Avro 618 Ten
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Aircraft |
The Avro 618 Ten, also known as the X, was a passenger aircraft from the 1930s era. It represented a licensed production by Avro of the Fokker F.VIIB/3m model.
Development
In 1928, Avro secured a licensing agreement with Fokker to manufacture the successful F.VIIB/3m for distribution within the British Empire, excluding Canada. The designation 618 Ten was assigned to the aircraft owing to its configuration accommodating two crew members and eight passengers.[1] Following adjustments to the central engine mount to comply with British airworthiness standards, the aircraft was unveiled at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show. The related Avro 642 Eighteen shared the same wing design as the Ten but featured a redesigned fuselage capable of seating sixteen passengers.
Australia
The initial batch of five units was acquired by the newly formed Australian National Airways. Service commenced on January 1, 1930, initially operating on the Brisbane to Sydney route, later extending to include Melbourne-Sydney.[1] These aircraft were:
- VH-UMF Southern Cloud
- VH-UMG Southern Star
- VH-UMH Southern Sky
- VH-UMI Southern Moon
- VH-UNA Southern Sun
Two aircraft from this series were lost in incidents: Southern Cloud disappeared in the Toolong range of the Australian Alps on March 21, 1931, with its wreckage remaining undiscovered until 1958; Southern Sun crashed in Malaya in November of the same year during an attempt at the inaugural airmail flight to the United Kingdom. Following these losses, the airline ceased operations and sold off its remaining fleet.
In 1933, Southern Moon underwent reconstruction for extended-range flights, equipped with more powerful Wright Whirlwind radial engines rated at 330 hp (250 kW), and was re-registered as VH-UXX Faith in Australia. This aircraft became the last operational Avro 618 Ten in Australia and played a role in evacuating individuals from New Guinea in 1941.[2] Additionally, two other Avro 618 Tens were sold to Australian firms.[3] Moreover, three out of five Avro 619 Five aircraft were acquired by two Australian airlines, along with the single Avro 642/2m after it had been used commercially in Britain.
United Kingdom and International Deliveries
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A total of four Avro 618 Tens were supplied directly to customers in Britain. Two of these were acquired by Imperial Airways in April and June 1931, initially chartered to the Iraq Petroleum Transport Company before being brought back to the UK in 1933. Another was delivered to Midland & Scottish Air Ferries in May 1933, while at the close of 1931 one was assigned to Indian State Airways for the exclusive use of the Viceroy of India. The Egyptian Army air force received two Tens in January 1932, with one later joining Indian National Airways in September 1934. The final Avro Ten produced was handed over to the Royal Aircraft Establishment's Wireless and Equipment Flight in July 1936, bearing the RAF registration K2682. Regarding the Type 624 Six variant, one aircraft served with A.S.T Ltd, while the remaining two were ultimately sold to the Chinese government.
Accidents and incidents
- On 30 December 1933, G-ABLU Apollo operated by Imperial Airways struck a radio mast and crashed near Ruysselede, Belgium. This accident resulted in the deaths of all ten individuals aboard.
- The Avro X known as Southern Cloud disappeared during a flight from Sydney to Melbourne on 21 March 1931, carrying two crew members and eight passengers, none of whom survived. The wreckage was serendipitously discovered off course and oriented incorrectly in October 1958 by Thomas Sonter, a New Zealand carpenter working on the Snowy Mountains Scheme, during a hiking expedition.
- On 3 April 1940, a BOAC Avro 618 Ten (registration G-AASP, named Hercules) crashed during takeoff from Cairo. Although no injuries occurred, the aircraft was deemed a total loss.
Variants
- Type 618 Ten : Civil transport aircraft accommodating ten seats. Fourteen units were constructed.
- Type 619 Five : A smaller version of the Avro Ten designed for five occupants. Powered by three Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major I engines producing 105 hp (78 kW) each. Four examples were manufactured.
- Type 624 Six : A six-seat civil transport model derived from the Avro Five, configured for two pilots and four passengers. Equipped with three Genet engines; notably, the outer engines were enclosed within fairings that blended into the wing undersides. Three units were built.
Civil operators
- Airlines of Australia
- Australian National Airways
- Australian Transcontinental Airways
- W.R.Carpenter Airlines (later known as Mandated Airlines)
- Far Eastern Aviation Company
- Hart Aircraft Co.
- Kingsford Smith Air Service Ltd.
- New England Airways (associated with Keith Virtue)
- Queensland Air Navigation Co.
- Stephens Aviation (operating in New Guinea)
- Government of China
- Air Service Training Ltd.
- Commercial Air Hire
- Imperial Airways
- Midland and Scottish Air Ferries
- Wilson Airways (based in Kenya)
Military Users
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Technical Details (Avro 618)
Related Topics
Distinguished Aviators
References
- Priest, Joan Virtue in Flying. 1975 Angus & Robertson ISBN 0-207-13230-5
External Resources
- Avro 618 Ten VH-UMG—Photographic archive by Ed Coates
- Tom Campbell Black—Wilson Airways acquired two Avro 619 Five planes, initially VP-KAE in 1929 and later VP-KAD.
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- Fokker F.VII
- Avro aircraft
- 1930s British airliners
- Trimotors
- High-wing aircraft
- Aircraft first flown in 1930
- Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear