Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat sport and touring biplane

Power Plant:

One 90 kw (120 hp) de Havilland Gipsy II four-cylinder in-line air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Avro Avian series of aircraft, built by AV Roe & Co Ltd at its Manchester, UK factory, is well known for its record-breaking flights in the hands of many of the famous pilots of the 1930s, including H F ‘Jimmy’ Broadbent, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, and H J ‘Bert’ Hinkler. The prototype Model 581 (G-EBOV) was built for trials at Lympne in Kent in September 1926 and was powered by a 56 kw (75 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial engine, being flown by H J Hinkler but had magneto problems. After some changes it won a prize in a motor-industry sponsored race and was then modified to become the Model 581E with a 60 kw (80 hp) ADC Cirrus I engine. It was flown by Hinkler between 7 and 22 February 1928 from Croydon in Greater London, UK to Darwin, NT.

The Avian entered production as the Model 594 Avian I, two being built for the RAE Aero Club and the Lancashire Aero Club, these being followed by the Avian II with a split-axle undercarriage and some minor alterations. One was built as the 594A with an Avro Alpha radial engine. G-EBYR was flown in the 1928 King’s Cup Race by Edgar Percival, this aircraft later being imported to Australia as G-AUJY.

Armstrong Siddeley Genet engine models became known as the Model 594B. A seaplane variant was known as the Model 605. The Avian III had the ADC Cirrus II engine. Of the 58 Avian IIIAs produced a number went to the US. The Avian IV had a forward sloping undercarriage, radius rod and horn-balanced ailerons, 90 being completed. Most Avian IVs were exported to the US. Many were impressed by the RAF as instructional airframes at the beginning of World War II.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith used two Avians during his flights. The first was a Model IVA G-ABCF (c/n R3/CN/4670), named ‘Southern Cross Junior’, powered by a 90 kw (120 hp) Gipsy II engine, in which he lowered the England to Australia record to 9 days 21 hours in October 1930. This aircraft at an early stage of its life was fitted with floats and was later, on 7 January 1931, used by Guy Menzies for the first solo crossing of the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, covering the 1,915 km (1,190 miles) in 12 hours 15 mins at an average speed of 156 km/h (97 mph). Menzies and the aircraft returned to Australia where it was to become VH-UPT to A James but it crashed in Mascot, NSW on 12 April 1931 and the registration was not taken up.

Sir Charles later obtained a long-range single-seater VH-UQG (c/n R3/CN/523), named ‘Southern Cross Minor’, in which he left Melbourne, VIC on 21 September 1931 in an attempt to break the record to England but retired in Turkey. Subsequently the aircraft (re-registered as G-ABLK) was used by William Newton Lancaster on the England – Cape record, leaving Lympne on 11 April 1933. He crashed and was killed in the Sahara Desert. The wreck, located 29 years later in March 1962 and recovered in 1979, was displayed in London, UK for a period before coming to Australia and is now on display at the Queensland Museum.

On 6 September 1931 Harry F Broadbent in Sports Avian VH-UQE (c/n R3/CN/522), named ‘Dabs’, completed a 12,160 km (7,600 miles) round-Australia flight. In January 1959 it was obtained by A G Murrell of Penola, SA and continued in service until damaged on 4 October 1982 near Gunning, NSW. It was initially used in the rebuild of VH-UVX.

The prototype of the Avian series, the 581 Avian G-EBOV (c/n 5116), fitted with a 56 kw (75 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial engine, was built for the Daily Mail two-seat light aeroplane trials at Lympne in September 1926 and flown by Herbert J Hinkler. It was later modified by the installation of a 60 kw (80 hp) ADC Cirrus 1 engine and, as the model 581E Avian, was raced by Hinkler. Between 2 and 22 February 1928 he made a historic flight from Croydon to Darwin, NT in 15½ days. Eventually the aircraft was obtained by the Queensland Museum where it is now on display as a monument to the aircraft and the aviator, Bert Hinkler.

Other Avians survive in this region. One is Avro 594 Mk IVM Sports Avian VH-UQE (c/n R3/CN/531). This aircraft was registered to H F ‘Jimmy’ Broadbent on 1 August 1931 and was used in 1931 to break the record of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith to fly to Australia, and for flying Brisbane – Sydney – Melbourne – Adelaide (2,413 km / 1,500 miles) in one day, ie 17 hours 10 minutes. It force landed on a bank of the Styx River, QLD and was sold to E H Loneragan of Mudgee, NSW in May 1932. It remained with him until sold to H W and A G Murrell of Culcairn, NSW in April 1944. It was badly damaged in 1947 at Batlow, NSW, and was rebuilt using many parts from another Avian (c/n R3/CN/522 – VH-UVX) in 1959. In 1982 a further accident was suffered and again it was rebuilt using parts from VH-UVX (c/n 522). In 1985 it was painted as G-EBTU ‘Red Rose’ and used in the television mini-series ‘The Lancaster – Miller Affair’.

Avian 594 Mk IIIA VH-UJG (c/n R3/CN/185), which was stored at Caboolture, QLD for some time, was exported to New Zealand in 2001 and restored by the Croydon Aircraft Company at Mandeville, later becoming G-EUJG in the United Kingdom.

VH-UHC (c/n R3/CN/102) is stored in Brisbane, QLD awaiting restoration. G-ABEE, a model 616 Sports (c/n 473), is stored in Australia awaiting restoration. In addition to those noted, two other examples survive in the United Kingdom, two i