Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Military and commercial freighter

Power Plant:

Four 1,664 kw (2,230 shp) Rolls Royce Dart 532-1 turboprops

Specifications:

History:

The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was designed by Armstrong Whitworth, a subsidiary of Hawker Siddeley, as a private venture specifically for the commercial freight market. However, only 17 examples were sold to civil operators and 56 were delivered to the Royal Air Force where it was affectionately known as ‘the Whistling Wheelbarrow’. The prototype (G-AOZZ) flew for the first time on 8 January 1959 with Rolls Royce Dart 526 turboprops.

The first ten production aircraft, which were known as Series 100, went to commercial operators; seven to Riddle Airlines in the USA and three to British European Airways (BEA). The first aircraft for the RAF, an Argosy C.1 (XN814), was first flown on 4 March 1961 and carried out service trials at the A&AEE at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire.

The 56 RAF aircraft (serials XN814 to XN821, NX847 to NX858, XP408 to XP413, XP437 to XP450, XR105 to XR109, and XR133 to XR143) saw good service for many years but, following the withdrawal of British Forces from the Far East, they were surplus to requirements and eventually all but 13 were broken up, some with less than 4,000 hours on the airframe. Eight were retained for some years by the RAF for training, one was used for experimental work, one went to the US for a fire-fighting contract, two went to Africa working on missile work and one was saved for a museum. First of the series to be seen in this region was in the 1960s when aircraft of the RAFs Far East Air Force regularly made visits.

Subsequently the Series 200 appeared, with up-rated engines, enabling operation at higher weights. Examples of this variant were delivered to BEA, but this company only operated them for a few years. The Argosy was marketed as “as front and rear doors accepting 108 in pallets…the world’s only feeder/distributor aircraft compatible with long-range freighters and designed specifically for profitable operation over short and medium stages. The Argosy accommodates six 108 in pallets. Its ‘Rolomat’ cargo handling system, at truck-bed height, enables pallet loads to be handled through front and rear doors simultaneously – 13 tons in and 13 tons out in 12 minutes or less”. In military service it could operate as a troop transport, air transport, paratroop transport, casualty transport, dropping vehicles from the air, etc, and could accommodate 69 fully-equipped troops, being fully pressurised.

When the BEA aircraft were disposed of, two went to Safe-Air in New Zealand, and one to Brain & Brown Ltd in Melbourne, VIC being registered on 1 May 1974 at Essendon, VIC. This aircraft VH-BBA (c/n 6656 – ex G-APWW, N892U, N6803R, G-APWW, G-1-3) was used for freight services to Tasmania, the first service commencing on 1 February 1978, the aircraft being able to fly four trips each way from Essendon to Launceston carrying 11 tonnes each trip, thus carrying 88 tonnes per day. However, it was sold to Kris Air of Singapore as N37807 in July 1980 and, named ‘Sir Stamford Raffles’, flew twice weekly World Vision relief services to Ho Chi Minh City and Pnohm Penh in Vietnam.

Following the Australian Government’s decision to not make freight operations separate from the two-airlines agreement, VH-BBA, a Model 101, returned to Australia on 4 August 1982 and became VH-IPD ‘Spirit of Enterprise’, being overhauled at that stage. In July 1987 it underwent a major spar modification which extended its life for a further 7,000 landings.

In 1975 the RAF withdrew its Argosy Model 202s from service and offered them on the commercial market. However, because of their high operating costs, and relatively short range with a full load of cargo, they were not very attractive to commercial operators and only a few were sold. Two VH-IPA (c/n 6803 – ex TR-LWQ, CF-TAX, G-ASXO) and VH-IPB (c/n 6805 – ex TR-LWR, CF-TAZ, G-ATTC) came to Australia and joined Brain & Brown at Essendon.

Early in 1979 Brain & Brown was taken over by freight operator IPEC Air and the three Argosys were painted in that company’s yellow and natural metal colour scheme. They were subsequently regularly seen around Australia operating freight services. The Model 202 aircraft gave the IPEC Air Company a 2,000 kg (4,409 lb) increase in capacity over the Model 101 and an extra 10 cubic metres in capacity. They were regularly used for transporting livestock such as horses.

The two Model 202s VH-IPA and VH-IPB remained in service for a few more years and then were withdrawn from use and broken-up at Essendon in December 1990 following the arrival of Douglas DC-9 freighters. During their service life in Australia the Argosys operated four return flights weekly on the Adelaide / Melbourne / Sydney / Brisbane route. VH-IPB for a period in 1990 was leased to Safe Air in New Zealand as ZK-SAL.

Two Model 202 Argosys ZK-SAE (c/n 6802 – ex CF-TAJ – ‘Merchant Enterprise’) and ZK-SAF (c/n 6801 – ex CF-TAG – ‘Merchant Pioneer’) were imported in October 1973 and July 1974 and were operated by Safe Air on freight services throughout New Zealand. They also were withdrawn from service in 1991 and work commenced on breaking them up. Safe Air operated its aircraft from Woodbourne, Blenheim, as passenger / freight combis, a Boeing 737-type passenger capsule being fitted in the hold when they operated the 648 km (403 miles) tourist run to the Chatham Islands.

Following the grounding of ZK-SAF, VH-IPB named ‘Virtue of Patience’, was obtained by Safe Air in April 1990 and operated as ZK-SAL, with the IPEC colours on the fuselage but with Safe Air markings on the tail. It returned to Australia on 22 September 1990 and was broken up. ZK-SAF was reduced to components but ZK-SAE has been saved and is on display at a restaurant near Blenheim’s Woodbourne airport.