Avro (Canada) Anson
Courtesy T.F.J. Leversedge
An early model Royal Canadian Air Force Anson as used in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The yellow overall finish, which denoted training aircraft, was typical of many BCATP aircraft.
Overview
Overview
The Avro Anson was known by a number of nicknames including “Faithful Annie” or “Flying Greenhouse”. It was the first aircraft to be flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force to have a retractable undercarriage, which was a comparative novelty in 1936. In 1940, a Canadian government owned company, Federal Aircraft Limited, was created in Montreal to manufacture the Anson for Canadian use. Nearly 3,000 Anson aircraft were produced and, in the early days of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the Anson was the standard trainer for many pilots, observers (navigators), wireless operators and bomb aimers. More than 20,000 aircrew received training on the Anson. In Canadian service, the aircraft was substantially re-designed with the substitution of North American engines and many other airframe and equipment changes.
| Model number | 652A |
| Marks | Mk I, II, III, IV, V, VA, VP, VT, VI |
| Role | Trainer |
| Taken on strength | 1940 |
| Struck off strength | 1954 |
| Number | 4,413 |
| Service | RCAF/ Royal Canadian Navy |
|---|
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft: A Military Compendium by T.F.J. Leversedge © 2007. Translated and reproduced with permission of the author.
Technical specifications
Technical specifications
| Manufacturer | Avro Canada and various other Canadian companies |
| Crew / passengers | Two pilots and crew |
|---|---|
| Powerplant | Two 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985AN-12B or 14B Wasp Jr radial engines |
| Maximum speed | 190 mph (304 km/h) |
| Cruising speed | 174 mph (280 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 20,550 ft (6,263 m) |
| Range | 1,130 mi (1,818 km) |
| Empty weight | 6,693 lb (3,039 kg) |
| Gross weight | 9,275 lb (4,210 kg) |
| Span | 56 ft 6 in (17.2 m) |
| Length | 42 ft 3 in (12.9 m) |
| Height | 13 ft 1 inch (4 m) |
| Wing area | 410 sq ft (38.1 m2) |
| Armament | None, but provisions for bomb and gunnery training in turret equipped with machine gun and using practice bombs in underwing bomb bays |
| Cost | Unknown |
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft: A Military Compendium by T.F.J. Leversedge © 2007. Translated and reproduced with permission of the author.
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