The Avro Anson was a twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces during World War II and afterwards. Named for British admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance but was soon rendered obsolete. However it was rescued from obscurity by its suitability as a multi-engine air crew trainer, becoming the mainstay of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. By the end of its production life in 1952, the Anson spanned nine variants and a total of 8,138 had been built in Britain by Avro and, from 1941, a further 2,882 by the Canadian Federal Aircraft Ltd. Ansons served with most air forces of the British Commonwealth as well as Afghanistan, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Israel and the United States. Avro Anson reconnaissance aircraft and trainer. ... An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ... George Anson, 1st Baron Anson (April 23, 1697 - 1762) was a British admiral and a wealthy aristocrat, noted for his circumnavigation of the globe. ... Mixed reconaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... A trainer is a training aircraft used to develop piloting, navigational or weapon-aiming skills in flight crew. ... External links The Canadian Contribution (includes newspaper archives) World War II Newspaper Archives — The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Avro 504K. Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, well known for planes such as the Avro Lancaster which served in World War II. One of the worlds first aircraft builders, A.V.Roe and Company was established at Brownsfield Mills, Manchester, England by Alliot Verdon Roe and his brother... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... An air force is a military organization that primarily operates in air-based war. ... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, most of which were once governed by the United Kingdom and are its former colonies. ...

History

The Anson was derived from the commercial 6-seat Avro 652 and the militarised version, which first flew on 24 March 1935, was built to Air Ministry Specification 18/35. It was the first RAF monoplane with a retractable undercarriage. The first production run resulted in 174 Anson Mk.I aircraft for service with Coastal Command. No. 48 Squadron RAF was the first to be equipped in March 1936. At the start of World War II, there were 26 RAF squadrons operating the Anson I; 10 with Coastal Command and 16 with Bomber Command. However by this time the Anson was obsolete and in the process of being superseded by the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Lockheed Hudson. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1935: Events January January 11-12 – Amelia Earhart makes the first solo flight across the Pacific from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. ... The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the United Kingdom Government, established in 1918 with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the (then newly formed) Royal Air Force. ... A monoplane is an aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. ... Coastal Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force tasked with protecting the United Kingdom from naval threats. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1936: Events February February 13 - Imperial Airways commences airmail services to West Africa March March 23 - Impreial Airways begins scheduled flights between Hong Kong and Malaysia. ... RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAFs bomber forces. ... The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three twin-engine, front-line medium bombers in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of World War II. Along with the Handley Page Hampden and the Vickers Wellington, it bore the brunt of the early fighting, seeing... Lockheed Hudson Mk V The Lockheed Hudson was a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200...

Limited numbers of Ansons continued to serve in operational roles, such as coastal patrols and air/sea rescue, for much of the war but it was mainly used in a training role. In addition to training pilots for flying multi-engine bombers such as the Avro Lancaster, the Anson was used to train the other members of a bomber's air crew, such as navigator, wireless operator, bombardier and air-gunners. A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

The main Anson variant was the Mk.I, of which 6,704 were built in Britain. The other variants were mainly distinguished by their powerplant with Canadian-built Ansons using local engines. To overcome steel shortages, the 1,051 Canadian-built Mk.V Ansons featured a plywood fuselage. The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Plywood was the first type of engineered wood to be invented. ... In an aircraft, the fuselage is the main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ...

Avro Anson WD413 of the Air Atlantique Historic Flight takes off

Avro Anson WD413 of the Air Atlantique Historic Flight

• Mk.I 6688

Armstrong Whitworth Cheetah IX (350 hp) or XIX (395 hp)

• Mk.II 1822

330 hp Jacobs L-6BM, Canadian-built

• Mk.III 330 hp Jacobs L-6BM, British-built
• Mk.IV Wright Whirlwind, British-built
• Mk.V 1069

