The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a twin-engined light transport aircraft designed and produced by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

aircraft manufacturer

Airspeed Ltd. Airspeed Limited was established in 1931 to build aeroplanes in York, England, by A. H. Tiltman and Nevil Shute Norway (the aeronautical engineer and novelist, who used his forenames as his pen-name). The other directors were A. E. Hewitt, ...

The Envoy originated as a heavier twin-engine derivative of Airspeed's

Courier A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

light transport aircraft. Sharing much of its design with this earlier aircraft, it was relatively easy to develop; confidence in the project was so high that within a week of the prototype's

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...

, it was performing as a display aircraft to the public. Quantity production of the Envoy had been initiated even before this first flight. Early on, Airspeed worked closely with the British engine manufacturer

Wolseley Motors Wolseley Motors Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in early 1901 by the Vickers Armaments in conjunction with Herbert Austin. It initially made a full range, topped by large luxury cars, and dominated the market in the E ...

as both a key supplier and early custom of the Envoy; development subsequently branched out to a wide variety of engines and configurations. The majority of Envoys were produced by Airspeed at their facility at Portsmouth Aerodrome,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

. The type was also produced overseas in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

following the acquisition of a

licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

at the company's

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

factory; it was locally known as the ''Mitsubishi Hinazuru-type Passenger Transport''. While many customers of the Envoy were in the civilian sector, where it was used for a variety of purposes from

air racing Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previ ...

to operating as an

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

, it also found an audience with military operators. The ''Convertible Envoy'' was developed for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, which sought a model that could be rapidly reconfigured between civilian and military duties, being outfitted for use as a

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...

and

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...

for the latter capacity. The Envoy served as the basis for the

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...

, a militarised trainer aircraft operated in large numbers by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

in and around the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Development

During the early 1930s, Airspeed successfully introduced the innovative

, the first British aircraft to feature a retractable undercarriage. Very quickly following the first flight, the company's management recognised that a logical follow-up project would be an enlarged derivative powered by twin engines, involving considerably less design work than an equivalent clean sheet initiative. The design effort was headed by co-founder A. H. (Hessell) Tiltman; during November 1933, Airspeed's board authorised the project to proceed. By January 1934, six aircraft, including the prototype, were at various stages of construction.Taylor 1970, p. 54. On 26 June 1934, the prototype, ''G-ACMT'', performed its

, piloted by C. H. A. Colman. One week later, confidence in the prototype was so high that Airspeed decided to dispatch it for its first public appearance, an exhibition by the

Society of British Aircraft Constructors A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. So ...

(SBAC) at

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Gre ...

. By September 1934, the prototype was undergoing airworthiness certification testing at

RAF Martlesham Heath Royal Air Force Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development o ...

. Furthermore, work was progressing well on a specialised racing variant of the aircraft, the

Airspeed Viceroy The Airspeed AS.8 Viceroy was a British racing version of the Airspeed AS.6 Envoy built by Airspeed (1934) Limited at Portsmouth. The Viceroy was built to order for Captain T. Neville Stack and Sydney Lewis Turner, to compete in the England ...

. Originally, Airspeed worked closely with British engine manufacturer

on the Envoy; it was originally designed to work with the latter's

Wolseley Aries The Wolseley Aries III or A.R.9 was a British nine-cylinder, air-cooled radial aero engine that first ran in 1933, it was designed and built by Wolseley Motors. Intended for the military trainer aircraft market few were produced as Wolseley w ...

engine. This partnership involved, amongst other aspects, the first two Envoys being sold to Wolseley and its owner

Lord Nuffield William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, (10 October 1877 – 22 August 1963) was an English motor manufacturer and philanthropist. He was the founder of Morris Motors Limited and is remembered as the founder of the Nuffield Foundation, ...

. The prototype, and several early production aircraft, were powered by Aries engines; however, the prototype was subsequently reengined with the

Wolseley Scorpio The Wolseley Aries III or A.R.9 was a British nine-cylinder, air-cooled radial aero engine that first ran in 1933, it was designed and built by Wolseley Motors. Intended for the military trainer aircraft market few were produced as Wolseley w ...

