Blackburn Beverley
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The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a heavy transport aircraft produced by the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
aircraft manufacturer
Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north- ...
. It was notably the only land-based transport airplane built by Blackburn, a company that otherwise specialised in producing naval fighter aircraft. The Beverley was originally designed by
General Aircraft General Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1931 to amalgamation with Blackburn Aircraft in 1949 to become Blackburn and General. Its main products were military gliders and light transport aircraft. His ...
as the ''GAL.60 Universal Freighter'', reflecting its intended use by both military and civil operators. The design process had started during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and drew upon the
General Aircraft Hamilcar The General Aircraft Limited GAL. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mark I was a large British military glider produced during the Second World War, which was designed to carry heavy cargo, such as the Tetrarch or M22 Locust light tank. When the Britis ...
glider. A major design study was conducted in 1945, ahead of Specification C.3/46 being released by the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...
. The company's proposal was accepted and the Air Ministry place an order for one prototype. General Aircraft was absorbed by Blackburn during the late 1940s, who continued the project. On 20 June 1950, the first prototype conducted its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
from the company's Brough facility; it was Britain's second largest landplane at the time of the flight. The Ministry of Supply mandated specification changes during the flight test programme, which necessitated a second prototype be constructed to a modified design. On 1 October 1952, an initial order for 20 aircraft was placed on behalf of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF). On 12 March 1956, the first production ''Beverley C.1'' was delivered to No. 47 Squadron, stationed at
RAF Abingdon Royal Air Force Abingdon or more simply RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps. History The airfield was opened in 1932, initially as ...
. Between 1956 and 1967, the Beverly would be flown by six squadrons of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Transport Command RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967. ...
. With the RAF, the Beverley would be deployed to various corners of the globe, including
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
,
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
, and
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. Despite ambitions to secure commercial customers for the type, Blackburn were unable to garner orders beyond those placed by the RAF. The final operational Beverley was withdrawn from RAF service during August 1967.


Development


Background

The origins of the Beverley can be traced back to the British aviation company
General Aircraft General Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1931 to amalgamation with Blackburn Aircraft in 1949 to become Blackburn and General. Its main products were military gliders and light transport aircraft. His ...
; their chief designer F. F. Crocombe worked on the concept as early as 1939. It had been envisioned that, in light of the intense demands of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, large aircraft designed specifically for transporting bulky payloads would be immediately attractive to military planners. Furthermore, it was reasoned that such an aircraft would also have a future on the civilian market. It was to be capable of operating as a strategic transport, moving materials and personnel between theatres, and as a
tactical transport An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distanc ...
, deploying straight to the front lines, as well. A greater understanding of tactical transport requirements was gained by wartime experiences, particularly in producing the
General Aircraft Hamilcar The General Aircraft Limited GAL. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mark I was a large British military glider produced during the Second World War, which was designed to carry heavy cargo, such as the Tetrarch or M22 Locust light tank. When the Britis ...
; these experiences fed into a design study that was completed in 1945. An early configuration for the transporter was of a twin-finned, four-engined, fixed undercarriage, pod-and-boom aircraft that had a detachable compartment. This compartment, which heavily resembled the fuselage of the Hamilcar, was intended to be dropped while the aircraft was flown at a very low altitude (ten foot above ground level) to land on its own tracked undercarriage. In 1945, it was proposed for the aircraft to be powered by four
Rolls-Royce Merlin The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V-12 piston aero engine of 27-litres (1,650  cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce designed the engine and first ran it in 1933 as a private venture. Initially known as the PV-12, it was late ...
engines, capable of carrying a payload of 20,000lb, and having an all-up weight of 75,000lb. Several other configurations were studied, including both twin-engined and four-engined arrangements. An alternative powerplant arrangement of four Bristol Hercules
radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...
s was also examined. Fixed freight compartments were also present. An enlarged design, powered by four Bristol Centaurus engines, carrying a 38,000lb payload, and possessing an all-up weight of 126,000lb, was produced; this was the closest subject of the design study to what would become the Beverley. During the late 1940s, the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...
issued Specification C.3/46, which sought a medium-range tactical transport aircraft that would, amongst other criteria, have a payload capacity of 25,000lb, a service ceiling of 18,000ft, and be suitable for missions such as air-dropping paratroops,
casualty evacuation Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. "DUSTOFF" is ...
,
glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
towing, and the air-dropping of heavy payloads. The project was boosted by Bristol Aeroplane Company's agreement to develop a version of the Centaurus engine with a two-speed supercharger, capable of producing up to 1,950lb. General Aircraft were issued with a prototype order from the Air Ministry, the company came to refer to the project as the ''GAL.60 Universal Freighter'' to reflect its intended use by both military and civil operators.


