Avro Anson

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Avro Anson

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Anson Mk.I
Anson Mk.II
Anson Mk.III
Anson Mk.IV
Anson Mk.V
Anson Mk.VI
Anson Mk.X
Anson Mk.XI
Anson Mk.XII
Anson C.19
Anson T.20
Anson T.21
Anson T.22
Anson XIX/Nineteen - civilian version, built 56 pieces
Anson 18 - 12 Nineteen aircraft for the Afghan Air Force
Anson 18C - 13 aircraft for the Indian government

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson
http://www.warbirdalley.com/anson.htm
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Avro-Anson-t54872#202509 Version : 0
Influenced by the rise of American airliners in the early 1930s, which brought elements such as a retractable landing gear, the standard use of two engines and a low-flying concept (it was, for example, Boeing 247 whether Douglas DC-2 or the upcoming Lockheed Electra), British airline Imperial Airways turned to AV Roe and Company with an interest in a small fast long-haul airliner to use these new features. In August 1933, work began on a four-seater aircraft project with a maximum speed of over 240 km/h and a range of at least 960 kilometers, powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah star engines. The author of the project, named Avro 652, was Roy Chadwick, who used a metal frame made of welded tubes introduced by Avro as part of the Fokker F.VII, all-wood wings and manually retractable chassis in engine nacelles.

At the same time, the Ministry of Aviation invited Avro to tender for a new twin-engine coastal patrol aircraft, the specifications of which were very similar to those of Imperial Airways, so it was decided to follow the militarized version, designated the Avro 652A. Its proposal was submitted to the Ministry on April 19, 1934. It differed from the design of the transport machine by using Cheetah VI engines of 220 kW instead of "civilian" Cheetah V of 201 kW, rectangular windows instead of rounds and doors moved from left to right. It was assumed armament with a movable machine gun Lewis in the ceiling of the cabin or a manually operated turret behind the wings, a fixed Vickers on the left side of the bow and the ability to carry 159 kg of bombs under the centerplane. In the end, the best out of the bitter fight for the order was the Avro with the 652A tower variant and de Havilland with the D.H.89M, whose prototypes were to be delivered in May 1935.

The first Avro 652 for Imperial Airways took off in Woodford on January 7, 1935, and together with the second machine (designation G-ACRM, "Avalon", and G-ACRN, "Ava") was handed over on April 11 in Croydon. The first takeoff of the Avra 652A took place 13 days later. Operational tests at the Coast Defense Development Unit in Gosport in May led to the preference of Avra over the biplane de Havilland, but after further tests it was recommended to increase the span of the tail surfaces and reduce the area of the ailerons. The Ministry responded to the test results with specifications 18/35 and ordered 174 serial aircraft, the prototype of which K6152 took off for the first time 31. 12. 1935, already assigned the trade name Anson Mk.I. In addition, the K6152 had windows replaced with a glass strip along the entire length of the cabin, Cheetah IX engines, wider tail surfaces and a rudder with mass balance instead of aerodynamic. The tail surfaces were retrofitted on other machines. Imperial Airways deployed its Avra on the Croydon-Brindisi route to be later plundered by Air Service Training Ltd. and used for navigation training. Still civilian, they then served at the No.11 Air Observer´s Navigation School in Hamble, from where they were taken over by the RAF in February 1941 for the No.1 School of Photography. Eventually, they ended up in the Royal Navy at 811. squadron in Lee-on-Solent.

12 Ansonons (marked A4-1 - A4-12) were transferred from production to the RAAF and handed over in Melbourne on November 19, 1936. These machines then served in the 2nd, 3.[/Url ] and the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron. They were later supplemented by another 36 machines. In England, the first Ansons were handed over in February 1936 [url=/topic/view/17453] 48. squadron in Manston and put into service on April 6 as the first RAF aircraft with retractable landing gear. During 1936, two more series of a total of 135 machines were ordered, which had further modifications, such as Schrenk hydraulic flaps. Of these machines, three were delivered to the Finnish Air Force and one to Estonia. In October 1936, a modified Anson SU-AAO with a take-off weight of 3600 kg took off, which was flown to Egypt with civilian matriculation and the official designation Avro 652 Mk.II, where it was tested for operation in the upcoming bomber and transport squadron of the Egyptian Air Force. The other four machines were ordered separately for the Irish Air Force in March 1938.Although Turkey ordered 25 machines, due to the outbreak of war, only six machines were delivered in early 1940, another 12 were handed over to Greece in July 1939 with a British civilian designation. Several of them managed to fly to Egypt after the German attack. Other British Ansons were handed over to the Royal Iraqi Air Force at the beginning of the war, but were mostly destroyed in the 1941 uprising.

