufacturing facilities at Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. On 21 November 1914, three aircraft departed from Belfort in northeastern France, each carrying four 20 lb (9 kg) bombs. Despite one aircraft being lost, the mission succeeded with direct hits on the airship hangars and destruction of the hydrogen production plant.[6]

While quickly becoming outdated as a combat aircraft, the type excelled as a trainer, with thousands produced during wartime. The primary production variants were the 504J and the widely manufactured 504K, which featured modified engine mounts designed to accept various engines due to shortages. By the conclusion of 1918, a total of 8,340 Avro 504s had been built.[7]

During the winter of 1917–18, it was decided to convert 504Js and 504Ks for use by RFC Home Defence squadrons, replacing older B.E.2c aircraft that suffered from inadequate altitude capabilities. These conversions involved transforming the planes into single-seat fighters armed with a Lewis gun mounted above the upper wing on a Foster mounting, powered by either 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome or 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône engines. In total, 274 converted Avro 504Js and Ks were distributed among eight home defence squadrons in 1918; by war’s end, 226 remained operational as fighters.[8]

After hostilities ceased, although it remained the RAF’s standard training aircraft, large numbers of surplus machines became available for both military and civilian purchase. Over 300 504Ks were registered for civil use within Britain. These civilian models served in roles such as pilot instruction, leisure flying, banner towing, and barnstorming displays—activities that paralleled those performed by surplus aircraft like the Curtiss JN-4 and Standard J-1 in North America after World War I—and continued flying extensively well into the 1930s.

The nascent Soviet Union’s air service, established shortly after WWI, employed original Avro 504s alongside their own locally produced copy known as Avrushka ("Little Avro") for primary flight training under the designation U-1 during the early 1920s. These Soviet variants typically used domestically manufactured replicas of the Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine. This version was eventually succeeded by what would become history’s most prolific biplane—the Polikarpov Po-2, initially identified as U-2. The type served within Soviet forces until the late 1920s and remained operational in other countries even longer.

Although Avro 504s supplied to China were primarily trainers, they engaged in combat among various warlord factions, performing bombing runs by manually dropping hand grenades and adapted mortar shells from the cockpit.[9]

In 1925, Avro introduced an upgraded model designated as the radial-engine powered 504N featuring a redesigned undercarriage. After testing two prototypes—one equipped with a Bristol Lucifer engine and another with an Armstrong-Siddeley Lynx—the RAF selected the Lynx-powered version to replace the aging 504K. Between 1925 and 1932, a total of 592 units were produced, equipping five RAF flying training schools while also fulfilling communication roles. The 504N was exported to military forces in Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Greece, Siam, and South Africa; furthermore, licensed production occurred in Denmark, Belgium, Canada, Siam, and Japan.

The RAF phased out its fleet of 504Ns in favor of the Avro Tutor by 1933; however, some remained in civilian operation until around 1940 when seven were requisitioned for RAF service again to perform target towing and glider towing duties.

The Avro 504 holds several aviation milestones: it was the first British aircraft to conduct ground strafing operations,[10] as well as being the initial British plane to execute a bombing raid over German territory.[11][12] Additionally, it was the first Allied airplane brought down by enemy anti-aircraft fire and served as an early platform for numerous future aces including Billy Bishop.

One distinctive feature of the Avro 504 is its single skid positioned between its wheels—a characteristic colloquially referred to within the RAF as the "toothpick".[13]