(amongst other changes) during early 1936.Taylor 1970, pp. 54-55. Wolseley abruptly decided to cease aircraft engine manufacture in September 1936 as a result of the bureaucratic requirements of the Air Ministry being considered excessive by Lord Nuffield. Accordingly, Airspeed decided to adapt the aircraft to work with a variety of different engines.Taylor 1970, pp. 54-55. This decision led to customers being offered a choice of various engines to power their aircraft; these powerplants included the Aries, Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah V or Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC radial engines.Taylor 1970, pp. 69–70. Early on, Airspeed promoted the Envoy by entering individual aircraft in

air race Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a prev ...

s and performing numerous long-distance flights. The specialised Viceroy derivative, being tailored towards racing, was used in this promotional campaign as well.Taylor 1970, p. 56. Production of the Envoy was produced in three distinct series; initial production aircraft lacked several of the features present on later-built examples, such as

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

s. Seventeen Series I Envoys were completed, followed by thirteen Series II aircraft (equipped with split flaps) and the improved Series III, of which nineteen were constructed.Taylor 1970, p. 69. Akin to the preceding Courier, a 'colonial' model of the envoy was developed for overseas customers.Taylor 1970, p. 57.

Design

The Airspeed Envoy was a twin-engined low-wing cabin monoplane of all-wood construction apart from fabric covered control surfaces. It had a rearward retracting main undercarriage with a fixed tailwheel. Having been designed from the onset as a twin-engined development of the company's earlier

, numerous commonalities were shared between the two aircraft, including near-identical wooden construction, the same outer wing panels and the main undercarriage. The airframe had a

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

exterior while the structure was composed of wood as well and was considered to be conventional for the era. In a typical configuration, the cabin could accommodate eight passengers along with a single pilot, while the Envoy's normal fuel capacity was 78 gallons, accommodated within a pair of aluminium tanks in the centre section. A separate aft compartment was normally used to store

baggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, tri ...

, accessible via an exterior door on the starboard side of the aircraft. If the optional

lavatory Lavatory, Lav, or Lavvy may refer to: *Toilet, the plumbing fixture *Toilet (room), containing a toilet *Public toilet *Aircraft lavatory, the public toilet on an aircraft *Latrine, a rudimentary toilet *A lavatorium, the washing facility in a mon ...

was installed, a reduced maximum capacity of six passengers was necessary. Passenger access to the cabin was via a single door on the port side of the aircraft. The wing of Envoy changed between models, with early-built aircraft not featuring

s unlike later production models. It also featured outboard extension wings, which could optionally accommodate a pair of additional 30 galloon fuel tanks to extend the aircraft's range. The wing's center section was integral with the aircraft's semi-

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

fuselage, possessing an aspect radio of 8.16, a mean dihedral of 5 degrees, and an incidence of 2 degrees at the fuselage. The Envoy was powered by a range of engines across its various models. While initial aircraft were furnished with a pair of

engines, other models were equipped with powerplants such as the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah V and Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

s. Regardless of the engine used, each was accommodated within an appropriate cowling, typically a short chord

Townend ring A Townend ring is a narrow- chord cowling ring fitted around the cylinders of an aircraft radial engine to reduce drag and improve cooling. Development The Townend ring was the invention of Dr. Hubert Townend of the British National Physica ...

, but also wider chord cowlings with and without blisters for cylinder heads.

Operational history

Civilian use

The first production Envoy I, ''G-ACVH'', flew in October 1934 and was used as a company demonstrator. The second, also a Series I but fitted with Wolseley Aries III radial engines, was delivered to

. This aircraft was due to fly in the MacRobertson Air Race from England to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

in 1934 but the aircraft was damaged and withdrawn from the race. Another aircraft, a specially modified version with long-range tanks (the AS 8 Viceroy) reached as far as

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

before leaving the race due to damage.Jackson 1973, p. 20. A single Envoy participated in the

Schlesinger Race The Schlesinger Race, also known as the ''"Rand Race"'', the ''"Portsmouth – Johannesburg Race"'' or more commonly the 'African Air Race', took place in September 1936. The Royal Aero Club announced the race on behalf of Isidore William Sch ...

to Johannesburg, but crashed midway through, killing two of its crew.Taylor 1970, pp. 61-62. Numerous early airlines adopted the Envoy for their fleets. The British company

North Eastern Airways North Eastern Airways (NEA) was a British airline which operated from 1935 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, it operated routes from Scotland to London in competition with the railways, retainin ...

