The Avro Avian is a series of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

light aircraft designed and built by

Avro Avro (an initialism of the founder's name) was a British aircraft manufacturer. Its designs include the Avro 504, used as a trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the d ...

in the 1920s and 1930s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the

de Havilland Moth The de Havilland Moths were a series of light aircraft, sports planes, and military trainers designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. In the late 1920s and 1930s, they were the most common civilian aircraft flying in Britain, and during that time eve ...

and its descendants. American examples manufactured under license by the Whittesley Manufacturing Co. in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

are also known as the Whittesley Avian.

Design and development

The Avro 581 Avian prototype was designed and built to compete in the

Lympne light aircraft trials Lympne (), formerly also Lymne, is a village on the former shallow-gradient sea cliffs above the expansive agricultural plain of Romney Marsh in Kent. The settlement forms an L shape stretching from Port Lympne Zoo via Lympne Castle facing Ly ...

Lympne Aerodrome Lympne Airport was a military and later civil airfield , at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. The airfield was built out of necessity in the First World War. During the World War I, First World War RFC Lympne was ...

in September 1926. Its wooden fuselage was based on that of the Avro 576

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...

, but it was fitted with conventional biplane wings and powered by a 70 hp (50 kW)

Armstrong Siddeley Genet The Armstrong Siddeley Genet is a five-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft use built in the UK, first run in 1926. It developed 80 hp at 2,200 rpm in its final form and was a popular light aircraft powerplant. Following ...

engine. It performed well at the trials, but was eliminated due to engine failure. Avro 534 Avian IV SE-ADTinStockholm

In early 1927 it was re-engined with an

ADC Cirrus The ADC Cirrus is a series of British aero engines manufactured using surplus Renault parts by the Aircraft Disposal Company (ADC) in the 1920s. The engines were air-cooled, four-cylinder inline types. They were widely used for private and l ...

engine as the Type 581A and sold to

Bert Hinkler Herbert John Louis Hinkler (8 December 1892 – 7 January 1933), better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator (dubbed "Australian Lone Eagle") and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person ...

. Production aircraft were designated Type 594 and were built in a number of versions, mainly powered by Cirrus engines.Jackson 1990, pp. 249, 256. A version with a welded steel tube fuselage was produced in 1929 as the Avro 616 Avian IVM to meet overseas requirements for an easier-to-repair structure.Jackson 1990, p. 265. This version was built in the largest numbers, with approximately 190 built. The Avian was also produced under licence in Canada, by Ottawa Car Manufacturing Company in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Operational history

While outsold by the

and its derivatives—which first flew more than a year earlier than the Avian—the Avian was used extensively as a civil tourer or trainer, with many being sold overseas. Avians were assembled by the Whittesley Manufacturing Co.,

, USA, and the Ottawa Car Manufacturing Company, Canada, as well as by Avro itself.Jackson 1990, p. 273. After further modifications to wings and undercarriage as the Avro 581E, Hinkler used this aircraft for a series of long-distance flights, culminating in a 15½-day solo flight from

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

, UK to Darwin,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

.Jackson 1974, p. 114. In 1998 Lang Kidby recreated this flight in a 1927 Type 594 Avian VH-UFZ (ex G-AUFZ) Avro Avian 594 Avian III (SN R3/AV/101) was owned by Lady Mary Heath and

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

. Earhart's Avian had an Cirrus Mk II engine. It was originally registered to Lady Heath on 29 October 1927 and given the UK aircraft marking ''G-EBUG''. When Earhart brought it to the United States it was assigned "unlicensed aircraft identification mark" ''7083''; aircraft not officially certificated in the United States were allowed to be flown as unlicensed but identified aircraft. Avian ''7083'' was used on Earhart's first long solo flight, which occurred just as Amelia was coming into the national spotlight. By making the trip in August 1928, she became the first woman to fly solo across the North American continent and back. In 2001 Carlene Mendita recreated this flight in Greg Herrick's Type 594 Avian which he had purchased from Lang Kidby. At the time Herrick purchased the Avian from Kidby, two years prior, it was the oldest flying aircraft in Australia. It is now based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wilfrid R. "Wop" May used a 594 to make his January 1929 mercy flight with

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

antitoxin from

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Fort Vermilion Fort Vermilion is a hamlet on the Peace River in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. Established in 1788, Fort Vermilion shares the title of oldest European settlement in Alberta with Fort Chipewyan. Fort Vermilion contains many ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. An Avian (''Red Rose'') was used by

Bill Lancaster William Henry Lancaster (November 17, 1947 – January 4, 1997) was an American screenwriter and actor. The son of screen legend Burt Lancaster, he was perhaps best known for his screenplays for ''The Bad News Bears'' and ''The Thing (1982 film) ...

on a successful long distance flight to Australia, and another (''Southern Cross Minor'') on his final record attempt to South Africa in 1933. In July 1930, Winifred Brown won the

King's Cup Race The King's Cup air race is a British handicapped cross-country event, which has taken place annually since 1922. It is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association. The King's Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes of the ...

flying Cirrus III Avian. One Avian, piloted by Sydney Thorn, took part in the Challenge International de Tourisme 1930 with moderate success (16th place). On 7 January 1931,

Guy Menzies Guy Lambton Menzies (20 August 19091 November 1940) was an Australian aviator who flew the first solo trans-Tasman flight, from Sydney, Australia to the West Coast of New Zealand, on 7 January 1931. Family The eldest of the five children of ...

flew an Avian, the ''Southern Cross Junior'', from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He was the first person to fly solo across the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

. A single Genet-powered Avian II was bought by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, while Avians were also bought by the

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

, the Chinese Naval Air Service, the

Estonian Air Force The Estonian Air Force (, ) is the aviation branch of the Estonian Defence Forces. The air force traces its history to 1918, and was re-established in its current form in 1991. As of 2025, the Estonian Air Force has a strength of ~1,600 personn ...

and the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. Aviator

Beryl Markham Beryl Markham (born Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlant ...

used an Avian extensively in East Africa in the 1930s.

