The Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta was a four-engine

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 ...

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 Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Limited at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

. The Atalanta was specifically developed to fulfil the needs of the British airline

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passenger ...

, who sought a new four-engined airliner to serve its African routes. A

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

configuration was adopted largely due to its low drag qualities, which led to a substantially different configuration to that of the preceding

Armstrong Whitworth Argosy The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a three-engine biplane airliner designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. It was the company's first airliner. The Argosy was developed during the early-to-mid 1 ...

airliner. Upon its review of Armstrong Whitworth's proposal, Imperial Airways opted to order it into production before a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

had even been assembled, much less flown. On 6 June 1932, the prototype, ''G-ABPI'', performed its

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 alwa ...

; it was named ''Atalanta'', which was later applied to the whole class as well. Flying testing revealed only minor difficulties, many of which were rapidly resolved, enabling the aircraft to receive a

certificate of airworthiness A standard certificate of airworthiness is a permit for commercial passenger or cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by the civil aviation authority in the state/nation in which the aircraft is registered. For other aircraft such as crop-spraye ...

only three months later. On 26 September 1932, Imperial Airways operated the type's first commercial service from Croydon to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. The Atalanta primarily served the airline's Eastern routes as intended for five years before being displaced; in its later year, various other civil and military operators flew the type up until its withdrawal amid 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 opposin ...

Development

Background

The origins of the AW.15 Atalanta can be largely attributed to the British airline

, specifically its release of a specification for a four-engined airliner to serve its African lines, in particular for the service between

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

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 countri ...

, during 1930. According to aviation author Oliver Tapper, the airline had recognised that, in order to achieve the desired immunity from forced landings on account of the mid-flight failure of a single engine, it would be necessary to procure new airliners with four engines, rather than three engines such as the existing

. Other requirements of Imperial Airways' specification include the ability to carry at least nine passengers, along with a crew of three and a payload of freight/mail across a distance of 400 mi (640 km), in addition to a cruising speed of 115 mph (185 km/h) at 9,000 ft (2,740 m).Tapper 1988, p. 219. At Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Limited, the aircraft designer John Lloyd reviewed this specification and quickly determined that the optimal means of fulfilling its requirements was the adoption of a

configuration, which provided greater aerodynamic efficiency over a

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

counterpart.Tapper 1988, pp. 219-220. The basic concept represented a major departure from the preceding Argosy, featuring wing-mounted engines and a relatively

streamline Streamline may refer to: Business * Streamline Air, American regional airline * Adobe Streamline, a discontinued line tracing program made by Adobe Systems * Streamline Cars, the company responsible for making the Burney car Engineering ...

d fuselage. Internal studies, which included considerable use of

wind tunnel Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...

s, found that the proposed airliner would generate 340 lb of parasitic drag, less than half that of the Argosy.Tapper 1988, p. 220.

Into flight

Imperial Airways was impressed with the company's proposal, making the unusual decision to order it into production 'off the drawing board'. On 6 June 1932, the prototype, ''G-ABPI'', performed its

, piloted by Alan Campbell-Orde. It received the individual name ''Atalanta'', which subsequently was applied to the whole class as well. On 27 June 1932, the Atalanta had its first public appearance at the company's

Society of British Aerospace Companies The Society of British Aerospace Companies, formerly Society of British Aircraft Constructors, known as SBAC, was the UK's national trade association representing companies supplying civil air transport, aerospace defence, homeland security an ...

(SBAC) display at

Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was situated in Colindale, north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became a central hub of civil aviation ("the Charing Cros ...

; according to Tapper, it was favourably received at the event. On 11 July 1932, the prototype was dispatched to

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 of ...

for testing; it received its

during the following month. Flight testing had revelated the aircraft to possess relatively few flaws, with any teething problems that did present themselves being quickly overcome. It was noted, by pilots, to handle well and be easy to fly. Due to vibration from the engines, there were instances of fuel tanks splitting and bracing wires snapping, which was addressed by installing rubber mounts for the oil tanks and replacing the wire with steel tubing. One relatively minor criticism, but still within acceptable margins, was the occasional instance of

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

over-correction and oscillation: this was improved via the addition of what Armstrong Whitworth claimed to be the world's first spring tab.Tapper 1988, pp. 224-225. The prototype was flown to

Croydon Airport Croydon Airport (former ICAO code: EGCR) was the UK's only international airport during the interwar period. Located in Croydon, South London, England, it opened in 1920, built in a Neoclassical style, and was developed as Britain's main air ...

for customer acceptance trials with Imperial Airways, the airline being reportedly entirely satisfied by its performance.Tapper 1988, p. 225. On 26 September 1932, the aircraft flew its first commercial service from Croydon to

and

.Williams ''Aeroplane Monthly'' October 1980, pp. 510–511. On 20 October 1932, the prototype was damaged during a test flight due to fuel starvation caused by a malfunctioning experimental vent on the fuel tank. Armstrong Whitworth was allegedly embarrassed by the incident and renamed the third production machine (G-ABTI, ''Arethusa'') as ''Atalanta'', apparently in the hope that nobody would notice the substitution.Tapper 1988, p. 227. Two derivatives of the Atalanta were proposed: the

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

-powered AW.25 and

Panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

-powered AW.26, but neither left the drawing board. Tapper attributes the failure for orders to emerge for successive variants to be down to unfortunate timing and the quick emergence of larger airliners from competing companies.Tapper 1988, pp. 234-235.