was the first to use the type as an airliner; multiple Envoys were used by the firm, which encountered difficulties on some routes due to limited passenger demand and navigation difficulties, leading to its discontinuation in 1938.Taylor 1970, pp. 57-58. The Indian operator Tata Air Service operated a single Envoy on a demonstration flight between

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

(known as ''Mumbai'' today) and

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

(since re-spelt as ''Kolkata'') on 25 February 1935 to validate the viability of

air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...

service between the two cities. Amongst the more successful airlines to operate the Envoy was

Japan Air Transport Co. Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

(NKYKK –

Nihon Koku Yuso Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

KK) and the

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

n firm

Czech Airlines Czech Airlines j.s.c. (abbreviation: ČSA, cz, České Aerolinie, a.s.) is the flag carrier of the Czech Republic. Its head office is located in the Vokovice area of Prague's 6th district and its hub is Václav Havel Airport Prague. The c ...

(CSA), the latter having ordered four Envoys to launch its operations with on 1 October 1935.Taylor 1970, pp. 58, 60-61. Orders for the Envoy came from a wide variety of customers, many of which were distributed across the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. A pair of aircraft were delivered to the

Ansett Airlines Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into admini ...

. The Spanish company

Commercial Air Hire Mildred Mary Petre (10 November 1895 – 21 May 1990) was a British record-breaking racing motorist, speedboat racer and aviator in the 1920s and 1930s, and later, successful businesswoman. Commonly referred to as Mrs Victor Bruce, she was also k ...

acquired one of the early-build Envoys for civilian purposes; it was subsequently impressed into military service along with several Envoys during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

. Two Envoys were used as the personal aircraft of separate Chinese governors; one of these may have been operated in a military capacity.Taylor 1970, pp. 62-63. During May 1937, the King's Flight took delivery of a single Envoy III as a replacement for a

de Havilland Dragon Rapide The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide is a 1930s short-haul biplane airliner developed and produced by British aircraft company de Havilland. Capable of accommodating 6–8 passengers, it proved an economical and durable craft, despite its rel ...

; this aircraft received the registration ''G-AEXX'' and was painted in distinctive red and blue colours.Jackson 1973, p. 23.Taylor 1970, p. 66. Through the mid to late 1930s, several overseas companies entered negotiations with Airspeed with the aim of acquiring a

to produce the Envoy themselves. The Japanese company

successfully did so, producing it as the ''Mitsubishi Hinazuru-type Passenger Transport''.Taylor 1970, pp. 58-60. The Austrian firm Hirtenberger also secured a licence to locally manufacture the aircraft, while other entities, such as a

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

n venture, also made efforts to secure similar accommodations.Taylor 1970, pp. 65-66.

Military use

The Envoy also saw military use, being adopted by the air arms of different countries. The aircraft was used in quantity by the Air Forces of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, along with several additional nations. Seven Envoys were ordered for joint use by the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

(SAAF) and

South African Airways South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten dest ...

, with three being delivered in military form and four delivered to South African Airways, where they were used on the air route between

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

–

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

–

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...

on 12 October 1936.Jackson 1973, p. 21. These aircraft, known as the "Convertible Envoy", could be equipped at short notice with

bomb rack A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the ...

s and a

machinegun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

in a hand-operated

Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles and ...

dorsal turret.Taylor 1970, pp. 63-64. Accordingly, each of these seven aircraft could be transformed by a work crew of four within four hours from the transport version into a light bomber or reconnaissance aircraft; in this configuration, the crew consisted of four; pilot, navigator, radio operator and gunner. While not a large order, Airspeed benefitted substantially from its work to develop the Convertible Envoy when it subsequently developed further militarised versions of the aircraft. The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) procured a handful of Envoys for communications work both domestically and overseas in the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

.Taylor 1970, pp. 67-69. During October 1936, the British

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of Stat ...

placed a sizable order for 136 Envoys, specially equipped for crew training, to fulfil Specification T.23/36.Hamlin 2001, pp. 18–26. These further developed aircraft were given a new company designation as the AS.10, and entered RAF service as the

.''Flight'' 30 June 1938, p. 628. During the

, ten AS.6 Envoys were obtained by the Spanish Republicans, with the Nationalist side using two, including one that defected from the Republicans,Jackson 1973, p.392–393. as transport, reconnaissance aircraft or light bombers. One of the Nationalist Envoys flew into a mountain in June 1937, killing General Emilio Mola; this Envoy had been their demonstrator and was sold for £6,000 cash (six £1000 Bank of England notes). During the

, the German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

captured several Envoys and operated a few as trainer aircraft for a time.