Variants

;Avro 581 Avian: First prototype, one 70 hp (52 kW)

. ;Avro 581A: Modified first prototype, one 85 hp (63 kW) ADC Cirrus and reduced span wings.Jackson 1990, p. 243. ;Avro 581E: Further modified Avro 581A for long distance flights, with new wings and modified fuselage.Jackson 1990, pp. 243–245. ;Avro 594 Avian I: Preproduction aircraft, two built. ;Avro 594 Avian II: Initial production, 85 hp (63 kW) Cirrus II engine, nine built. ;Avro 594 Avian III: Modified engine mount and tubular steel struts, 33 built. ;Avro 594 Avian IIIA: 95 hp (71 kW) Cirrus III engine, 58 built. ;Avro 594 Avian IV: Revised undercarriage and ailerons, 90 built. ;Avro 605 Avian: Two Avro 594 Avian IIIs were converted into floatplanes. ;Avro 616 Avian IVM: Steel tube fuselage. Powered by 105 hp (78 kW) Cirrus Hermes I or 100 hp (75 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major, approximately 190 built. ;Avro 616 Sports Avian: Version for racing with reduced drag, 16 built. ;Avro 616 Avian IVA: modified one-off long range version for

Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was ...

, '' Southern Cross Junior'', 120 hp (90 kW)

de Havilland Gipsy The de Havilland Gipsy is a British air-cooled four-cylinder in-line aircraft engine designed by Frank Halford in 1927 to replace the ADC Cirrus in the de Havilland DH.60 Moth light biplane. Initially developed as an upright 5 litre ( ...

II engine, with additional fuel tank and revised 30 ft span wings. ;Avro 616 Avian V: Long range single-seater again built for Charles Kingsford Smith, '' Southern Cross Minor''.

would later attempt to fly solo from England to South Africa in this aircraft, and die in the attempt. ;Avro 625 Avian Monoplane: Low-wing monoplane development, two built.

Operators

Military operators

; *

Chinese Nationalist Air Force Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

* Chinese Naval Air Service ; *

; *

Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics () and Naval Aeron ...

; *

Spanish Air Force The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces. History Early stages Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Al ...

; *

Surviving aircraft

* 5116 – 581 on display at the

Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum Kurilpa is the state museum of Queensland, funded by the government, and dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museu ...

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. It is G-EBOV, the prototype Avro Avian flown by

on some of his record-breaking flights. * R3/AV/127 – Avian IV airworthy at the Ala Doble Flying Collection in Esparto, California. It was once the oldest flying aircraft in Australia and has been converted from an Avian II configuration. It is painted to represent G-EBUG, an aircraft

flew across the United States in 1928–1929. * R3/CN/160 – Avian IIIA on static display at Hooton Park in Cheshire. It carries G-EBZM and is a composite of several others. * CN/171 G-ACGT, a Genet II powered Type 594B Avian III under restoration at Coventry, Warwickshire. * R3/CN/314 – Avian IVM on static display at the

Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum () (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum (''Musée de l'aviation du Canada'') and National Aeronautical Collection (''Collection aéronautique nationale'')) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The m ...

. * R3/CN/316 – Avian IVM on display at the

Reynolds-Alberta Museum The Reynolds-Alberta Museum is an agricultural museum, agricultural, industrial, and transportation museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. The museum is situated on an property containing the main museum building, an aviation display hangar, and ...

Wetaskiwin, Alberta Wetaskiwin ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word , meaning "the hills where peace was made". Wetaskiwin is home to the Reyno ...

. It has Genet engine installed and is painted as CF-CDV. * R3/CN/318 – Avian IV on static display at Arlanda Flygsamlinga

close to Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Arlanda Airport north of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. * R3/CN/522 – Avian IV airworthy with Geoffrey Arthur Davis of

Salisbury, South Australia Salisbury ( ) is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the seat of the City of Salisbury, and is within the South Australian Legislative Assembly electoral district of Ramsay and the Australian House of Representatives division ...

. * R3/CN/531 – Avian IV airworthy with Geoffrey Arthur Davis of Salisbury, South Australia. * Replica – Avian IIIA on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum in

, Alberta. It is painted as G-CAVB as a memorial to a heroic flight by

Wop May Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May, (March 20, 1896 – June 21, 1952) was a Canadian flying ace in the First World War and a leading post-war aviator. He was the final Allied pilot to be pursued by Manfred von Richthofen before the German ace was shot down ...

when he flew

medicine mid-winter to a village where an outbreak was occurring on the Canadian prairies.

Specifications (Avian IVM)

Avro Avian III 3-view NACA Aircraft Circular No

Notes

Bibliography

* Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997. . * Gerdessen, Frederik. "Estonian Air Power 1918 – 1945". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' magaz ...

'', No. 18, April – July 1982. pp. 61–76. . * Grant, James Ritchie. "Anti-Clockwise: Australia the Wrong Way". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 82, July–August 1999, pp. 60–63. * Jackson, A.J. ''Avro Aircraft since 1908''. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2nd edition, 1990. . * Jackson, A.J. ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 1''. London: Putnam, 1974. . *

External links

NACA Aircraft Circular, Avro Avian (Genet engine)

NACA aircraft circular, Avian III

RCAF Avro Avian
Flight, 31 October 1930 {{Avro aircraft 1920s British sport aircraft Avian Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1926