Avro Ashton

Avro
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1910 in United Kingdom
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft

The Avro 706 Ashton was a British experimental jet airliner developed by Avro in the 1950s. Although it took to the skies almost a year following the de Havilland Comet, it served exclusively as a test platform and was never designed for commercial airline service.

Design and development

Derived from the piston-powered Avro Tudor series, specifically the Avro 689 Tudor II, the Avro 689 Tudor 9 incorporated insights gained from the jet-powered experimental variant, the Tudor 8, which first flew on 6 September 1948. The Tudor 8 had been equipped with Rolls-Royce Nene engines. Subsequently renamed the Avro 706 Ashton, this model featured four jet engines, arranged in paired nacelles beneath the wings and powered by Rolls-Royce Nene turbines.

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Avro Ashton 1 at Woodford Aerodrome, Cheshire, May 1959

A total of six units were constructed by modifying existing Tudor airframes, beginning with a conversion of a Tudor I initially fitted with Nene 5 engines. Later Ashtons incorporated the improved Nene 6 powerplants and introduced design changes such as a larger, squared-off vertical stabiliser and a tricycle landing gear system replacing the original tailwheel configuration. The engines were closely grouped in two streamlined pods integrated into the wings but extending beneath them. This four-engine setup addressed the limited thrust output of early jet engines and significantly mitigated asymmetric thrust issues during engine failure scenarios.

The flight crew consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and radio operator, all positioned together within the cockpit and forward fuselage. When required, additional personnel could be accommodated in the spacious main cabin.

Operational history

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Avro Ashton WB492 circa 1952

The six Ashtons were rapidly produced by converting surplus Tudor 2 airframes. This included one each of the Ashton 1 (registration WB490), Ashton 2 (WB491), Ashton 4 (WB494), and three examples of the Ashton 3 (WB492, WB493, and WE670). All were manufactured at Avro’s Woodford facility. Flight testing commenced in 1950, focusing on jet propulsion performance, navigational systems, and in at least one case (the Mk 4), evaluations of bombing equipment using two streamlined underwing bomb containers.

Though among the earliest jet-powered transport aircraft, the Ashton’s role remained predominantly experimental. It was soon surpassed technologically by production models such as the de Havilland Comet.

One particular aircraft, Ashton WB491, was adapted with an under-fuselage mounting to serve as a testbed for turbine engine trials conducted by Rolls-Royce, including evaluations of their Conway and Avon engines.

Another unit, Ashton WB493, was utilised by Bristol Siddeley to test their Olympus turbojet. This aircraft was equipped with two Olympus engines mounted under the wings outside of the Nene pairs. It gained cinematic prominence in the 1960 British film Cone of Silence, portraying an aircraft named "Atlas Phoenix". Subsequently, this same airframe was employed to trial the Bristol Siddeley Orpheus, with its port-side engine modified to incorporate Orpheus components.

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Fuselage of an Avro Ashton preserved at the Newark Air Museum

Survivor

The front fuselage section of Ashton 2 (WB491) is maintained at the Newark Air Museum, located in Winthorpe, United Kingdom.

Specifications (Avro Ashton)

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Notable appearances in media

External links

Avro Ashton – British Aircraft Directory
Military Aircraft Database

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