Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Commercial airliner

Power Plant:

One 119 kw (160 hp) Beardmore six-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

Designed by A V Roe and Co Ltd of Hamble in Hampshire, UK, the Avro 547 was a venture into the construction of a commercial airliner using as many components as possible from the Avro 504K, these being available in abundance after the conclusion of World War I, and fitting it with a triplane wing. Powered by a 119 kw (160 hp) Beardmore engine, only two aircraft were completed.

In 1920 the first aircraft G-EAQX (c/n 547/1) was sold to Mr Harry E Broadsmith in Sydney, NSW. On behalf of S Instone & Co Ltd it was ferried to Croydon, Greater London on 1 June 1920 by H J ‘Bert’ Hinkler where it was flown by Frank Barnard. Despite its lack of performance, and recommendations that it not be purchased, it was shipped to Australia.

In November 1920 it became G-AUCR, but the Certificate of Registration (No 37) was not issued until 28 June 1921, when it was sold to Qantas for its Queensland services. The aircraft was bought in lieu of another Avro 504K with a Sunbeam Dyak engine as it was said to be able to carry a pilot and four passengers in a comfortable cabin. Cost at the time was £2,798 ($5,596). However the aircraft was not successful in its designed role.

This was in the early days of Qantas and services had commenced on the company’s Charleville to Cloncurry service in Queensland in late 1921. However, the company struggled and its directors were of the view that only a regular subsidized service could survive. Services with the aircraft were proposed from Charleville to Katherine, NT, Melbourne, VIC  to Darwin, NT,and Charleville to Cloncurry. The Avro 547 was shipped to the Avro agents, Australian Aircraft & Engineering Co Ltd at Mascot, NSW arriving in March 1921. During assembly a new undercarriage was installed, being stronger, with rubber sprung V-struts.

In his book ‘Qantas Rising’ Sir Hudson Fysh stated “we had lost over half of our original capital on the failure of the Avro Triplane, and as if this were not bad enough, it was followed by the failure of the aircraft we tendered with to meet their contracted performance. We refused acceptance, and a frantic last-minute rush ensued to substitute scratch old war-surplus aircraft in order to get the service started…”

The Triplane never really entered service as an airliner with Qantas. On 2 March 1921 whilst flown by Paul J McGinness DFC DFM near Mascot its undercarriage collapsed, causing damage to the undercarriage, wings and propeller. At this stage the company decided to use the Avro machine, when repaired, only for propaganda purposes and not as an airliner.

Hudson Fysh described his first flight in the aircraft. “On 17 May 1922 I climbed into the Avro Triplane at Mascot with some apprehension, for it was indeed a strange looking machine with its high cockpit and towering tiers of wings, its stove-pipe exhaust topping all. However, I had no trouble and did five landings, being in the air for 1 hour 25 minutes.” He then advertised in the Sydney press “See Sydney Harbour from the Avro Triplane. The Avro commercial triplane is fitted with a modern comfortable cabin, holding four passengers. No wind, noise, or oil, every comfort. Don’t miss it.” It was in this area that the aircraft saw much service and Fysh described it as the only triplane to come to Australia, and up to that time the only cabin aeroplane in the land. He said, “I even took up my future wife and her aunt, both of whom were suitably impressed.”

On 6 May 1922 Fysh flew the Triplane from the Victoria Park racecourse at Zetland, NSW in the Aerial Derby and came second to Nigel Love in the speed event, which he felt he would have won but for the fact that the engine had only just completed an overhaul and had new, very tight bearings. Later he said “Though I thought the triplane safe to fly in good conditions on perfect aerodrome surfaces with careful landings, I felt obliged to condemn the machine on several counts, and finally Civil Aviation withdrew the Certificate of Airworthiness and that was the end of this ill-fated and extraordinary type”.

Sir Hudson Fysh’s final comments are noteworthy. “The triplane was built with the object of providing a modern passenger cabin but utilizing, as far as possible, spare Avro 504K parts, including wings. The much more powerful and heavy Beardmore engine was used to get the four passengers and bigger fuselage off the ground, and another set of wings was arranged on top of the old 504K biplane set-up to give the extra lift needed. However, all this weight was imposed on an ordinary 504K undercarriage – nearly double the weight…And the same 504K rudder was used, which meant that when coming out of a left-hand turn even with full right rudder the aeroplane kept on turning before it could be gradually induced back again on a straight course. If ever there was an aerial monstrosity this was it, and the makers and their agents washed their hands of the aeroplane.”

A claim for compensation from Messrs A V Roe and Co was declined and the Airline Board passed a resolution “that this Company do no more business whatsoever with the firm…” The Certificate of Airworthiness lapsed on 27 June 1922 and the aeroplane was subsequently broken up.

A second aircraft was constructed known as the Avro 547A which was fitted with a 179 kw (240 hp) Siddeley Puma engine. Its cabin had a capacity of 3.2 m³ (113 cub ft) and could carry passengers, light freight or mail. Entry was via a door on the starboard side and the cabin had hot and cold air controls, interior lighting and upholstered bench type seats. This model was flown at Hamble aerodrome in Hampshire by Captain H A Hamersley and became G-EAUJ. It was tested against other aircraft and covered 1.61 km (1 mile) at 154 km/h (95.7 mph). It was shown at the Olympia Aero Show in London in July 1920. In October 1920 the aircraft was flown on a number of occasions by H J ‘Bert’ Hinkler at Hamble and Martlesham, Suffolk making a number of flights at Croydon. Work commenced on the construction of a further aircraft but only the fuselage was completed.