Of the 1,500 machines ordered in 1939, 40 were lent to the Australian Air Force, where they were deployed to the 2nd and 6th Bomber Squadrons. Other aircraft were handed over to the South African Air Force, where in their original role of naval patrol replaced Ju 86 in the 60th Squadron in the Italian East Africa and the anti-submarine 31st 32nd and 33rd Squadrons Cape of Good Hope. One was equipped with floats and was used in Durban as a non-flying simulator for sailing training for Sunderland crews[/url=/topic/view/44981].

The first British squadron equipped with Ansons was the aforementioned 48th Squadron from Manston, which served as a training for the preparation of crews and navigators for naval reconnaissance. Manston also created 206. squadron, which moved in June 1936 to Bircham Newton. In March 1937, there were 220., 269., 224., 217. a 233. Squadron and other Antony were handed over to the Auxiliary Air Force to strengthen Coastal Command and Squadron 500, 502, 608, and 612 were [url]=/topic/view/64078] CC[/url] subordinate in the next two years. All of these Ansons were originally silver, with only the number of the squadron on the sides of the fuselage, but after the Munich crisis they received a camouflage paint dark earthy and green on the upper surfaces and black or light gray on the lower.

Although the Ansons became obsolete at the beginning of the war, they were still in the arsenal of the eleven squadrons and were usually used in anti-ship patrols over the North Sea and search for magnetic mines fired from [115] Heinkel He 115[/url] Luftwaffe. But they were also used for submarine patrols and protection of convoys. On September 5, 1939, Anson K6187 "E" from the 206th Squadron launched one of the first attacks on the German submarine. On December 3, K6184 "P" attacked the submarine, which he hit at the base of the tower with at least one bomb and probably destroyed it. Pilot R. H. Harper was awarded the DFC for this. On November 11, one of the three patrol Ansons of the 608th Squadron attacked two Heinkels 115, but had to disengage after his front machine gun jammed. The success for the 269th Squadron then ended the clash between its Anson and Do 18, which never returned to Germany, and in June 1940, three Ansons were able to not only repel the attack of three stodevítek, but also two shoot down and the rest damaged. Another notable event was the Anson 500th Squadron, based at the time in Detling on the English Channel, over troops evacuated from Dunkirk. The unit's personnel placed two more movable machine guns in their aircraft, movably mounted in windows on the sides of the fuselage. Thanks to that, these Ansons managed to shoot down a total of six Messerschmitt. Squadron Commander Squadron Leader W. K. LeMay's machine also had a movable 20mm Hispano cannon in the floor, which was repeatedly used against submarines.

Although Ansons were then replaced by new Beauforts, Hudsony and Blenheims, in June 1940, two more Anson squadrons were formed, 320. and 321., of Dutch pilots escaped before the occupation, but Ansons were used more for lack of new machines and were replaced after a few months by Hudson.After being eliminated from the first line, the Ansons (which were mainly bothered by low endurance in flight) moved to operational training units, and some were equipped with anti-ship radar with an antenna in the form of three pillars on the bow. Due to the need to deploy the Hudson to fight submarines, Ansons and other first-line types were deployed instead for the Naval Rescue Service. The first two reached 275. Squadrons in September 1942 and gradually became the armament of the squadrons where there was no threat of encountering the enemy - over the Irish Sea, etc. It was used by 276., 278., 281. a 282. squadron. Several Ansons were even used to pick up agents from the occupied countries. usually used to do this Lysanders, but 138. a 161. the squadron sometimes needed to pick up or deliver a larger cargo.