Variants

Early 504 equipped with an 80 horsepower Gnome Lambda engine
  • 504: Powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome Lambda rotary engine.
This was the initial production model.
  • 504A:
Featured reduced-size ailerons and wider struts. Powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome engine.
  • 504B
Adapted for the RNAS with an enlarged vertical stabilizer. Equipped with either an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome or Le Rhône engine.
  • 504C
Single-seat anti-zeppelin variant for the RNAS, replacing the observer’s position with an additional fuel tank.
  • 504D
Single-seat anti-zeppelin model for the Royal Flying Corps, with six units produced.
  • 504E
Powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape engine. Ten examples were built.
  • 504F
Equipped with a 75 hp (56 kW) Rolls-Royce Hawk engine. Only one unit constructed.
  • 504G
Two-seat weapons training version derived from the Type 504B for the RNAS. Designed as a bombing and gunnery trainer, it included provisions for a Scarff ring on the upper longerons; however, the final ten produced lacked gun mounting capability. Powered by an 80 hp Gnome engine. A total of 50 were delivered between June 1917 and January 1918, with 30 manufactured by Avro and 20 by The Regent Carriage Company.
  • 504H
Modification of the 504C for catapult testing, powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome engine.
  • 504J
Based on the 504A but fitted with a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome engine.
The Avro 504K that became Iceland's first aircraft, brought there in 1919
  • 504K
Two-seat trainer featuring a universal mounting system compatible with various engines. The single-seat fighter variant (known as Comic) was employed in anti-zeppelin missions. Several units were assembled in Australia by Australian Aircraft & Engineering. Engine options included 130 hp (97 kW) Clerget 9B, 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape, or 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J engines.
Qantas Avro 504K equipped with Sunbeam Dyak engine (circa 1921)
  • 504K Mk.II
A hybrid trainer combining the fuselage of the 504K with undercarriage and wings from the 504N, powered by a rotary engine. Built under license in Mexico as the Avro Anahuac.
  • 504L
A floatplane variant utilizing 150 hp (110 kW) Bentley BR1, 130 hp (97 kW) Clerget, or 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône engines.
The 504L floatplane (1920)
  • 504M
A three-seat cabin biplane version; only one was produced. Powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome engine.
  • 504N
A postwar redesigned two-seat trainer for the RAF, featuring a 160 hp (120 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine. A total of 598 units were built.
Left side view of the 504N
  • 504O
A floatplane derivative of the 504N, notable for being the first aircraft to fly above the Arctic Circle during the 1923 Oxford Expedition.
  • 504P
A proposed side-by-side seating version based on the 504N that was never constructed.
  • 504Q
A three-seat cabin biplane built specifically for the Oxford University Arctic Expedition; only one unit was produced and it was powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine.
  • 504R Gosport
A revised trainer featuring a lightweight structural design. Five prototypes flew between 1926 and 1927 with various powerplants including a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape, a 100 hp (75 kW) Avro Alpha, a 140 hp (104 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major, and a 150 hp (110 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose, with the Mongoose selected for production models. Ten units were sold to Argentina, where another hundred were license-built by FMA. Twelve were exported to Estonia and remained operational until 1940; additional unknown quantities served in Peru.
Avro 504R Gosport
  • 504S
A two-seat trainer manufactured under license in Japan by Nakajima Aircraft Company.
  • 540
Observer training variant of the 504K developed for Japan.
  • 582
Experimental modification of the 504N featuring RAF 30 aerofoil wings, Frise-type ailerons on lower mainplanes, "K" style wing struts, and simplified undercarriage; reverted to standard 504N configuration in 1928 to serve as a Bristol Titan engine testbed.
  • 585
A modified version of the 504R equipped with the undercarriage from the 504N and powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Avro Alpha engine.
  • 598 Warregull
A two-seat trainer based on the 504N intended for Australia but never built.
  • 599 Warregull II
A redesigned iteration of Type 598 that also remained unbuilt.
  • Yokosuka K2Y1
The Japanese-built version of the Avro 504N, officially designated Yokosuka Navy Type 3 Primary Trainer, powered by a 130 hp (97 kW) Mitsubishi-produced Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose radial piston engine; total production reached 104 units.
Yokosuka K2Y (1938)
  • Yokosuka K2Y2
An upgraded model of the K2Y1, fitted with a 160 hp (120 kW) Gasuden Jimpu 2 radial piston engine. Combined production of K2Y1 and K2Y2 totaled approximately 360 units. Aircraft manufactured by Watanabe bore the designation Watanabe Navy Type 3-2 Land-based Primary Trainer.
  • U-1 (Uchebnyi – 1) Avrushka
The Russian-manufactured copy of the 504K, exceeding production of over seven hundred units.
  • MU-1 (Morskoy Uchebnyi – 1)
The Russian seaplane adaptation of the Avro design.
  • Orlogsværftet Flyvemaskineværksted LB.I
Danish-produced variant constructed at the Royal Naval Dockyard (Orlogsværftet).
  • I1A
The designation assigned by the Brazilian Navy to their version of the 504K.
  • I2A
The Brazilian Navy’s designation for their operated versions of both the 504N and floatplane variant 504O.
  • B.F.4
The identification used by the Royal Siamese Air Force for their operated model of the Avro 504N.