Into flight

Construction of the first prototype was undertaken at General Aircraft's Feltham, Middlesex factory. Following the company's merger into
Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north- ...
, it was agreed that construction would continue at Feltham, but that, due to the unsuitability of the adjacent
Hanworth Aerodrome London Air Park, also known as Hanworth Air Park, was a grass airfield in the grounds of Hanworth Park House, operational 1917–1919 and 1929–1947. It was on the southeastern edge of Feltham, now part of the London Borough of Hounslow. In th ...
, it would be disassembled and transported by road to Blackburn's facility in Brough,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, where it was reassembled. On 20 June 1950, the first prototype conducted its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
, piloted by chief test pilot Harold ''Tim'' Wood; the flight was reportedly trouble-free. At the time of the flight, it was Britain's second largest landplane (the largest being the prototype
Bristol Brabazon The Bristol Type 167 Brabazon was a large British piston-engined propeller-driven airliner designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company to fly transatlantic routes between the UK and the United States. The type was named ''Brabazon'' after the ...
). Within four weeks of first flying, the first prototype had flown 21 flight and completed all preliminary handling, performance, and load tests. In September 1950, it was first exhibited to the public at the
Farnborough Airshow The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...
, where an order for a second prototype was announced. Thereafter, it was flown to
RAF Boscombe Down MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Def ...
for evaluation by the
Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its wo ...
; handling trials were successfully completed within a relatively short period of three weeks. The prototype participated in competitive trials against an American Fairchild C-82 Packet. It also demonstrated its ability to transport heavy loads, including a 30-seat coach and a ten-ton
excavator Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper (or stick), bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house". The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. They are a natural progression fro ...
. The first prototype was promptly followed by a second, which was designated ''GAL.65'' to signify the modifications made from the original design. These changes were largely necessary due to specification revisions by the Ministry of Supply, which sought an increased all-up weight of 127,000lb, and the ability to carry up to 50,000lb payloads over short distances. Amongst the design changes were the substitution of the door-and-ramp combination present at the rear of the aircraft in favour of clamshell doors, while the
tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...
boom received seating for 36 passengers. The Bristol Hercules radial engines of the first prototype were replaced with the newer Bristol Centaurus engines, which were furnished with reversible-pitch propellers; this arrangement led to the aircraft having a relatively short landing distance as well as the ability to reverse under its own power. The takeoff and landing distances with maximum load were . On 14 June 1953, the second prototype performed its first flight. It participated in various trials, including a demonstration air drop over an Army drop zone in Amesbury. Following the completion of testing, it was returned to Brough to be rebuilt into a production standard aircraft.


