The Avro 533 Manchester was a

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

-era twin-engine

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

photo-

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

and

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

aircraft designed and manufactured 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 ...

Design and development

Designed as a twin-engine bomber and photo-reconnaissance aircraft, the Avro 533 was a development of the earlier

523 __NOTOC__ Year 523 ( DXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1276 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...

and 529A. Originally designated the Avro 529B, the new 320 hp (240 kW)

ABC Dragonfly The ABC Dragonfly was a British radial engine developed towards the end of the First World War. It was expected to deliver excellent performance for the time and was ordered in very large numbers. It proved, however, to be extremely unreliable ...

I nine-cylinder engine was specified, but with a redesign in July 1918, the type number was subsequently changed to Avro 533. When the original engines were not available, the 300 hp (220 kW)

Siddeley Puma The Siddeley Puma is a British aero engine developed towards the end of World War I and produced by Siddeley-Deasy. The first Puma engines left the production lines of Siddeley-Deasy in Coventry in August 1917, production continued until Decem ...

engine was substituted on the second prototype in November 1918, this acquiring a new designation, the Avro 533A Manchester Mk II, and first flying in December that year. An American 400 hp (300 kW)

Liberty engine The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 engine, displacing and making , designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It was designed principally as an aircraft engine and saw wide use in aero applicat ...

was also proposed as an alternate engine.Harlan and Jenks 1973, p. 61.

Operational history

The Avro 533A Manchester Mk II flew for the first time in December 1918 with flight testing continuing with No. 186 Development Squadron. By March 1919, Avro sent the first prototype to

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 ...

Martlesham Heath Martlesham Heath is a village in Suffolk, England. It is east of Ipswich, This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and this has developed in ...

for official trials before its eventual return to the Avro factory at Hamble. The aircraft was a large, and mainly conventional design of wood-and-fabric construction typical of the time. Open cockpits were retained, although later modifications were planned for passenger compartments in the interior.Jackson 1965, p. 162. In December 1919, the second prototype received its Dragonfly I engines, becoming the Avro 533A Manchester Mk I. Other than the different engines, there were few differences between the two types, other than the Mk I having a slightly reduced lower wing surface, and enlarged tailfin and rudder to correct control problems indicated in testing. Flight testing also indicated a lower performance than anticipated which resulted in Avro reconsidering the type's further trials, and eventually led to the abandoning of the third prototype, which was never fitted with engines. In March 1919, Avro proposed a passenger airliner, the Avro 537, that would be adapted from the earlier bomber version. The plans were ultimately abandoned and all the Type 533 prototypes were scrapped.Harlan and Jenks 1973, p. 62.

Variants

* Avro 533A Mk I – original design (first designated Avro 529B and later Avro 533) * Avro 533A Mk II –

engine

Specifications (Mk.II)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Harlin, E.A. and G.A. Jenks. ''Avro: An Aircraft Album''. Shepperton, Middlesex, UK: Ian Allan, 1973. . * Holmes, Harry. ''Avro: The History of an Aircraft Company''. Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, 2004. . * Jackson, Aubrey J. ''Avro Aircraft since 1908''. London: Putnam, 1965. . * Mason, Francis K. ''The British Bomber since 1914''. London: Putnam, 1994. . * Sharpe, Michael. ''Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes: 300 of the World's Greatest Aircraft''. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books, 2000. . * Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I''. London: Studio Editions, 1990. .

External links

Avro 533 Manchester I F3493

Avro Manchester (533)
– British Aircraft Directory {{Avro aircraft 1910s British bomber aircraft 533 Manchester Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1918 Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear