Airspeed Ambassador

Ambassador at Bristol Airport in 1965
Type	airliner
Manufacturer	Airspeed Ltd
Maiden flight	10 July 1947
Primary user	BEA
Number built	23

The Airspeed Ambassador was a twin piston engined airliner that first flew on July 10, 1947 and served in very small numbers through the 1950s. Airspeed Ambassador at Bristol Airport in 1965. ... Bristol International Airport (IATA: BRS, ICAO: EGGD) is the main commercial airport serving the city of Bristol and the surrounding area in England, UK. // History In 1927 a group of local businessmen raised £6,000 through public subscription to inaugurate a flying club at Filton Aerodrome. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... This article describes the company Airspeed Ltd. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1947: Events March March 14 - Saudi Arabian Airlines begins regular services. ... An Airbus A340 airliner operated by Air Jamaica An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft whose primary function is the transportation of paying passengers. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ...

History

It had its origin in 1943 as a requirement identified by the Brabazon Committee for a twin-engined, short to medium-haul DC-3 replacement. Airspeed Ltd was asked to prepare an unpressurized design in the 14.5 tonne gross weight class using two Bristol Hercules radials. By the time the British Ministry of Aircraft Production ordered two prototypes from Airspeed, immediately after the end of the Second World War, the design had grown substantially. The Ambassador would be pressurized, have more powerful Bristol Centaurus radials, and have a maximum gross weight of almost 24 tonnes. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... In 1942, during World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to split responsibility for aircraft construction; the US would concentrate on transport aircraft while the UK would concentrate on their heavy bombers. ... Douglas DC-3 VH-AES at Avalon in 2003. ... This article describes the company Airspeed Ltd. ... A tonne (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of weight. ... Bristol Hercules engine The Hercules was a 14_cylinder two_row radial aircraft engine produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. ... The Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. As the name suggests, it was responsible for aircraft production for the British forces; primarily the... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Bristol Centaurus engine The Centaurus was the ultimate development of Bristol Engine Companys series of sleeve valve radial aircraft engines, a massive 18_cylinder two_row design that eventually delivered over 3,000 hp (2. ...

It offered seating for 47 passengers and, having a nose wheel undercarriage, looked far more modern than the Commandos, DC-3s, Lancastrians and Vikings that were common on Europe's shorter airline routes. With three low fins it shared something of the character of the larger trans-continental Lockheed Constellation. British European Airways operated up to 20 Ambassadors between 1952 and 1958, calling them "Elizabethans" in honour of the newly crowned Queen. It also helped the growth of Dan-Air, an important airline in the development of package holidays. The undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels) that supports an aircraft when it is taxying or stationary. ... C-46 Commando Categories: Military stubs | U.S. military transport aircraft 1940-1949 | World War II American transport aircraft ... Douglas DC-3 VH-AES at Avalon in 2003. ... The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a passenger and mail transport aircraft of the 1940s. ... Note: this is an artice about the Post World War Two twin-engined Vickers Viking airliner. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... President Dwight Eisenhower flew in two Constellations, named Columbine II and Columbine III. The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. ... For alternate usages of BEA see Bea (disambiguation). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dan-Air was an airline based in the United Kingdom that commenced operations in 1953. ...

The popularity of this splendid aircraft was soon eclipsed however by the arrival of turboprops such as the Vickers Viscount and, some years later, the Lockheed Electra, which featured more relaible engines and faster speeds. The coming of these turboprops and the dawning of the jet age caused the Ambassador to fall out of favor, along with negative publicity. A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ... The Viscount was a medium-range turboprop airliner introduced in 1953 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world. ... The Lockheed L-188 Electra first flew in 1957, and was the first turboprop airliner built in the USA. It delivered performance only slightly inferior to that of a full jet aircraft, at a lower operating cost. ... The jet age is a common description of an historical period beginning with the introduction of airliners powered by turbojets and turbofans for scheduled passenger service. ...

Two Ambassadors unfortunately made the headlines due to crashes. First, an Ambassador crashed on takeoff from Munich on 6 February 1958, in what was later termed the Munich air disaster. This crash garnered tremendous public attention in the UK as it was carrying team members, staff, and journalists with the Manchester United football club. Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern). ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A plaque at Old Trafford Football Ground commemorating the Munich air disaster The Munich air disaster occurred on February 6, 1958, when Flight BE609, a British European Airways Elizabethan class Airspeed Ambassador charter aircraft G-ALZU Lord Burghley, carrying players and backroom staff of Manchester United F.C., plus a... Manchester Uniteds emblem Manchester United F.C. (often abbreviated to Man United or just Man U, pronounced man-yoo) is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

A second headline-making accident was a spectacular fatal crash landing at London Heathrow Airport on 3 July 1968 by a BKS Air Transport Ambassador in which several horses being carried died, a parked Trident jet was damaged beyond repair and another Trident had its tail torn-off before the airliner hit terminal buildings & came to rest. The accident was later found to have been caused by failure of a flap actuating rod in the Ambassador's port (left) wing. Coincidently, the Trident with the damaged tail (G-ARPI) was subsequently repaired and later involved in an (unconnected) fatal accident in June 1972, when, operating as British European Airways Flight 548, it entered a deep stall due to premature retraction of the leading-edge droops and crashed in a field near reservoirs in Staines, Middlesex, killing all on board. London Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL), often referred to as Heathrow, is the busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Trident 1F The Trident, model DH121 or HS121, was a short/medium-range airliner designed by de Havilland in the 1950s, and built by the Hawker-Siddeley Group in the 1960s when de Havilland was merged, along with several other British aviation firms. ... The word Flap can refer to several things. ... On June 18th, 1972, British European Flight 548, a Hawker-Siddeley Trident 1B, G-ARPI, of British European Airways (BEA) crashed two minutes after takeoff from Heathrow Airport, killing all 118 passengers and crew on board. ... Deep stall is a dangerous condition that affects certain aircraft designs, notably those with a T-tail configuration. ... Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest (after Rutland). ...

One Elizabethan (G-ALZO c/n 5226) has been preserved by the Duxford Aviation Society at Duxford Cambridgeshire in eastern England. Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, some ten miles south of Cambridge. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004...

Civil Operators

• Autair.
• BKS Air Transport.
• British European Airways.
• Butler Air Transport.
• Dan Air.
• Globe Air.
• Novronafly.

For alternate usages of BEA see Bea (disambiguation). ... Dan-Air was an airline based in the United Kingdom that commenced operations in 1953. ...

Military Operators

• Jordan
  • Royal Jordanian Air Force.

(RJAF 107 c/n 5221, 108 c/n 5226, 109 c/n 5213) Royal Jordanian Air Force insignia The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) (Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya Almalakiya al-Urduniya in Arabic) is the Aviation branch of the Jordanian armed forces. ...

• Morocco

(c/n 5213 G-ALZP -> RJAF 109 (Sep 1959 to May 1961) -> Morocan Royal Flight CN-MAK (to November 1963) ->G-ALZP)

Source: Air Britain Archive Winter 2002 et seq

External links

• British Aircraft Directory entry
• Image of an Ambassador