Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two/three-seat basic training biplane

Power Plant:

[Avro 504K]

One 75 kw (100 hp) Sunbeam Dyak six-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled engine; or

One 97 kw (130 hp) Clerget 9B nine-cylinder rotary piston engine

Specifications:

History:

Perhaps the most famous civil and military training aircraft of all time, the Avro 504 was designed in 1913 by Alliott Verdon Roe, the first Englishman to fly in England (in May 1908). In 1912 Roe produced a design known as the E500 and 12 examples were ordered by the United Kingdom War Department. From this was developed the Avro 504, the first aircraft flying in July 1913. An example was entered in the Second Aerial Derby on 20 September 1913 and came fourth at a speed of 107 km/h (66.5 mph). As war became inevitable, further aircraft were ordered and an Avro 504 of No 5 Squadron RFC was shot down by infantry fire over Belgium, becoming the first British aircraft shot down in combat.

On 21 November 1914 a flight of Avro 504s left Belfort in France, flying to and bombed the Zeppelin sheds at Lake Constance, Friedrichshafen, a distance of 201 km (125 miles), dropping 9 kg (20 lb) bombs, one Avro 504 aircraft being shot down.

By the end of 1914 large numbers of Avro 504s had been built by a variety of manufacturers in a series of sub-types, including the 504A, 504B, 504C and 504D, all fitted with a 60 kw (80 hp) Gnome rotary engine. The 504A and 504B were two-seat trainers, whereas the 504C and 504D were single-seaters. On the 504C the rudder was re-designed and, for anti-Zeppelin duties, some had a Lewis gun mounted, whilst others carried light bombs or hand-grenades for dropping on the airships.

The Avro 504E was built for the Royal Naval Air Service and was fitted with a 75 kw (100 hp) Gnome Monosoupape engine. The main fuel tanks were between the cockpits, so the rear cockpit had to be moved back one bay in the fuselage. The Avro 504F was a 504C fitted with a 56 kw (75 hp) Rolls Royce Hawk engine, but this proved to be under-powered and this model was not placed into production.

Development continued through the Avro 504G and 504H models, the 504J, and eventually the 504K which, in addition to the engines noted above in the specifications, was also fitted with the 82 kw (110 hp) Le Rhone and the 75 kw (100 hp) Mono-Gnome. A total of 8,340 aircraft in the Avro 504 series was built.

Several examples have been seen in this region. In Australia, a number were on charge at the Central Flying School at Point Cook, VIC during World War I. Twenty were ordered by the Australian Government on 28 August 1918 for training at Point Cook by the Australian Flying Corps, all being ex-RAF aircraft, receiving serials in the A3- range. Four were written off before the formation of the RAAF and did not receive A3- serials.

As part of the Imperial Gift, the Australian Government sought 100 aircraft from Britain, including 35 Avro 504Ks with Monosoupape engines. In the event the 504Ks received were fitted with the 97 kw (130 hp) Clerget 9B rotary engine and these came from batches of aircraft built by Brush Electrical Engineering Co Ltd of Loughborough at Leicester, and Frederick Sage & Co Ltd at Peterborough, Lincolnshire. Some 53 examples were operated by the RAAF and received serials A3-1 to A3-53.

In 1919 the Australian agency for Avro was acquired by Mr Nigel Love, who established the Australian Aircraft & Engineering Co Ltd (AA&EC) in Sydney, NSW and was basically the founder of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. About 20 examples were shipped to this company and assembled at the company’s premises at Petersham and at Botany Road in suburbs of Sydney. Six were also built by AA&EC fitted with Dyak engines. One of these G-AUBG was the first aircraft employed by Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS). Subsequently an order was placed by the Minister for Defence for six Avro 504K aircraft. These (serials A3-48 to A3-53) were built using Australian timbers and were delivered to the RAAF in 1923, differing from other 504s in having gravity fuel tanks under the wings on the upper mainplanes, and steel tube centre section struts.

As noted, in all, the RAAF received 53 aircraft (A3-1 to A3-53), 51 being 504Ks and two being 504Ls. The latter two (A3-46 and A3-47) were fitted with floats for seaplane training. One (H3034 – later A3-46) was used for seaplane trials on board the RAN cruiser ‘HMAS Australia’ and was taken on board ‘HMAS Melbourne’ to New Guinea. The other, H3042, which became A3-47, on 16 June 1920 was flown by Captain H De La Rue DFC to the Yarra River, VIC and taxied to the rowing ramp near the Swanston Street Bridge from where it was taken to the Exhibition Building where it was included in a display of aircraft and equipment arranged by the Australian War Museum.

The two Avro 504Ls were assembled at Point Cook, in May 1920 and incorporated a kit purchased from Australian Aircraft and Engineering, this kit converting them to 504L standard. One other 504L was used for a short period giving joy-rides at Manly, NSW in 1920. This machine attended as part of the Manly Peace Memorial Hospital Carnival and Fancy Fair which was held from 28 February to 13 March. Flights were made on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays initially, and became so successful they were carried out daily from 6 March. Two passengers were carried on each occasion and the cost was £4.4.0 per person ($8.80). Pilots involved were “Flight Commander Love” and “Flight Lieutenant Roberts”.