450 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior, Canadian-built

• Mk.VI 450 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior, Canadian-built
• Mk.X 104 converted Mk.Is
• Mk.11 90 converted Mk.Is
• Mk.12 20 converted Mk.Is, 221 new
• C.19 : 264 aircraft for the RAF, for use as communications aircraft.
• T.20 : 60 aircraft for bombing and navigation training in Southern Rhodesia.
• T.21 : 252 navigation trainers for the RAF.
• T.22 : 54 radio trainers for the RAF.
• Anson 18 : 12 aircraft for the Royal Afghan Air Force, for use as communications, police patrol and aerial survey work.
• Anson 18C : 13 aircraft for the Indian government, for civil aircrew training.
• Avro Nineteen : Civil transport version. Also known as the Anson XVII.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1034, 448 KB) Avro 652a Anson T.21 (military designation WD413, private registration G-VROE) of the Air Atlantique Historic Flight at Hullavington Airfield, Wiltshire, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1034, 448 KB) Avro 652a Anson T.21 (military designation WD413, private registration G-VROE) of the Air Atlantique Historic Flight at Hullavington Airfield, Wiltshire, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x970, 378 KB) Avro 652a Anson T.21 (military designation WD413, private registration G-VROE) of the Air Atlantique Historic Flight at Hullavington Airfield, Wiltshire, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x970, 378 KB) Avro 652a Anson T.21 (military designation WD413, private registration G-VROE) of the Air Atlantique Historic Flight at Hullavington Airfield, Wiltshire, England. ... The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior was an engine widely used in American aircraft starting in the 1930s. ...

Service

The Royal Australian Air Force operated 1,028 Ansons, mainly Mk.Is, until 1955. The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ...

The Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy operated Ansons until 1952. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

The USAAF employed fifty Canadian-built Ansons, designated as the AT-20. USAAF recruitment poster. ...

The Royal New Zealand Air Force operated 23 Ansons as navigation trainers in [[World War II], (alongside the more numerous Airspeed Oxford), and acquired more Ansons as communication aircraft immediately after the war. A preserved navigation trainer is in the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum at Wigram. The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the air force arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. ... The Airspeed AS10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during World War II. // History The Oxford was based on Airspeeds commercial 8-seater Envoy III, seven of which had been modified for the South African Air... A museum primarily of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and its predessors the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, and New Zealand squadrons of the Royal Air Force. ...

The Egyptian Air Force operated Ansons in communications and VIP duties. A specially outfitted Anson was gifted to the then King by the Royal Air Force The Egyptian Air Force of EAF (Al Quwwat Al Jawwiya Il Misriya in Arabic) is the Aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ...

The last Ansons were withdrawn from RAF service on June 28, 1968. (Some entries on this page have been duplicated on August 1. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

Specifications (Mk I)

General characteristics

• Crew: 3 or 4
• Length: 42 ft 3 in (12.88 m)
• Wingspan: 56 ft 6 in (17.22 m)
• Height: 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)
• Wing area: 630 ft² (58.5 m²)
• Weight:
  • Empty: 5,512 lb (2,500 kg)
  • Loaded: 7,955 lb (3,608 kg)
  • Maximum takeoff: 8,500 lb (3,856 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 x Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX radial engines, 2 x 350 hp (2 x 260 kW)

Radial engine of a biplane. ...

Performance

• Maximum speed: 188 mph at 7,000 ft (303 km/h at 2,100 m)
• Range: 790 miles (1,271 km)
• Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,791 m)
• Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (228 m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/weight: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Armament

• 1 x .303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun in front fuselage
• 1 x .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun in dorsal turret
• 360 lb (163 kg) bomb load

.303 cartridge The . ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... 203. ...

Related content

Related development: Avro 652

Comparable aircraft: Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during World War II. // History The Oxford was based on Airspeeds commercial 8-seater Envoy III, seven of which had been modified for the South African Air...

Designation sequence: 652 - 652A - 679 - 683 - 685 - 688 - The Avro Manchester was a twin-engined heavy bomber developed during World War II by the Avro aircraft company in the UK. The Manchester was a failure, being severely under-powered, but it was the forerunner to the famous Avro Lancaster bomber, one of the most successful bombers of the... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... The Avro York was a passenger and freight transport of the 1940s, in both military and civilian applications. ...

See also

• List of aircraft of the RAF
• List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm

Many aircraft types have served in the Royal Air Force since it was formed in 1918 by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. ... This is a list of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. ...