Japan

During 1935, a pair of Envoy-Is were delivered to Japan, one for evaluation by the

(NKYKK –

KK) and the other for the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first aircraft in 1910 ...

as the ''Airspeed LXM''.Taylor 1970, p. 60. Three months later, a follow-up order was placed four additional Envoys. Following the acquisition of a

, local production of the aircraft started at the

factory of the ''Mitsubishi Hinazuru-type Passenger Transport''.Taylor 1970, pp. 58-60. It was initially powered by

Gasuden Jimpu The Gasuden Jimpu or Kamikaze (later produced by Hitachi) was a Japanese seven-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engine from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. It was the first aircraft engine produced by , often abbreviated to Gasuden, and the first ...

engines, but later using licence built Armstrong Siddeley Lynx or

Wolseley Aries Mk.III The Wolseley Aries III or A.R.9 was a British nine-cylinder, air-cooled Radial engine, radial Aircraft engine, aero engine that first ran in 1933, it was designed and built by Wolseley Motors. Intended for the military trainer aircraft market ...

engines. While largely identical to their British-made equivalents, Mitsubishi-built aircraft differed in that they were outfitted with landing flaps, along with additional supporting frames around the passenger cabin windows and a covering for the transport cockpit canopy. Flight testing of the Jimpu powered aircraft resulted in a crash, killing the flight test observer, (the first fatality during flight testing of Mitsubishi aircraft), blamed on the engines producing excessive drag, resulting in the switch to licence-built British engines. Eleven aircraft were built at Nagoya before production ceased, all of which flew domestic services for NKYKK (later to become Greater Japan Airways).

Postwar era

By the end of the Second World War, there were very few Envoys left in operation. One of the RAF Envoy IIIs that survived the conflict was subsequently disposed of as surplus and operated by Private Charter Ltd as ''G-AHAC'' for civil passenger charter flights, it was retired and finally scrapped at Tollerton airport, Nottingham during 1950.

Variants

Airspeed Ltd, Portsmouth

;AS.6 Envoy I : Powered by two 200-hp (149-kW) A.R.9 piston engines. 5 built ;AS.6A Envoy I : Powered by two 240-hp (179-kW) Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC radial piston engines. 5 built ;AS.6D Envoy II : Powered by two 350-hp (261-kW) Wright R-760-E2 Whirlwind 7 radial piston engines, eight built. ;AS.6E Envoy III : Powered by two 340-hp (254-kW)

Walter Castor The Walter Castor was a Czechoslovakian seven-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine for powering aircraft that was developed in the late 1920s. The Super Castor was a nine-cylinder development.Gunston 1989, p. 174. Castor I production began in 192 ...

engines. 5 built ;AS.6G : Powered by two 250-hp (186-kW)

I engines. ;AS.6H Envoy : Powered by two 225-hp (168-kW)

III engines. 1 built ;AS.6J Envoy III: Seven-seat light transport aircraft. Powered by two 345-hp (257-kW)

Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX The Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah is a seven-cylinder British air-cooled aircraft radial engine of 834 cu in (13.65 L) capacity introduced in 1935 and produced until 1948. Early variants of the Cheetah were initially known as the Lynx Major.Lum ...

radial piston engines. 27 built ;AS.6JC Envoy : Powered by two 350-hp (261-kW)

Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah The Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah is a seven-cylinder British air-cooled aircraft radial engine of 834 cu in (13.65 L) capacity introduced in 1935 and produced until 1948. Early variants of the Cheetah were initially known as the Lynx Major.Lum ...

IX radial piston engines. 4 built ;AS.6JM Envoy : Powered by two 350-hp (261-kW) Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX radial piston engines. 3 built ;AS.6K Envoy III :Three-built. ; AS.8 Viceroy :A special, one-off racing aircraft was developed from the Envoy: the Airspeed AS.8 Viceroy. ;Airspeed LXM :One imported Airspeed Envoy evaluated by the

;Mitsubishi Hinazuru-type Passenger Transport :(''Hinazuru'' – en Young Crane) Licence production by Mitsubishi, fitted with flaps and powered by

, or licence-built Armstrong Siddeley Lynx or

engines. Eleven built from 1936 to 1938

Operators

The Envoy also saw service in

, the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

, and

. ; *

; *

Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske; ZNDH), was the air force of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet state established with the support of the Axis Powers on the territory ...

