The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British post-war military transport/cargo aircraft. To read about the 1920s airliner of the same name, see Armstrong Whitworth Argosy. Although given different type numbers, the AW. 650 civil and AW.660 military models were both called Argosy and for practical purposes are basically the same aircraft. Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. ... Named for the earlier 3 engined biplane airliner of Imperial Airways, the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a high winged 4 engined transport aircraft supplied to the Royal Air Force and a number of civil operators. ...

Armstrong Whitworth Argosy AW 650 (1959)

The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a high winged 4 engined transport aircraft supplied to a number of civil operators. First flown on 8 January 1959 a total of 17 were built for civil operators such as British European Airways. For alternate usages of BEA see Bea (disambiguation). ...

The Argosy was powered by four Rolls Royce Dart turboprops, had a maximum weight of 97,000 lb it had a payload of 28,000 lbs (12,000kg or 12.5 tons). Cruising at 210 knots, it had a range of 3,450 miles and could seat 65 passengers, (New Zealand machines which were the main link between the Chatham Islands and the mainland, were fitted with a pressurised "passenger capsule"). A diagram showing how a turboprop works. ... The Chatham Islands from space. ...

The type's unusual "pod and boom" structure - enabling loading front and rear - earned it the nick name "The Whistling Wheelbarrow". Specifications were similar to the AW660.

The last flight by an Argosy was made by one of New Zealand opertor SAFE air in 1992, that aircraft now being preserved in Blenheim.

Armstrong Whitworth Argosy AW 660

The Argosy was designed as a replacement for the Vickers Valetta, based upon the AW.650 Argosy civil transport which had flown 27 months previously. The military Argosy first flew in March 1961. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961: Events February February 3 - Operation Looking Glass commences, meaning that the US Air Force Strategic Air Command would have a permanent, airborne command post. ...

The Argosy had four Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 Mk101 1,998kW (2,680shp) engines driving Rotol four-blade propellers. The tailplane was on twin booms from the inner engine nacelles leaving the upward/downward opening 'crocodile doors' at the rear of the fuselage clear for straight-in loading and air drops. Its strong tricycle landing gear allowed take-off and landing on rough or unprepared airstrips. The Rolls Royce Dart was a long-lived turboprop engine. ... Rotol was a British company set up jointly by Rolls-Royce and the Bristol Aeroplane Company during World War Two for the manufacture of aircraft propellers. ...

Production of the Argosy for the RAF totalled 56 aircraft which served in six squadrons; three in the UK and one each in Aden, Cyprus & the Far East. The Argosy was withdrawn from service in 1975 as an economic measure. The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1975: Events January A specially modified McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle sets eight time to climb records, including one of 3 minutes 27 seconds from standstill on the runway to a height of 30,000 metres (98,425 feet). ...

Capacity

The Argosy could accommodate 69 troops, or 48 stretcher cases or 29,000 lbs (approx 13 tonnes) of freight. This meant it could carry military equipment such as the Saracen or Ferret armoured cars , or artillery such as the 105 mm Howitzer or Wombat. The FV 603 Saracen was a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier built by Alvis and used by the British army that became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its part in the policing of Northern Ireland. ... General characteristics Length 12 ft 2 in, 3. ...

Operating Units

• No. 105 Squadron RAF (Aden and UK)
• No. 114 Squadron RAF (Persian Gulf)
• No. 267 Squadron RAF (Persian Gulf)

Survivors

• ZK-SAE "Merchant Enterprise", Woodbourne, Blenheim, New Zealand.
• G-APRL Midland Air Museum, U.K. G-BEOZ Aeropark, East Midlands Airport.
• XP447 is parked at Lancaster Field Ca. USA, owned by the St. Monica Air Museum

• XP411 is preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford, U.K.
• The cockpit of XN819 is at the Newark Air Museum.
• N896U is on display at the Yankee Hill Air Museum and Ypsilanti Michigan USA

Woodbourne is a census-designated place located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. ... Blenheim may refer to a number of towns and cities in different countries: Blenheim, a city in New Zealand. ... An Avro Lancaster in the main hangar of the RAF Museum Hendon The Royal Air Force Museum (RAF Museum) is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation, and the British Royal Air Force in particular. ... Cosford is a village in Shropshire, England. ...

Specifications (Argosy C Mk.1)

General Characteristics

• Crew: four
• Capacity: up to 69 troops or 28,930 lb (13,150 kg) of cargo
• Length: 45 ft 3 in (27.18 m)
• Wingspan: 115 ft 0 in (35.05 m)
• Height: ft in ( m)
• Wing area: 1,458 ft² (135 m²)
• weight
  • Empty: 10,200 lb (4,627 kg)
  • Loaded: lb ( kg)
  • Maximum takeoff: 102,784 lb (46,720 kg)
• Powerplant: 4x Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 Mk 101, 2,440 hp (1,820 kW) each

The Rolls Royce Dart was a long-lived turboprop engine. ...

Performance

• Maximum speed: 269 mph (431 km/h)
• Range: 3,269 miles (5,230 km)
• Service ceiling: 18,040 ft (5,500 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/weight: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Related content

Related development: Armstrong Whitworth AW.650

Comparable aircraft: Blackburn Beverley A Blackburn Beverley The Blackburn Beverley was a heavy cantilever monoplane transport aircraft built by the Blackburn Aircraft corporation in the 1940s with its maiden flight in 1950 from Brough. ...

Designation sequence: AW.52 - AW.55 - AW.650 (civilan) Argosy - AW.66