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The Avro Type G was a two-seat biplane designed by A.V. Roe to participate in the
1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition
In 1911 the British War Office announced their first Military Aeroplane Competition for aircraft to meet the requirements of the Air Battalion Royal Engineers. The formal requirements were published in December 1911. By the time the trials were he ...
. It is notable in having a fully enclosed crew compartment, and was also the first aircraft to have recovered from a spin in front of witnesses.
Design and development
The Avro Type G was a two-seat two bay
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 ...
with a fully enclosed crew compartment. The fuselage occupied the entire gap between upper and lower wings, which were of Roe's characteristic high aspect ratio. Two prototypes were started, one with a
Green engine, the other with an
ABC. The latter engine was not delivered in time, and the second prototype was abandoned.
At the trials, the Type G was placed first in the assembly tests (erected in 14½ minutes) and the fuel consumption tests, but its poor rate of climb prevented it from winning a major prize, although Avro were awarded £100.
However, the Type G did later set a British endurance record of 7 hours 31 minutes piloted by
F. P. Raynham
Frederick Phillips Raynham (1893–1954) was a British pilot from the early days of aviation, gaining his aviator's certificate in 1911. He test-flew Avro, Martinsyde, Sopwith Aviation Company, Sopwith and Hawker Aircraft, Hawker aircraft before ...
at Brooklands on 24 October (a record broken only one hour later by
Harry Hawker).
It was the second British airplane to have recovered from a
spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
, and the first to do so in front of witnesses.
Early on the morning of 25 August Lt
Wilfred Parke, with Lt Breton as passenger, took off to make an endurance trial. After having flown for three hours, he was executing a series of dives and while turning entered a spin at about . By a combination of luck and cool nerves coupled with flying skill, he was able to recover when barely feet above the ground, the craft suddenly righting itself and flying off under perfect control. Parke's ability to clearly report on his experience to expert witnesses of the event was most important, since going into a spin had previously meant almost certain death.
Specifications
References
Further reading
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External links
Avro Type G– British Aircraft Directory
{{Avro aircraft
1910s British military utility aircraft
Type G
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1912