Avro 501
The Avro Type H, Type 501, and Type 503 were a family of early British military seaplanes. They were a development of the Avro 500 design and were originally conceived as amphibious. The prototype was fitted with a single large main float (equipped with wheels) under the fuselage, and two outrigger floats under the wings.
01Design and development
Tests were conducted on Windermere in January 1913. It was later converted to a twin-float configuration and bought by the British Admiralty. However, it proved too heavy and was converted again, this time to a landplane.
An improved version, designated the 503, was demonstrated to the Inspector of Naval Aircraft, who placed an order for three machines. The prototype itself was demonstrated for the Imperial German Navy in its seaplane trials in June 1913 and was purchased by the government of the German Empire for evaluation purposes. This machine subsequently became the first aircraft to fly across the North Sea, from Wilhelmshaven to Heligoland, in September 1913. Gotha purchased a licence from Avro and produced the type as the WD.1 (Wasser Doppeldecker, "Water Biplane").
![Thetford, Owen, ''British Naval Aircraft Since 1912: Sixth Revised Edition'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, {{ISBN|1-55750-076-2}}, p. 400.</ref>"}},"i":0}}]}' id="mwKw">Avro 501 No. 16, converted to landplane and delivered to the Royal Naval Air Service in January 1913. Used for training at Royal Naval Air Station Eastchurch.](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0c/Avro_501.jpg/500px-Avro_501.jpg)
02Operators
03Specifications (501 seaplane)
Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 33 ft 0 in (10.06 m)
- Wingspan: 47 ft 6 in (14.48 m)
- Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
- Wing area: 478 sq ft (44.4 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,740 lb (789 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,700 lb (1,225 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Omega Omega 14-cyl two row air-cooled rotary piston engine , 100 hp (75 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Avro 501”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Avro 501.jpg by unattributed, PD-US
- Авро 501 (503).jpg by . Original uploader was Сельджуко at ru.wikipedia, Public domain
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