Into production

On 1 October 1952, an initial order for 20 aircraft was placed on behalf of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF), which designated it as the ''Beverley C.1'' (Beverley, Cargo Mark 1). The name ''Beverley'' was officially given to the aircraft in December 1952. To accelerate production, Blackburn had several of the aircraft's subassemblies, including the accessory bays, undercarriage systems, and the clamshell doors, manufactured at the works in
Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...
. Further orders were subsequently received by Blackburn, including for nine aircraft on 30 July 1954, eight more on 2 January 1956, and another ten aircraft were ordered on 24 September 1956, for a total order of 47 aircraft. All of the production Beverleys would be constructed at Blackburn's Brough facility. Several production aircraft participated in evaluations and test programmes. Amongst these were its tropical trials, conducted in
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
in the summer of 1955, and its winter trials, conducted in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
during late 1955 and early 1956. In December 1956, the first production Beverley performed a
rocket-assisted take off JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off) is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term ''JATO'' is used interchangeably with the (more specific ...
(RATOG) during short take off trials. On 23 April 1953, the Beverley received its
certificate of airworthiness A standard certificate of airworthiness is a permit for commercial passenger or cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by the civil aviation authority in the state/nation in which the aircraft is registered. For other aircraft such as crop-spraye ...
. A total of 49 aircraft were produced, with the last Beverly being completed during 1958. Various proposals were studied by Blackburn for refined or reconfigured variants of the aircraft, but no other customers were ever secured for the Beverly. One specific customer that Blackburn had pursued in the civil sector was
Silver City Airways Silver City Airways was an airline, based in the United Kingdom, that operated mainly in Europe, between 1946 and 1962. Unlike many airlines at the time, it was independent of government-owned corporations; its parent company was Zinc Corpora ...
, it was envisioned that the aircraft would be operated as a cross-
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
car ferry, capable of carrying up to six cars and five
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
s along with 42 passengers. Other initiatives focused on civil freighter operators, with particular efforts being made in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, including demonstrations involving the air-delivery of materials for the
oil extraction Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be drawn from beneath the earth's surface. Reservoirs of petroleum was formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil dri ...
industry.


Design

The Blackburn Beverley was a large transport aircraft, designed for carrying large and bulky payloads and landing on rough or imperfect runways, or dirt strips. In terms of its basic configuration, it was a high-wing
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
with a fixed undercarriage. The engines and associated accessories were installed in easily interchangeable bays on the lower surface of the wing. The twin-
spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
wings comprised two separate sections that were bolted onto the fuselage. Simplicity and maintainability were key focus points of its design, thus the Beverley deliberately lacked both pneumatics or
cabin pressurisation Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for passengers and crew flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air is u ...
. The fuselage was divided into four main sections. The aircraft's exterior surface was primarily composed of
rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...
ted
Alclad Alclad is a corrosion-resistant aluminium sheet formed from high-purity aluminium surface layers metallurgically bonded (rolled onto) to high-strength aluminium alloy core material. It has a melting point of about 500 degrees celsius, or 932 degree ...
plating. Relatively large low-pressure Dunlop tyres were fitted to the single-wheel undercarriage, which reportedly gave a similar wheel loading to the much smaller Douglas DC-3. The fuselage directly attached to the tailboom and its large rectangular twin-fin tailplane. The cantilever tail surfaces were all-metal and featured a dihedral to keep them clear of the inboard engine's
slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or mustard) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving fluid, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is churning. The term sli ...
. The tailboom permitted access to the rear of the fuselage through removable clamshell doors. A device called an ''Elephant's Foot'' could be fitted under the centre of the fuselage just forward of the clamshell doors when loading heavy items to prevent the aircraft from tipping back."The Blackburn Beverley Association - Tour Beverley XB259: The Exterior." The Blackburn Beverley Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2010. . The flight deck was positioned relatively high, and was accessed via a ladder in the forward portion of the hold. It accommodated two pilots seated in a side-by-side arrangement, who had favourable downwards visibility due to the shaping of the nose; behind them were the navigator and radio operator, seated back-to-back on bench-style seating. All of the flight controls were
hydraulically Hydraulics (from Greek language, Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is th ...
-augmented to reduce pilot fatigue, although manual reversion was possible. A 36 ft (11 m) rectangular main fuselage space was supplemented by passenger accommodation in the tailboom. The main cargo hold had a volume of about 6,000 ft3 (170 m3), which could accommodate 94 troops, with another 36 in the tailboom. The floor, composed of light alloy, was
corrugated The term corrugated, describing a series of parallel ridges and furrows, may refer to the following: Materials *Corrugated fiberboard, also called corrugated cardboard *Corrugated galvanised iron, a building material composed of sheets of cold-r ...
and stressed to take distributed loads of 325lb per square foot. Various payloads could be carried, including numerous vehicles. In one configuration, a maximum of nine Jeep-style road vehicles could be carried, a single fully-fuelled
Bulldozer A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous track ...
could also be transported.
Paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
s in the upper passenger area jumped through a hatch in the base of the boom just in front of the leading edge of the tailplane; paratroopers were also able to exit the cargo hold through the side doors. The Beverley was equipped with toilets, which were situated in the tail beyond the paratroop hatch located on the floor of the tailboom. Following a fatal incident where a serviceman fell twenty feet to the ground while exiting the toilet, unaware that the paratroop hatch had been opened, modifications were made to prevent the toilet doors from being opened while the paratroop hatch was open.


