Avro Anson, Old Warden 2009 ©Nigel Key
ROLE
General Reconnaissance / Search and Rescue / Trainer.
FIRST FLIGHT
24th of March 1935.
The Avro Anson design was based upon the Avro 652 airliner. It is a twin engine, low wing cantilever monoplane designed as a general reconnaissance aircraft.
The wing was low mounted and constructed of spruce and plywood. The fuselage was made from a welded steel tubular framework and clad in fabric except for the nose which was clad in magnesium alloy.
Each engine had its own fuel pump and separate Oil and Fuel tanks which were housed in the wing.
The Anson was the first RAF monoplane that featured retractable undercarriage although it had to be manually operated by a hand crank which required 140 turns by the Pilot.
PRODUCTION
The Avro Anson was produced from 1930s to 1952, with over 11,000 built.
ENGINES
2 x Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah 15s, producing 840 hp.
ARMAMENT
2 x Vickers 0.303” machine gun
360 lb (163 kg) Bomb load
By the start of WWII there were 26 RAF squadrons which operated the Avro Anson Mk I, 10 with Coastal Command and 16 with Bomber Command.
As the War progressed the Anson had become obsolete from these roles and were replaced by the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and the Lockheed Hudson.
Although a few Avro Anson’s continued to serve in coastal patrols and air/sea rescue duties, its main role became a trainer to help pilots learn to fly multi-engine bombers such as the Avro Lancaster.
| Crew - 3 to 6 |
| Length - 42ft 3in (12.88m) |
| Wingspan - 56ft 6in (17.22m) |
| Height - 13ft 1in (3.99m) |
| Empty Weight - 5,375lb (2,438kg) |
| Max. Weight - 8,000lb (3,629kg) |
| Max. Speed - 188 mph (303 km/h) |
| Range - 790 miles (1,271 km) |