Operators

Template:Country data Afghanistan
Template:Country data Argentina
 Australia
 Belgium
  • Belgian Air Force procured 50 British-manufactured 504Ks from 1920 to 1922, followed by another 27 built under license by SABCA[17]. These were succeeded by the 504N model, with Avro producing 17 units between 1929 and 1931,[18] and an additional 31 constructed under license.[19]
Template:Country data Bolivia
Template:Country data Brazil
 Canada
Template:Country data Chile
Template:Country data Republic of ChinaTemplate:Namespace detect showall Republic of China
China-Puppet
 Denmark
 Estonia
 Finland
 Greece
Template:Country data Guatemala
India British India
Template:Country data Iran
 Ireland
 Japan
 Latvia
Template:Country data Malayan Union
Template:Country data Mexico
Template:Country data Mongolia
 Netherlands
 New Zealand
 Norway
 Peru
 Poland
 Portugal
Template:Country data Russian Empire
 South Africa
Template:USSR
  • Soviet Air Force – operated both original British-built models and Soviet-produced U-1 Avrushka variants.
Spain Kingdom of Spain
 Sweden
  Switzerland
 Siam (Thailand)
 Turkey
 United Kingdom
 United States
Template:Country data Uruguay

Surviving aircraft and replicas

Australia
Replica of the Qantas Avro 504K featuring a Sunbeam engine, exhibited at the Qantas Domestic Terminal
Avro 504K replica displayed at the RAAF Museum.
  • A3-4 – This 504K is exhibited as a static display at the Australian War Memorial located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory. Initially assigned serial number H2174, it was shipped to Australia during 1918–19. The memorial received it as a donation in August 1929. In 1965, it was loaned to Qantas and restored to resemble Qantas's inaugural aircraft. The aircraft was later restored to its original state and returned to the Australian War Memorial in 1987.
  • Replica – A 504K replica is on static display at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum in Longreach, Queensland. Constructed in 1988, it bears the registration G-AUBG and symbolizes the first Qantas Avro 504K.
  • Replica – Another 504K replica is showcased statically at Sydney Airport in Sydney. Also built in 1988, it carries the registration G-AUBG and represents Qantas's initial Avro 504K.
  • Replica – At the RAAF Museum in Point Cook, Victoria, a 504K replica is displayed statically. It includes an original engine along with authentic fittings and instruments, marked with serial E3747.
Canada
Finland
New Zealand
  • A202 – An airworthy 504K maintained by The Vintage Aviator in Masterton, Wellington. Originally acquired by the New Zealand Permanent Air Force in 1925, it later served as a civilian aircraft.
Norway
  • Unknown – Displayed statically at the Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø, Nordland, this 504K was operational from July 1921 until 1928. It has been exhibited at the museum since 1995 and features registration number 103, which was originally assigned to a 504A that crashed in 1919.
Russia
United Kingdom
  • BK892 – This airworthy 504K belongs to the Shuttleworth Collection based in Old Warden, Bedfordshire. Initially assigned serial H5199, it was converted to a 504N before entering civilian use. During World War II, it was impressed into RAF service as a glider tug and received a new serial number. Afterward, it returned to civilian ownership and was featured in the film Reach for the Sky.
  • D7560 – Exhibited statically at London's Science Museum, this 504K biplane is equipped with a 130hp Clerget engine dating circa 1917.
  • H2311 – Displayed statically at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry, this Avro 504K forms part of their aviation collection.
  • Composite – On static display at the Royal Air Force Museum London, this 504K combines the fuselage of G-EBJE with wings from G-EBKN.
  • Replica – Located at the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey, this replica marked G-AACA was originally constructed as a taxiable model for the BBC TV series 'Wings' during the 1970s. It was later acquired by RAF Museum Hendon and stored at RAF Henlow before being loaned to Brooklands around 1987. Subsequently donated to Brooklands Museum, it was fitted with an original rotary engine and restored to represent one of two Avro 504s operated by the Brooklands School of Flying during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
  • Replica – A static display of a 504J marked C4451 is housed at Solent Sky in Southampton, Hampshire. Built by ADJ under BAPC No. 210.
  • Replica – Constructed by Pursang in Argentina in 2010, this replica registered as G-EROE was purchased by Eric Vernon-Roe, grandson of Alliot Vernon-Roe (Avro’s founder), before being brought back to the UK. It flies with the Great War Display Team.
United States
  • A201 – Currently undergoing restoration at Blue Swallow Aircraft located in Earlysville, Virginia.
  • Replica – A project under construction for a 504 model is underway at Blue Swallow Aircraft in Earlysville, Virginia.
  • Replica – A working restoration of a 504K is ongoing at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome situated in Red Hook, New York. This aircraft has been operational since 1971.
  • Replica – Displayed statically at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, this example was built between 1966 and 1967 by the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Aircraft Maintenance & Development Unit. It arrived at the museum in May 2003 and previously carried registration G-CYEI.