Operational history

On 29 January 1955, the first production Beverley from an original order for 20 aircraft made its first flight. This same aircraft was delivered to No. 47 Squadron, stationed at
RAF Abingdon Royal Air Force Abingdon or more simply RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps. History The airfield was opened in 1932, initially as ...
, on 12 March 1956. The type was quickly used to establish regular freight services to
RAF Wildenrath Royal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992. Wildenrath was the first of four 'clutch' stations ...
in Germany. Upon its entry to service, it was the largest aircraft operated by the RAF. It became commonly regarded as being "ungainly but highly effective" and was described by Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Freer as "like something out of the Ark, but it was a superb supply dropper." During early 1957, No. 53 Squadron, which was also based at RAF Abingdon, received its first Beverleys; it was absorbed into No. 47 Squadron in June 1963. Its introduction allowed for the retirement of the
Handley Page Hastings The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, ...
. During February 1966, No. 30 Squadron started performing its most distant assignment to use the type, delivering humanitarian aid and other supplies to Da Nang,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. The squadron continued operating the Beverley until October 1967, at which point the squadron disbanded. During April 1957, No. 30 Squadron received its Beverleys, being initially based at
RAF Dishforth Royal Air Force Dishforth or more simply RAF Dishforth is a former Royal Air Force station near to Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. Opened in 1936, the base was used as a bomber airfield during the Second World War with both British and Canad ...
. In June 1958, it participated in airlift operations to
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in response to a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
. The squadron and its Beverleys would be subsequently deployed to
RAF Eastleigh East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
,
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
and RAF Muharraq,
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. In the former deployment, it assisted in efforts to combat the
Mau Mau rebellion The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', ...
and to support
Operation Vantage Operation Vantage was a British military operation in 1961 to support the newly independent state of Kuwait against territorial claims by its neighbour, Iraq. The UK reacted to a call for protection from Sheikh Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah of Kuw ...
. No 30 Squadron was disbanded during September 1967. Initially, the aircraft were silver overall, but later, those operated by the squadrons based in the Middle East were given an overall sand camouflage finish. The longest-serving Beverleys were those operated by No. 47 Squadron in the UK, which was active between 1956 and 1967. During October 1960, No. 34 Squadron received its aircraft; based at
RAF Seletar Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about north from the main commercial city-centre. ...
, it would fly the Beverley until the end of 1967. During this time, No. 34 Squadron carried out flood relief work in South Vietnam. Prior to this, from June/July 1959, the first four Beverleys to go to the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...
formed the Beverley Flight, No. 48 Squadron, based at
RAF Changi Changi () is a planning area located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah in the East Region of Singapore. Sharing borders with Pasir Ris and Tampines to the west, Changi Bay to the southeast, the South China Sea to the east and the Ser ...
. During 1958, No. 84 Squadron became the sixth squadron to fly the Beverley. Based at
RAF Khormaksar Royal Air Force Khormaksar or more simply RAF Khormaksar was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Aden, Yemen. Its motto was "Into the Remote Places". During the 1960s, it was the base for nine squadrons and became the RAF's busiest-ever station ...
, Aden, the type was active during the
Aden Emergency The Aden Emergency, also known as the Radfan Uprising (), was an armed rebellion by NLF and FLOSY during the Cold War against the Federation of South Arabia, a protectorate of the United Kingdom, which now forms part of Yemen. Partly inspire ...
, providing airlifts and supply drops to British and
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
n forces stationed in the region. No. 84 Squadron and the Beverley alike provided crucial logistical support during the Brunei revolt of 1962. By July 1963, the squadron's Beverleys had reportedly flown almost two million miles while conveying over 20,000 tons of freight and 60,000 passengers. During August 1967, No. 84 Squadron exchanged its remaining Beverleys for the newer but smaller
Hawker Siddeley Andover The Hawker Siddeley HS 780 Andover is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft produced by Hawker Siddeley for the Royal Air Force (RAF), developed from the Avro-designed HS 748 airliner. The Andover was named after the Avro Andove ...
.


