Avro 643 Cadet

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Cadet
Avro Cadet.jpg
RAAF Avro Cadets
General information
TypeTrainer
Manufacturer Avro
Number built104
History
Manufactured1932–1939
Introduction date1932
First flightOctober 1931
Developed from Avro Tutor
Variants Avro 638 Club Cadet

The Avro Cadet is a single-engined British biplane trainer designed and built by Avro in the 1930s as a smaller development of the Avro Tutor for civil use.

Contents

Design and development

The Avro 631 Cadet was developed in 1931 as a smaller, more economical, derivative of the Tutor military trainer, for flying club or personal use. The first prototype, G-ABRS flew in October 1931. [1] It was publicly unveiled at the opening of Skegness airfield in May 1932, although by this time, the first orders for the type, for the Irish Army Air Corps, had already been placed and the order (for six Cadets) delivered.

The Avro 631 Cadet was replaced in production in September 1934 [2] by the improved Avro 643 Cadet, which had a revised rear fuselage with a raised rear seat, retaining the 135 hp (101 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major 1 engine of the Avro 631. In turn, this formed the basis for the more powerful Avro 643 Mk II Cadet; it was also strengthened and had improved parachute egress. This model entered service in 1935, and was built in the largest numbers, including 34 fitted with a tailwheel for the Royal Australian Air Force. [1]

Operational history

The Cadet, while smaller and more economical than the Tutor, was still more expensive to run than competing two-seat light civil aircraft and was harder to hangar because of its lack of folding wings, so it was used mainly as a trainer for flying schools or the military. By far, the largest civil user was Air Service Training Ltd, which operated 17 Avro 631s at Hamble, together with a further four operated by its Hong Kong subsidiary, the Far East Aviation Co. Air Service Training also operated 23 Mk II Cadets, with both these and the earlier Cadets remaining in service with Reserve Training Schools run by Air Service Training until they were impressed as ATC instructional airframes in 1941. [1]

The other major operator was the RAAF, which acquired 34 Mk II Cadets, delivered between November 1935 and February 1939. [1] These remained in service until 1946, when the surviving 16 were sold for civil use. [2] Two of these were re-engined in 1963 with 220 hp (160 kW) Jacobs R-755 engines for use as crop sprayers. In the UK, only two Cadets survived the war.

Variants

Avro 631 Cadet
Initial version, powered by Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major I engine, 35 built.
Avro 643 Cadet
Raised rear seat, eight built.
Avro 643 Cadet II
Powered by 150 hp (110 kW) Genet Major 1A, 61 built.

Operators

An RAAF Avro Mk II Cadet built in Manchester, UK (despite the signboard) and erected in Australia Avro cadet trainer A6-23 from The Powerhouse Museum.jpg
An RAAF Avro Mk II Cadet built in Manchester, UK (despite the signboard) and erected in Australia

Civil operators

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Military operators

Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Spain (1931-1939).svg  Spain

Survivors

Specifications (Avro 643 Mk II Cadet)

Avro 631 Cadet 3-view drawing from NACA-AC-161 Avro 631 Cadet 3-view NACA-AC-161.png
Avro 631 Cadet 3-view drawing from NACA-AC-161

Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908 [1]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development

Related lists

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jackson, A J (1990). Avro Aircraft since 1908 (2nd ed.). London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN   0-85177-834-8.
  2. 1 2 Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN   0-370-10006-9.
  3. Wilson, Stewart (1994). Military Aircraft of Australia. Weston Creek, Australia: Aerospace Publications. p. 216. ISBN   1875671080.
  4. "Aircraft that took part in the Spanish Civil War". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2010.

Bibliography