During the last years before the war and the first months of the war, Anson also served in the bombing headquarters. She was the first to receive 8 pieces on January 11, 1937 144. Squadron in Bicester and the following month also 58. Squadron in Driffield. Shortly as a transition type, Ansony also had 61. a 215. squadron. After the outbreak of war, it was necessary to increase the number of trained bomber crews and some squadrons were moved purely to this task, while the training machines were the Ansons plus obsolete bombers type Fairey Battle. Other Ansons were also scattered in several pieces by other units as liaison and formed the armament of many operational training units, falling under Bomber Command. In this role, they came into contact with the enemy only in the role of victims in enemy attacks on their home airports. A number of Anson Mk.Is have also been used Air Transport Auxiliary as "taxis" to transport overflight pilots, usually nine, but sometimes literally crashed on board. 13. Originally they flew with standard armament, later the turrets and machine guns were removed. 25 of these machines were deployed to assist with supplies after landing in Normandy, where one was shot down by anti-aircraft fire.

Ansons were used as training before the war, to Central Flying School was delivered one of the first machines produced. Part of the third series of machines was delivered in 1937 to the military aviation schools as a replacement for the Airspeedy Oxford, which were not yet available. Four machines were given to the No.11 Flying Training School in Wittering, another four No.6 FTS and five No.9 FTS. Most Anson L7046 machines were delivered to training units, usually with two landing lights in the right part of the centerplane instead of the original one in the bow, and after April 1939 they were delivered in a new camouflage scheme (green and earthy surfaces, lower gray or yellow) instead of the original all-silver form. Most of the training machines also did not have a turret, logically only the part of them that was to be used for shooting training. The tower was also removed from many machines, originally used at the Coastal Command. No training machine also had a machine gun in the bow, all had only sheet metal riveted to the original hole, even machines from the end of production, for which the installation of a machine gun was no longer planned. There were also kits for field treatment of training Anson for dual control.

Prior to the war, Ansona's training units served at Elementary and Reserve Flying Schools for volunteer training, as well as at Nos.1 and 2 Air Observer School, Nos.1, 2, 3 and 4 Civil Air Navigation Schools, and some Service Flying Training Schools. During the war, most of the training took place overseas, but several units, usually for the training of radio operators, gunners and navigators, remained in operation in Britain.Before 1943, Ansons were equipped for shooting training with the original armored manual turret Armstrong-Whitworth with a Lewis machine gun, then it was replaced by 313 new machines for the Bristol turret, basically taken from Blenheim . These machines also had astro groups. During the war, Continuing Air Forces were formed for novices trained overseas, which, of course, also had mostly Ansons.

Despite how common Anson was with the Bomber and Coastal Command, this type had only one fighter unit, the 62nd Operational Training Unit, training radar operators for night fighters. Most of its machines were therefore equipped with AI radar, whose antennas were placed similarly to the first Beaufighters and Mosquit on the bow and leading edges of the wings. The individual machines also reached the training units of the Naval Air Force, where also ended the already mentioned civilian prototypes, and others served in the Navy as a liaison. A larger number of Ansons did not reach the British Navy until after the war.

Before the war, there was a plan in the Commonwealth [/url] to create a common air training system, the Imperial Air Training Scheme, which in December 1939 became the Commonwealth Air Training Plan and one of the standard training Anson also became an aircraft. Most of the training was to take place in Canada, and Britain was to supply mainly aircraft in addition to students. Thus, a total of 1,528 Anson Mk.Is were sent to Canada, which, after delivery, were modified for service in local climatic conditions, mainly by installing cabin heating and covering a large part of the glazing. Most had standard Cheetah IX engines, but some received a Cheetah X. Anyway, about 1,028 machines (including 48 originals) arrived in Australia. Due to the loss of aircraft and engines during transport, caused by German submarines, it was decided to produce Ansons directly in Canada, but until then, kites were transported to Canada, which were assembled there. Due to the fact that some components and aircraft were destroyed along the way, several machines, such as wings, were already made in Canada. The local, Canadian version, was given the designation [url=/topic/view/90842] Anson Mk.II and American star engines Jacobs L-6MB with an output of 246 kW were selected for it. The silent period before the start of production was filled with deliveries of Anson Mk.III, which were the original kites made in England, but with Jacobs engines. Anson Mk.III was identical in appearance to the Mk.I, only the engines had a smooth body. Stroe from later production also had a hydraulically retractable chassis instead of the original manual one.

