The Avro 618 Ten or X was a passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. It was a licensed version by Avro of the

Fokker Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 191 ...

F.VIIB/3m.

Development

In 1928 Avro came to an arrangement with

to license production of its successful F.VIIB/3m for sale in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...

(except Canada). The Avro designation 618 Ten was adopted as the aircraft was capable of carrying two crew and eight passengers. After a modification of the centre motor mounting to accommodate British airworthiness requirements, the aircraft was first displayed at the 1929

Olympia Aero Show The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

. The

Avro 642 Eighteen The Avro 642 Eighteen was a 1930s British monoplane airliner. Only two were built — one twin-engined and the other four-engined. Development As a follow-on to the Avro 618 Ten the Eighteen was a larger aircraft but used a modified Avro Ten ...

used the same wing as the Ten but had a new fuselage for 16 passengers.

Operational history

Australia

StateLibQld 1 112632 Southern Sun, an Avro 618 Ten, ca

The first five aircraft were sold to the new

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk. ...

. The type entered service on 1 January 1930 on the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

- Sydney route, and later

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

- Sydney. They were: :VH-UMF '' Southern Cloud'' :VH-UMG ''Southern Star'' :VH-UMH ''Southern Sky'' :VH-UMI ''Southern Moon'' :VH-UNA ''Southern Sun'' Two of this fleet were lost in accidents: ''Southern Cloud'' in the Toolong range of the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,0042-5184 However, the moth has also been a biovector of arsenic, transporting it from lowland feeding sites over long distances in ...

on 21 March 1931 (the wreckage was not found until 1958) and ''Southern Sun'' in Malaya in November 1931, while attempting the first

airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...

flight to the United Kingdom. The airline folded and the remaining aircraft were sold. ''Southern Moon'' was rebuilt in 1933 for long-range flights, fitted with 330 hp (250 kW)

Wright Whirlwind The Wright Whirlwind was a family of air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical (originally an independent company, later a division of Curtiss-Wright). The family began with nine-cylinder engines, and later expanded to in ...

radial engines and restyled as ''VH-UXX Faith in Australia''. The last surviving 618 Ten in Australia, it evacuated many people from

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

in 1941. Another two 618 Ten aircraft were also sold to Australian companies. Three of the 619 Five aircraft went to two Australian airlines, as did (after commercial service in Britain) the sole 642/2m.

Britain and elsewhere

Four 618 Tens were delivered directly to British customers. Two went to

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to Union of South Africa, South Africa, British India, India, Australia and the Far East, inclu ...

(April and June 1931) and were chartered to the

Iraq Petroleum Transport Company 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 the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

before returning to Britain in 1933. One went to

Midland & Scottish Air Ferries Midland & Scottish Air Ferries was Scotland's first airline, operating from 1933 to 1934. It is particularly noted for pioneering flights to the Inner Hebrides History Foundation John Cuthill Sword started Midland Bus Services in Airdrie, to t ...

(May 1933) and at the end of 1931 one went to Indian State Airways for the use of the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

. Two Tens went to the Egyptian Army air force in January 1932, one of them surviving to join

Indian National Airways Indian National Airways Ltd was an airline based in Delhi, India.Page 15 The founder of the airline was R. E. Grant Govan, a Delhi based British industrialist who also co-founded the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Cricket Club o ...

in September 1934. The last production Ten was delivered to the

Royal Aircraft Establishment The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...

's Wireless and Equipment Flight in July 1936 with the RAF serial ''K2682''. One of the 624 Sixes was used by A.S.T Ltd; the other two were eventually sold to the Chinese government.

Accidents and incidents

*On 30 December 1933, G-ABLU ''Apollo'' of

collided with a radio mast and

crashed "Crashed" is the third U.S. rock single, (the fifth overall), from the band Daughtry's debut album. It was released only to U.S. rock stations on September 5, 2007. Upon its release the song got adds at those stations, along with some Alternativ ...

at Ruysselede,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, killing all ten on board. *Avro X '' Southern Cloud'' crashed whilst en route from Sydney to Melbourne on 21 March 1931, with two crew and eight passengers, but with no survivors. The wreckage was located by chance, off course and facing in the wrong direction, in October 1958 by Thomas Sonter, a New Zealand carpenter employed by the Snowy Mountains Scheme, whilst he was hiking.

Variants

StateLibQld 1 115976 Star of Cairns, an Avro 619 Five, VH-UNK, ca

* Type 618 Ten : Ten-seat civil transport aircraft. Fourteen built. * Type 619 Five : Five-seat civil transport aircraft. Scaled-down version of Avro Ten. Three 105 hp (78 kW)

Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major The Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major is a British five-cylinder (later seven-cylinder), air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft, designed and built by Armstrong Siddeley and first run in 1928. It developed 140 horsepower (104 kW). In Royal ...

1 engines. Four aircraft built. * Type 624 Six : Six-seat civil transport aircraft. Revised version of Avro Five with accommodation for two pilots and four passengers. Three Genet engines again, but the outer engines in fairings merged into the underside of the wings. Three aircraft built.

Operators

Civil operators

; *

Airlines of Australia The airline industry in Australia began in the early 1920s with Western Australian Airways on the west coast, and Australian Aircraft and Engineering Company on the east coast. In 1921, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS ...

Australian Transcontinental Airways Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

* W.R.Carpenter Airlines (later Mandated Airlines) * Far Eastern Aviation Company * Hart Aircraft Co. * Kingsford Smith Air Service Ltd. * New England Airways (see

Keith Virtue Keith Allison Virtue MBE (23 June 1909 – 7 February 1980) was a pioneer Australian aviator. Sir Lawrence Wackett, in the foreword of Keith Virtue's biography, writes that he was an experienced airman himself but he marvelled at the ability a ...

) * Queensland Air Navigation Co. *

Stephens Aviation Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States of America *Alison Stephens (1970–2010), Brit ...

(New Guinea based) ; *The Government of China ;

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

* Indian State Airways ; * Air Service Training Ltd. *

Commercial Air Hire Mildred Mary Petre (10 November 1895 – 21 May 1990) was a British record-breaking racing motorist, speedboat racer and aviator in the 1920s and 1930s, and later, successful businesswoman. Commonly referred to as Mrs Victor Bruce, she was also k ...

Midland and Scottish Air Ferries Midland & Scottish Air Ferries was Scotland's first airline, operating from 1933 to 1934. It is particularly noted for pioneering flights to the Inner Hebrides History Foundation John Cuthill Sword started Midland Bus Services in Airdrie, to t ...

Wilson Airways Florence Kerr Wilson OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil ser ...

(Kenya based)

Military operators

; *

Egyptian Army Air Force The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية المصرية, El Qūwāt El Gawīyä El Maṣrīya), is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all mili ...

; *

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) an ...

Specifications (Avro 618)

References

* Priest, Joan ''Virtue in Flying''. 1975 Angus & Robertson

External links

Avro 618 Ten VH-UMG
mdash;Image collection of Ed Coates
Tom Campbell Black
mdash;Wilson Airways purchased two Avro 619 Five aircraft, the first in 1929 VP-KAE and VP-KAD at a later date. {{Avro aircraft 618 Ten 1930s British airliners Trimotors High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1930