Variants

* G.A.L. 60 Universal Freighter Mk.1 : General Aircraft Ltd Designation for the first prototype aircraft. * G.A.L. 65 Universal Freighter Mk.2 : Designation for the second prototype aircraft. Blackburn company name B-100. * Beverley C Mk 1 : Medium-range tactical transport aircraft for the RAF. Blackburn company name B-101, 47 built * Blackburn B-107 : Projected Stage 2 development of the B-101 Beverley designed in 1956 that retained the Beverley wings and tail; and added a completely new rounded fuselage with a larger unobstructed freight hold. The intended powerplants were to be four
Rolls-Royce Tyne The Rolls-Royce RB.109 Tyne is a twin-shaft turboprop engine developed in the mid to late 1950s by Rolls-Royce Limited to a requirement for the Vickers Vanguard airliner. It was first test flown during 1956 in the nose of a modified Avro Linc ...
turboprop engines. The design allowed for 75 paratroops or 108 troops to be carried. The design project never progressed beyond the planning stage.Blackburn Beverly. Aeroflight. 24 May 2010. URL:http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/aircraft/types/blackburn-beverley.htm. Accessed: 24 May 2010. (Archived by WebCite at https://www.webcitation.org/5pyesYVkc) * Blackburn B-107A : Projected Stage 3 development of the B-101 Beverley designed during 1959. The B-107A was similar to the B-107, but included main loading doors in the nose and rear doors for para-dropping only, as well as a repositioned flight deck. Like the B-107, this project never progressed beyond the planning stage.


Operators

;


Accidents and incidents

Nine aircraft were lost in service with the RAF, including one in the Sutton Wick air crash. Two of them were written off after being damaged by explosive devices (one landmine, one bomb).


Surviving aircraft

Only a single Beverley has survived: ''XB259'' was on display at
Fort Paull Fort Paull was a gun battery situated on the north bank of the Humber, near the village of Paull, downstream from Hull in northern England. History Batteries have been built at Paull by Henry VIII, Charles I during the Civil War during th ...
, just east of Hull, in England, but is being dismantled and moved to the site of RAF Riccall. Two other aircraft were on public display but have since been scrapped: * ''XH124'' was on display at the RAF Museum London, Hendon. Kept outside, the aircraft deteriorated and was scrapped in 1989. * ''XB261'' was on display at the Southend Historic Aviation Museum in 1971. When the museum closed it sat outside for years being weather-beaten and vandalised. It was scrapped in 1989; however, part of its cockpit has been preserved at the
Newark Air Museum Newark Air Museum is an air museum located on a former Royal Air Force station at Winthorpe, near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. The museum contains a variety of aircraft. History The airfield was known as RAF Winthorpe during ...
, Nottinghamshire. ''XL149'' was scrapped, however the cockpit has been preserved at
South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM) is a Volunteer led museum located at Lakeside in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It occupies the former site of the Royal Air Force Station, RAF Doncaster. The museum occupies the last remaining o ...
, Doncaster.


Specifications (B-101)


See also


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

*
Beverley Build-up
. ''
Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
'', 4 February 1955, pp. 145–148 * * Gladstone, Geoff. ''The Blackburn Beverley''. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Scoval Publishing, 2010. * Hobson, Chris. ''Blackburn Beverley C.Mk 1 (Warpaint Mini-Monograph)''. Alan W. Hall (Publications), 1988. * * Jackson, A.J. ''Blackburn Aircraft Since 1909''. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1989. * * Overton, Bill. ''Blackburn Beverley''. Hinckley, Leicester, UK: Midland Counties, 1990.


External links


Blackburn Beverley Association


a 1948 ''Flight'' article on the GAL Universal Freighter (later renamed the Beverly)

a 1950 ''Flight'' article {{Authority control
Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
1950s British military transport aircraft General Aircraft Limited aircraft Four-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1950 STOL aircraft Four-engined piston aircraft