The Avro 548 was a civil trainer aircraft built in Britain after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Its design was based extensively on Avro's
504
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Year 504 (DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nicomachus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1257 ...
military aircraft, but it had an inline engine and a third seat. The prototype, designated 545, first flew with a
Curtiss OX-5
The Curtiss OX-5 was an early V-8 American liquid-cooled aircraft engine built by Curtiss. It was the first American-designed aircraft engine to enter mass production, although it was considered obsolete when it did so in 1917.Smith, 1981, pa ...
V-8 engine, but this proved impractical for the civil market on account of the engine's weight and the complexity of its cooling system. An air-cooled Renault engine was used instead, and the designation 548 applied to this configuration. In practice, these aircraft were usually customised for their buyers and most differed from each other in equipment and detail; some were retrofitted war-surplus 504s. Many were used as civil trainers, others for joyriding, personal transport and racing.
A revised version, the 548A resulted when fitted with an
ADC Airdisco
The ADC Airdisco is a British V-8 aero engine that first ran in 1925.
Design and development
The 'Airdisco' was developed from the French Renault 70 hp aero engine by Frank Halford of the Aircraft Disposal Company, the main difference being t ...
engine, a development of the Renault which gave 120 hp (90 kW). This engine greatly improved performance.
[Jackson 1990, p.189.]
Plans for a version with an enclosed cabin, designated 553 were never brought to fruition.
Operators
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Latvian Air Force
Latvian Air Force ( lv, Latvijas Gaisa spēki) is the aviation branch of the National Armed Forces. The first air force (AF) units were established 1992. It has no air combat capability, thus the defense of Latvian air space is maintained by NATO ...
- Two 548Ns acquired 1924.
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Portuguese Air Force
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- Two 548As acquired 1924.
[Niccoli 1998, pp. 22–23.]
Specifications (548)
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
Avro 548– British Aircraft Directory
{{Avro aircraft
1910s British civil utility aircraft
548
Year 548 (Roman numerals, DXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 548 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calend ...
Biplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1919