; * ČSA ; *

Finnish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = 159 , equipment_label ...

; *''

'' (small numbers)Ketley and Rolfe 1996, p. 11. ; *

Japan Air Transport was the national airline of the Empire of Japan from 1928 to 1938. History Commercial aviation began in Japan with the privately held Japan Air Transport Institute, which pioneered passenger service between Sakai, Osaka and Tokushima on Shikok ...

* Imperial Japan Airways ; *

Manchukuo National Airways Manchuria Aviation Company(traditional Chinese/Kyūjitai: 滿洲航空株式會社; simplified Chinese: 满州航空株式会社; Shinjitai: 満州航空株式会社; Japanese Hepburn: ''Manshū Kōkū Kabushiki-gaisha, "MKKK"'') was the nation ...

; *

operated four aircraft. *

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

; *

Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics ('' Aeronáutica ...

from

LAPE LAPE, Spanish Postal Airlines ''(Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas)'', was Spain's national airline during the Second Spanish Republic. History LAPE, often also spelt L.A.P.E. and colloquially known as ''"Las LAPE"'', replaced CLASSA (''Compa ...

; *

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

; *

*Olley Air Service *Private Charter Ltd *

** No. 24 Squadron RAF.Taylor 1970, pp. 66-67. *

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

Accidents and incidents

Cheetah-powered Envoy, ''VH-UXY'', piloted by

Charles Ulm Charles Thomas Philippe Ulm (18 October 1898 – 3 December 1934) was a pioneer Australian aviator. He partnered with Charles Kingsford Smith in achieving a number of aviation firsts, serving as Kingsford Smith's co-pilot on the first transpaci ...

, disappeared in December 1934 during an attempt to fly the Pacific route between

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...

and

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...

. It had been specially built with a large long-range fuel tank filling the middle of the cabin.

Maxwell Findlay Captain Maxwell Hutcheon Findlay (17 February 1898 – 1 October 1936) was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories. He remained in the RAF postwar for several years before going on to a civilian aviation career that en ...

fatally crashed another Envoy, modified with long-range fuel tanks, in northern

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

during the October 1936 Portsmouth to Johannesburg Schlesinger African Air Race. They were to use a

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

purchased for £5500; but when offered £9500 (the cost of the plane plus the first prize of £4000) by a Spanish (war) buyer they cashed the cheque and ordered a Cheetah-engine Envoy with long range tanks which had similar performance to the Viceroy. But at Abercorn in Africa they could not wait for the wind to drop so they could take off downhill. They took off with maximum load uphill against the wind but failed to clear trees beyond the strip and crashed. The Envoy prototype (demonstrator) was sold to the Spanish Nationalists for £6000 cash (six £1000 Bank of England notes) in September 1936 and used as a VIP transport. On 3 June 1937 it flew into a mountain killing all on board including General Mola.Hamlin 2001, p. 11

Specifications (AS.6J Series III )

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Hamlin, John. ''The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2001, * Howson, Gerald. "Contraband Wings of the Spanish Civil War...Britain's Clandestine Contribution". ''Air Enthusiast 10,'' July–September 1979, pp. 68–78. * Jackson, A. J. ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919: Volume 1 (2nd ed.)''. London: Putnam, 1973. . * Ketley, Barry and Mark Rolfe. ''Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935–1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft.'' Aldershot, UK: Hikoki Publications, 1996. .
"Modern Trainer."
''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

'', 30 June 1938, pp. 628–632. * * * Shores, Christopher F. et al. ''Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920.'' London: Grub Street, 1990. . * Sturtivant, Ray and Burrow, Mick. ''Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945''. Tunbridge Wells, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1995. . * Taylor, H. A. ''Airspeed Aircraft since 1931.'' London: Putnam Publishing, 1970, .

External links

''Flight'' article of 1934 on Envoy
{{Authority control

Envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...

1930s British civil utility aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1934