Post by shred on May 13, 2013 4:08:08 GMT -5
Prior to the outbreak of war Roy Chadwick of Avro designed a twin engined long range medium bomber for the Royal Air Force, designed bomb bay first the Manchester first flew in 1939.
It's Rolls Royce Vulture engines which had been designed to provide 2000 horsepower were unreliable and the bearings were not hard enough, piston rods could and did smash right through the side of the engine, these engines were detuned in service but still engine problems were common. The aircraft was re designed to use four of the more reliable and battle tested Rolls Royce Merlin (Lancaster Mk1 & Mk3) & sometimes Bristol Hercules engines (Lancaster Mk2).
Hercules engined Lancaster:
Two Merlin engined Lancasters remain airworthy today one in Canada, the other in the BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight), a possible 3rd airworthy Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane' is in the works at Lincolnshire Aviation Centre where it currently performs fast taxis.
www.lincsaviation.co.uk/news/lancaster-nx611-return-to-flight/
Avro further developed the design into the York transport aircraft with a new fuselage:
No airworthy examples remain though there are two complete survivors, one at RAF Museum Cosford, the other at IWM Duxford.
The Lancastrian Airliner some of which were made from converted Lancaster bombers
A further development of Chadwick's Manchester / Lancaster bomber design saw the fuselage stretched and the wings extended, and 4 x 1750hp Merlin 65 engines were chosen to power it, this version became known as the Lincoln. These were introduced in August 1945. They would have been deployed against Japan with Tiger Force, but two B29's of the USAAF caused Japan to surrender.
Avro Lincolns later saw action in Kenya against the Mau Mau and during the Malayan Emergency.
The final version of Chadwick's design was largely a redesign, with a new pressurised fuselage, Griffin Engines with contra rotating propellers and Lincoln wings, this was the Avro Shackleton. First flight 1949.
Shackleton's were used throughout the cold war for maritime patrol, airborne early warning and search and rescue duties. The last AEW Shackleton's left service in 1990!
Despite all these redesigns, Chadwick's original elevator & twin rudder tail fin assembly was used on all variants except the Avro York transport (which included a third rudder for stability).
It's Rolls Royce Vulture engines which had been designed to provide 2000 horsepower were unreliable and the bearings were not hard enough, piston rods could and did smash right through the side of the engine, these engines were detuned in service but still engine problems were common. The aircraft was re designed to use four of the more reliable and battle tested Rolls Royce Merlin (Lancaster Mk1 & Mk3) & sometimes Bristol Hercules engines (Lancaster Mk2).
Hercules engined Lancaster:
Two Merlin engined Lancasters remain airworthy today one in Canada, the other in the BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight), a possible 3rd airworthy Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane' is in the works at Lincolnshire Aviation Centre where it currently performs fast taxis.
www.lincsaviation.co.uk/news/lancaster-nx611-return-to-flight/
Avro further developed the design into the York transport aircraft with a new fuselage:
No airworthy examples remain though there are two complete survivors, one at RAF Museum Cosford, the other at IWM Duxford.
The Lancastrian Airliner some of which were made from converted Lancaster bombers
A further development of Chadwick's Manchester / Lancaster bomber design saw the fuselage stretched and the wings extended, and 4 x 1750hp Merlin 65 engines were chosen to power it, this version became known as the Lincoln. These were introduced in August 1945. They would have been deployed against Japan with Tiger Force, but two B29's of the USAAF caused Japan to surrender.
Avro Lincolns later saw action in Kenya against the Mau Mau and during the Malayan Emergency.
The final version of Chadwick's design was largely a redesign, with a new pressurised fuselage, Griffin Engines with contra rotating propellers and Lincoln wings, this was the Avro Shackleton. First flight 1949.
Shackleton's were used throughout the cold war for maritime patrol, airborne early warning and search and rescue duties. The last AEW Shackleton's left service in 1990!
Despite all these redesigns, Chadwick's original elevator & twin rudder tail fin assembly was used on all variants except the Avro York transport (which included a third rudder for stability).