The Avro 504 series was also used extensively by civil operators: Captain Edgar W Percival (later of Percival Aircraft in the UK) installed a 60 kw (80 hp) Renault in G-AUBK, this later being replaced by an Airdisco engine. Others were re-engined. One, G-AUDA (ex J5512), was fitted with a 67 kw (90 hp) RAF engine  and a 149 kw (200 hp) Hispano Suiza engine was installed in G-AUEP, the latter being built by E W Percival at Richmond, NSW from G-AUBP and spare parts, later being operated by Airgold Ltd. The type was often used for joyriding and barnstorming in the 1920s and 1930s. At least 20 appeared on the civil register.

Only two Avro 504Js were seen in Australia: G-AUCL operated by West Australian Airways and G-AUCJ with Pratt Brothers of Geelong, VIC. As noted above, one civil machine a 504L, operated on floats from Manly, NSW for joy-riding purposes during the December 1920 – January 1921 period.

G-AUEW was initially fitted with a 97 kw (130 hp) Clerget rotary engine when operated by Ascot Aerial Services Ltd of Brisbane, QLD but later was fitted with a 69 kw (92 hp) Renault engine, and later again with a 90 kw (120 hp) Airdisco V-8 engine. It was used by the Brisbane Courier Mail for newspaper deliveries.

G-AUDR (c/n AAEC/D9) was initially fitted with a Sunbeam Dyak engine. In December 1923 it entered service with Chapman Aerial Services. It was sold to E R Videan and E W Beckman and at Eagle Farm was fitted with a 112 kw (150 hp) Curtiss K6 engine removed from a Curtiss Seagull flying boat. It was later operated by Airways Ltd of Sydney but was destroyed in a gale at Moora Valley, VIC.

One original 504K is extant in Australia. This machine (A3-4) is owned by and has been displayed by the Australian War Memorial in the ACT. At one period, from 1965, due to lack of space in the War Memorial, it was loaned to Qantas, fitted with a Dyak in-line engine, and painted as the first Qantas aircraft. At Mascot on 10 December 1965 the engine was run and the machine taxied by the late Sir Hudson Fysh, one of the founders of Qantas. At one stage it was conveyed to Longreach, QLD, where it was taxied (and almost flown) for the benefit of the media and Qantas television commercials.

Later Qantas had two Avro 504 replicas built, one used for display around aviation events, shopping malls, and airport terminals and the other placed in the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach, QLD. In 1981 one of the replicas was conveyed to the Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in at Oshkosh in Wisconsin in the United States. Another replica (E3747) was obtained in 2002 from the United Kingdom for the RAAF Museum at Point Cook.

The type has seen much and varied used in New Zealand. As part of the Imperial Gift, the New Zealand Flying Service received twenty Avro 504Ks in 1920 but only two were retained for military use. In 1925, six new airframes (c/ns 201 to 206) were obtained. The remainder were issued to civil firms and of these four subsequently appeared on the civil aircraft register, including ZK-ACS (c/n 206), ZK-ACN (201), ZK-ACT (203), and ZK-ACU (202).

After receipt of the six new aircraft the survivors of the Imperial Gift aircraft were disposed of. Twelve Avro 504Ks were allotted registrations: G-NZAN (ex E3142), G-NZAK (ex E4242), G-NZAP (ex E9424), G-NZAR (ex E9427), G-NZAF (ex E9432), G -NZAG (ex H1964), G-NZAL (ex H1966), G-NZAJ (ex H2987), G-NZAA (ex H2989), G-NZAC (ex H2990), G-NZAB (ex H5240), and G-NZAO (ex H5241).

However, it would appear the ex-military aircraft were flown by civil firms in military markings and civil registrations were not carried. Four were obtained by the Canterbury Aviation Company in 1919, these machines later going to the NZPAF. Eventually a number of other aircraft were taken over by the NZPAF on its formation in 1923. A couple were also used by the New Zealand Flying School and operated on floats as Avro 504Ls. Photographs indicate at times the NZPAF aircraft were identified by having their construction number painted on their fuselages. The exact number in use in New Zealand is not certain as on 2 August 1924 serial H1965 was damaged in an accident at Christchurch and yet there is no record of this aircraft having ever been imported. Records do indicate at a maximum the NZPAF had a total of seven on strength in 1923.

In 1986 the New Zealand Vintage Aero Club announced it was intending to construct an Avro 504K replica. An airworthy replica fitted with a Warner Scarab engine was obtained from the United Kingdom in 2002 for operation from Omaka, becoming ZK-EHB² (c/n 0014 – ex G-ECKE – marked D8781 of the Royal Flying Corps). It was later sold to The Old Stick and Rudder Company at Masterton where it was based before being badly damaged in an accident. Another ZK-ACU (c/n 202 – ex A202) underwent restoration to airworthy condition at Omaka and has flown regularly since but in November 2013 it suffered an accident and had to be rebuilt.

Other replicas have been built around the world. Two were built in Argentina in 2010 by Pur Sang Aero Historic at Panana and one of these (LV-X430) was taken to the United Kingdom where it became G-EROE, this aircraft being fitted with an Australian-built Rotec 3600 radial engine , its owner being British Aviation 100, a company owned by Eric Verdon-Roe, grandson of Alliott Verdon-Roe.