Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Two-seat general purpose biplane

Power Plant:

One 320 kw (430 hp) Bristol Jupiter IV air-cooled radial engine

Specifications:

History:

In 1926 the RAAF was seeking to obtain a number of new aircraft types, one of which was to be a single-engine biplane for army co-operation and light-bombing duties. Specifications of the required aircraft were issued to a number of companies to tender, the ADC Nimbus or the Bristol Jupiter being the preferred engines. Avro prepared drawings to meet the requirement and Harold E Broadsmith was sent to Australia as the Company’s representative, the plan being that the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company [LASCo] would build the aircraft in Melbourne to the Avro design.

A full-scale mock-up of the fuselage was built at Essendon to provide the Air Board and RAAF personnel a view of what the finished product may look like. Designed for the Jupiter engine, it was a two-seat biplane of similar configuration to the Hawker Demon, then in RAAF service, a fixed Vickers machine gun being provided for the pilot and another machine-gun on a Scarff ring being provided for the gunner/ bomb aimer. Construction was to be of welded steel tube with fabric covering.

A number of specifications were issued to fulfil army co-operation, light bombing and training roles and they were numbered A.35, AC.36, AC.37 and AC.38. The Avro design office spent time on the aircraft required by the specifications and the AC.35 was the main design looked at, with the others being variations on the theme. It was planned that any aircraft built would be completd at the Essendon, VIC workshops of Lasco.

Lasco built what became known as the Avro AC.35 mock-up for submission to the Air Board for evaluation but eventually it was decided to obtain the Avro 504N with the Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine for the training role. The Avro 504N in the event was not obtained and, like many interesting Australian designs, the AC.35 aircraft was not built and the mock-up has not survived. Later Mr Broadsmith returned to work with Avro in the United Kingdom.

Larkin Aircraft, through W S Shackleton, also designed a long-range airliner capable of operating the Perth to Adelaide service non-stop and the design became known as the Lasco Lascops. It was to be powered by a 298 kw (400 hp) Bristol Jupiter radial engine and seat ten by day and five in berths by night. It was of steel tube construction with double skinning for insulation. Qantas was approached to see if it was interested in the design in June 1928 but no interest was shown and the design went no further.