Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Commercial transport

Power Plant:

Four 1,320 kw (1,770 hp) Rolls Royce Merlin 100 twelve-cylinder VEE liquid-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

The prototype Avro Tudor (G-AGPF) first flew at Ringway in Manchester, UK on 14 June 1945. Testing of it and the second and third prototypes revealed some aerodynamic problems which needed some major design changes, these taking some two years to complete. After tropical trials the type was rejected by BOAC as it was considered not capable of operating on the trans-Atlantic route. Twenty-one were in production at that time and two were converted to VIP Mk 3s for Ministerial use. The remainder were modified by lengthening the fuselage by 1.82 m (6 ft) to become the Mk 4 and Mk 4B.

The type entered service with a few operators, including the Royal Air Force. Eventually the Tudor 7 appeared with four 1,279 kw (1,715 hp) Bristol Hercules 120 engines; and the Tudor 8 with four 5,000 lbst Rolls Royce Nene 5 turbojets, this later becoming known as the Avro Ashton.

The Tudor 1 was designed as a long-range transport but in this role had only a relatively small payload. The Tudor 2 was capable of carrying up to 60 passengers on the Empire air routes and became known as the Mk 2, differing from the Mk 1 in being 7.62 m (25 ft) longer and 0.3 m (1 ft) greater in diameter. British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) ordered 30 Mk 2s for its routes, and, after consultations with Qantas and South African Airways, the three airlines decided to standardise on the type, the order being increased to 79 aircraft.

The manufacture of 12 Tudors was recommended by the Australian Government to meet the needs of Qantas for the Empire route. On 14 November 1945 the Prime Minister of Australia, Joseph Benedict Chifley, announced there would be changes to the production of aircraft in Australia that had previously been announced, that 61 Avro Lincolns would be completed for the RAAF, and 12 Avro Tudors would be constructed in Australia.

A full scale wooden mock-up of the Tudor was built at Fishermens Bend, VIC to prepare for the production of the type once necessary plans, drawings, and the supply of engines was finalised. However, following the loss of the prototype due to some instability problems, which included longitudinal and directional, orders for the tailwheel undercarriage Tudor 1 were cancelled. Further, BOAC requested some 340 changes to the design and then announced in April 1947 it considered the aircraft incapable of North Atlantic operations. At this stage plans to build the aircraft in Australia were abandoned.

RAAF identification series A76- was originally allotted to the Avro Tudor series for Australian operations but, following the cancellation of the order for the type, the A76- prefix was re-allocated to the three Boeing Washingtons obtained for and operated by the RAAF.

A total of 12 Tudor 1s was built, of which three were scrapped and the remainder were converted to Tudor 4B or to freighter configuration. After this BOAC applied to the British Government to import Lockheed Constellations and Boeing Stratocruisers.

The prototype Mk 2 flew on 10 March 1946 and, after testing, the Merlin 102 engines were replaced with the Merlin 600 Special engine. However, further aerodynamic problems were encountered and the three airlines which had ordered the Tudor found the loss of performance so serious they cancelled their orders and ordered Lockheed Constellations.

In 1958 one Tudor 4B G-AHNM ‘Cirrus’ (c/n 1346) was flown to New Zealand. This aircraft regularly visited this part of the world, making a number of trips from the United Kingdom on behalf of the British Ministry of Supply as part of the missile hauling contract to the Woomera rocket range in South Australia. It was withdrawn in September that year and broken up the following year at Stansted in Essex.

In the 1950s, whilst Britain and Australia were carrying out much testing at the Woomera rocket range, many aircraft were chartered by the British Ministry of Defence to carry personnel and equipment to and from Woomera and the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury, SA. Commencing in 1954 British independent operators such as Skyways, and Dan Air with Avro Yorks, Britavia with the Handley Page Hermes, and Air Charter with Avro Tudors, operated these services. At the time RAF Transport Command also operated services and, whereas RAF Tudors flew in to RAAF Mallala north of Adelaide, the civil aircraft operated through West Beach, Adelaide Airport, on their return.

Air Charter operated a fleet of six Tudor 4B Super Traders from Stansted near London, flying to Adelaide where they unloaded stores and equipment for the RAF. These aircraft were initially registered to Aviation Traders Ltd as a Mk 4 and were converted Super Trader 4 form. The Tudors involved were: G-AGRG (c/n 1255 – ‘El Alam); G-AGRH (c/n 1256 – ‘Zephyr’); G-AHNI (c/n 1342 – ‘Trade Wind’); G-AHNL (c/n 1345 – ‘Mistral’); G-AHNM (c/n 1346 – ‘Cirrus’); and G-AHNO (c/n 1348 – ‘Conqueror’).

Two of the aircraft were lost on return flights, G-AGRG at Brindisi in southern Italy on 27 January 1959 when it was burnt out, and G-AGRH which crashed on Mt Suphan at 4,000 m (13,123 ft) in Turkey on 23 April 1959. This caused a RAF mountain rescue team from Cyprus to go to the wreck to recover secret missile components which were on board the aircraft on their way to Woomera and prevent them from falling into Soviet hands.

During the few years it was in service the Tudor was also used on the British Ministry courier flights from the United Kingdom to Australia in the 1950s. The type was retired from service in 1959 and was initially replaced by the Douglas DC-4, and later Bristol Britannia. The flights to Woomera continued for some years.