During the installation of engines in Canadian factories, the towers were usually removed, or were left, but without weapons as a temporary astro group. The cabin glazing was also limited to three windows. The first Mk.III became the 6008 (originally N9935), originally flying as the Mk.I, and rebuilt at the National Steel Car and Co. in March 1941. As an alternative to the Cheetah engines was also selected Wright R-975-E3 Whirlwind. The prototype was Anson Mk.I R9816 and the modified machine was tested at Boscombe Down in late 1941 and early the following year. This modification was designated the Anson Mk.IV. The prototype was then shipped to Canada and between July and November 1943 even lent to the USAAF. However, the production of the Mk.II started and the version with Whirlwind engines was no longer needed, yet in the end there were a number of Mk.I and Mk.III got these engines. A total of 223 kites, designated the Anson Mk.IV, were dispatched from the Newton Heath plant, but in Canada they usually made no distinction between them and other Ansons without engines, and most received Cheetah engines. Some were even completed as Mk.I, then rebuilt into Mk.III and only then received Whirlwinds. The machines with these engines differed in appearance from the Mk.III basically only by a wider body. A total of 150 machines were proven to be adapted to the Ansony Mk.III, as 154 kites were completed as the Anson Mk.IV, while many machines started as Mk.III and ended as Mk.IV, eg kites 6005, 6008, 6012, 6124, etc.

Anson Mk.II as a purely Canadian version had a simplified glazing that was limited to three windows on each side, a new bow made of plywood Vidal and, like both Canadian conversions, had a new hydraulically retractable chassis, with double legs instead of the original "fork". The dampers were also hydraulically operated. The prototype Anson Mk.II 7069 was rebuilt from the Mk.I in the Canadian state factory Federal Aircraft Ltd., which was established for this purpose, and first took off on August 21, 1941. Six other subcontractors participated in the production and a total of 1822 machines were built. In 1943, fifty of them were delivered to the US Air Force as AT-20 for continuing training, with Jacobs R-915-7 engines, which was the military designation of the aforementioned L-6MB.
Due to the all-metal construction of Anson, it was decided to save iron reserves and a new version with a Vidal plywood hull was designed. The number of students on board increased to five, and instead of the original belt, which is unsatisfactory in Canada, there are three round eyes on each side. The fuselage of the prototype was built by Vidal in Bristol, Massachusetts, and supplemented using parts from one Mk.I and one Mk.IV and as Anson Mk.V first took off in 1942 1,070 navigator training machines were built in three factories, and one more or less identical Anson Mk.VI was also built, which was a prototype version for shooting training equipped with the Bristol B.1 Mk.VI turret. These machines used Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN12B or AN14B engines. Anson Mk.V remained in service with the RCAF and the Canadian Navy until the late 50s.

The second purely British version became Anson Mk.X (designation VII-IX was omitted for possible other Canadian versions), which was created as a purely transport, with the possibility of easy conversion from freight for transport or ambulance. The prototype NK753 had a reinforced floor (according to some pilots, Anson Mk.I had already carried anything that did not fall through the floor) and a takeoff weight increased to 4286 kg. The Mk.X Series 1 had Cheetah IX engines, Series 2 Cheetah XIX engines of 295 kW and a hydraulically retractable chassis. In the ambulance, he had another door on the right side of the fuselage above the root of the wing, allowing the stretcher to be loaded with the patient. In addition to the pilot and the nurse, three stretchers with patients and two patients capable of movement were on board. Most Mk.Xs had a new Plexiglas bow and smooth engine covers, and both were retrofitted to many Anson Mk.Is, so the problem is to distinguish them from the outside. The first machines had full military equipment and Bristol towers, but most flew without weapons. Ansony Mk.X used the 4th and 5th AODU and Air transport Auxiliary after landing to transport to the continent.

In 1944, two more modernized versions were created, the Mk. XI a Mk.XII. These machines had a higher cab ceiling, glazing replaced by three rectangular windows and with a hydraulically retractable chassis. Anson Mk.XI used Cheetah XIX engines and Fairey-Reed fixed propellers, Mk.XII Chetaah XV with an output of 313 kW and propellers with variable pitch Rotol. They were visually distinguishable only by the fact that the Mk.XII propellers had cones. Production of the Anson Mk.XI began in March 1944 with the NK790 machine and reached 90 pieces, at the same time 11 Anson Mk.Is were completed as the Mk.XII, followed by the production of 264 Ansons Mk.XII starting with PH528. Several of them were built as in an ambulance with a door above the root of the wing on the right side of the fuselage. The first prototype of the ambulance Mk.XI took off on July 30, 1944, the first ambulance Mk.XII three months later.