Specifications (Avro 504K)

Scaled schematic of the Russian Avro 504K variant, referred to as Avrushka (Little Avro) U-1/MU-1, reverse engineered by Sergey Ilyushin around 1923

Template:Aircraft specs

Prominent media appearances

See also

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Avro 504 is often associated with the Argentine Air Force due to its predecessor, the Army Aviation Service, which was founded in 1912 and disbanded in 1945 upon the establishment of the Air Force.

Notes

  1. ↑ Flight 1954 p87
  2. ↑ Gregorie, Martin C. "The Avro 504K". Martin Gregorie's Home Page. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Peace Loan Aeroplane crashes in Gympie (1919) | State Library Of Queensland". www.slq.qld.gov.au. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Casualty Details:Vincent Waterfall". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  5. ↑ Jackson 1990, p.56.
  6. ↑ Mason 1994, p.21.
  7. ↑ Bruce 16 July 1954, p.87.
  8. ↑ Mason 1992, p.127.
  9. ↑ Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
  10. ↑ Bruce 9 July 1954, p.43.
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Holmes
  12. ↑ Lindqvist, Sven (2001). A history of bombing. New York: New Press. ISBN 1-56584-625-7. OCLC 44794868.
  13. ↑ Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
  14. ↑ Magnusson 2007, p. 155
  15. ↑ Ay, Carlos (15 August 2013). "Catálogo Ilustrado de Aeronaves de la Fuerza Aérea Argentina". Gaceta Aeronautica (in español).
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Wilson
  17. ↑ Jackson 1990, p.88.
  18. ↑ Jackson 1990, p.123.
  19. ↑ Jackson 1990, p.124.
  20. ↑ Morgała, Andrzej (1997). Samoloty wojskowe w Polsce 1918–1924 [Military aircraft in Poland 1918–1924] (in Polish). Warsaw: Lampart. p. 118. ISBN 83-86776-34-X.
  21. ↑ Garlicki, Jarosław (2001). Historia lotnictwa wojskowego Królestwa Tajlandii w latach 1912 – 1945. Część 2. "Militaria i Fakty". 1-2/2001, p. 34-35 (in Polish)
  22. ↑ World Air Forces – Historical Listings Thailand (THL), archived from the original on 25 January 2012, retrieved 30 August 2012

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avro 504.

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