In 1945, it modified one Anson C.12 (at the end of the war, the use of Roman numerals was gradually abandoned) for nine passenger seats and with five oval windows on each side according to the XIX specifications issued by the Brabazon Commission. The Brabazon Commission was a government body tasked with exploring the possibilities of the British aviation industry and determining what the likely needs of British transport aviation would be and ensuring the production of such types.According to this specific specification, requiring a transport aircraft for small routes, the prototype was named Avro 652A Nineteen and was handed over with the civil designation G-AGNI for tests on domestic routes. The RAF ordered 25 of these machines for VIP transport as Avro Anson C.19. These machines were modified from the Mk.XII, but was followed by an order for another 160 in two subversions - Series 1 had the original wooden wings, Series 2 had metal stabilizing surfaces and metal canvas-coated wings with one foot larger span. 67 of the ordered machines were to be the second variant, but the order was later changed to 124 of the second variant and in the end some were not built. 23 Series 1 machines were converted to civilian orders, one Series 2 was handed over to the Afghan government, and another nine were converted to training T.20 before delivery.

Type numbers 13 and 14 were omitted for possible versions for shooting training and numbers 15 and 16 for bombing and navigation training. The designation Avro Mk.18 (despite the number in the sequence it was a version imported from the Mk.19) received 12 multi-purpose aircraft, equipped for police, transport and aerial photography and used in the years 1948-1956 by the Royal Afghan Air Force. Another twelve machines, with an opaque bow and a search antenna moved further back, were ordered by India for the training of civilian air crews such as the Anson Mk.18C.

The last three versions of Anson came out of military service again, and all had wings with a metal frame. The first of these, T.20, was created according to the specifications of T.24/46 as a multi-purpose training aircraft for Southern Rhodesia. On the ceiling he had an astro group for navigation training, a pressed plexiglass bow for aiming training, and bomb hangers under the wings. Several T.20s that remained in England flew without hangers. A prototype version of T.21 VS562 first took off in March 1948 and featured a version for navigation training under Air Training Command at British Isles. From the outside, it differed from the T.20 only in the opaque bow. The last type was the T.22, for training radio operators. The prototype, the VM306, made its first flight in June 1948. It differed from the T.21 by removing the astrogroup and moving the search antenna to its place. 60 T.20 were built (and another 9 converted from C.19), 252 T.21 and 54 T.22. All three versions differed from the previous ones in that their Cheetah 15 engines did not have external oil coolers and the exhausts were moved to the outside of the nacelles. On March 15, 1952, the 11020 took off (or 8138. made in Britain, another 2882 was made in Canada) and also the last made Anson, T Mk.21 WJ561.

After the end of World War II, small quantities of Anson Mk.Is were sold to the air forces of Belgium, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal and other Saudi Arabia, including Czechoslovakia, Ansona (usually the most numerous version, or Mk.I) used by about 28 countries. Most, 223, were sold to France, which used them at the School of Air Navigation and Bombing in Cazoux, in patrol squadrons in Syria and Equatorial Africa, the Continuing Aviation School in Cognac, and the Navy. Of course, a large number of them reached civilian users as small transport aircraft, and were used for aerial photography and for dusting against insects in Africa. However, due to the wooden wing, their service life was not very long and the last ones expired around 1960. Only a little later, the Ansons 19 and other machines with metal wings also wore out. The RAF began disposing of its obsolete C.19 in 1958, mostly in civilian hands, eg Rhodesia, but received three pieces as early as 1948. The official decommissioning of the last Ansons at the RAF was celebrated by the flight of six aircraft .21) Southern Communications Squadron over Bovingdon June 28, 1938.

Source:
Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908, Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1990. ISBN 0-85177-834-8
Thetford, Owen. Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918, Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1976. ISBN 0-37010-056-5
Hall, Alan W., Taylor, Eric.Avro Anson Marks I, III, IV & X. Almark Publishing, London 1972. ISBN 0-85524-064-4
www.rafmuseum.org.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson
www.militaryfactory.com

Avro Anson - Avro Anson Mk I

Avro Anson Mk I
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