Design

The Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta was a high-wing streamlined monoplane airliner. Its square-section fuselage was relatively clean and featured rounded edges to reduce drag. The aircraft's composite construction included steel,

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 ...

and fabric.Tapper 1988, pp. 220-221. The

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

was fixed, but was partially enclosed within the fuselage and covered by streamlined fairings in order to minimise drag.Tapper 1988, p. 223. Passengers were carried within a relatively quiet and cool cabin and provided with comfortable adjustable chairs. The overall design of the Atalanta was rather modern for the era; Century of Flight allege that the Atalanta somewhat closed the performance gap between British and American airliners. The aircraft was powered by a total of four

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...

Armstrong Siddeley Serval III ten-cylinder

radial engines 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 cal ...

, each capable of providing up to 340 hp (250 kW). This powerplant was a relatively recent development, each one basically being a pair of

Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose The Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose is a British five-cylinder radial aero engine produced by Armstrong Siddeley. Developed in the mid-1920s it was used in the Hawker Tomtit trainer and Parnall Peto seaplane amongst others. With a displacement ...

engines joined together. These engines, which were positioned on the

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

of the wing, were faired into the wing profile for greater aerodynamic efficiency. They were mounted upon a tubular framework attached to the forward spar of the wing, which was protected from a potential engine fire by a fire-proof bulkhead. Both of the aircraft's two fuel tanks were accommodated within the wing's leading edge, one between each pair of engines, positioned as to permit fuel to be gravity fed.Tapper 1988, pp. 221-223. The fuselage of the Atalanta comprised three sections.Tapper 1988, p. 221. Its construction involved novel approaches for the company, such as the use of steel strips to form the

longeron In engineering, a longeron and stringer is the load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural ...

s and interconnecting

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

s. The section of the fuselage containing the cabin was covered by plywood over light stringers, while the rear portion was covered almost entirely by fabric, save for the use of aluminium sheeting at the corners. The aircraft's

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

wings, which were moderately tapered, were also built in three sections around two spars formed from steel girders. The wing's center section was supported by steel ribs, while the outer wing sections used wooden ribs along with a plywood covering was used up to the rear spar. The interior of the Atalanta featured several novel features. The cockpit, which was crewed by a pair of pilots and a radio operator, was unusually large; immediately behind it was a compartment intended to accommodate up to one tonne of air mail. A luggage hold and a

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

was positioned further behind that. The main cabin was designed to adjustable, readily permitting operators to change the passenger-to-freight ratio. Imperial Airways initially opted to configure it with nine seats, arranged in alternating pairs and standalone, all of which with tables.Tapper 1988, pp. 223-224. Particular attention was paid to the

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

systems due to the type's envisioned frequent use within relatively hot climates. Later on, Imperial Airways adopted a more profitable eleven seat configuration for its African route.Tapper 1988, p. 224.

Operational history

Imperial Airways ordered eight aircraft, all of which had been delivered by 1933. The first service was flown from

and then

on 26 September 1932. The prototype G-ABPI left

on 5 January 1933 on a proving flight to

.Tapper 1988, pp. 227-228. Three other aircraft joined it in South Africa to fly the service between

and

. Demand on the route was such that the Atalanta proved to lack sufficient capacity, thus necessitating its substitution by the

de Havilland Hercules The de Havilland DH.66 Hercules was a 1920s British seven-passenger, three-engined airliner built by de Havilland Aircraft Company at Stag Lane Aerodrome. As a more modern replacement for the Airco DH.10 Amiens used on the RAF's airmail se ...

.Tapper 1988, p. 228. On 1 July 1933, an Atalanta flew the first direct air mail service between

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

.Tapper 1988, p. 230. Two Indian-registered and two British-registered aircraft operated a Karachi-Calcutta service with was later extended to

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. On 29 May 1933, G-ABTL flew through to Melbourne, Australia (arriving on 30 June) on a route survey flight.Tapper 1988, pp. 229-230. During December 1934, the through service to Australia commenced. In subsequent years, Imperial Airways studied various other potential routes for the type, including to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

.Tapper 1988, p. 231. During 1937, Imperial Airways opted to withdraw the Atalanta from its African routes. Shortly thereafter, a pair of aircraft were leased by Wilson Airways for operations in Kenya until July 1938. The African Atalantas were then transferred to India.Williams ''Aeroplane Monthly'' November 1980, p. 568. A total of three aircraft were lost prior to the outbreak of the

.Tapper 1988, pp. 231-232. Shortly after the conflict's start, the remaining five Atalantas were initially taken over by

British Overseas Airways Corporation British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...

(BOAC).Tapper 1988, p. 232. During March 1941, they were impressed into use by 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) and ...

(RAF) in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where they were used to ferry reinforcements to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

in response to the Rashid Ali uprising. During December 1941, shortly following Japan's entry into the war, the fleet was handed over to the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

for use on coastal reconnaissance duties, armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm)

machine gun 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) a ...

operated by the navigator.Tapper 1988, p. 234. The final patrol by the type was flown on 30 August 1942, while the two survivors were transferred to transport duties where they continued in use until June 1944."Airlines and Airliners: Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta."
''century-of-flight.net.'' Retrieved: 2 July 2010.Williams ''Aeroplane Monthly'' November 1980, pp. 568, 570.Warne 1985, p. 5.

Operators

Civil operators

;

*Indian Trans-Continental Airways ;

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

* Wilson Airways ; *

Military operators

;

; *

No. 24 Squadron RAF No. 24 Squadron (also known as No. XXIV Squadron) of the Royal Air Force is the Air Mobility Operational Conversion Unit (AMOCU). Based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, 24 Squadron is responsible for aircrew training on C-130J Hercules, A400 ...

Aircraft names and registrations

*Atalanta (c/n 740; G-ABPI, renamed Arethusa; later VT-AEF, DG453) *Andromeda (c/n 741; G-ABTH) *Arethusa (c/n 742; G-ABTI, renamed Atalanta; later DG451) *Artemis (c/n 743; G-ABTJ; later DG452) *Athena (c/n 744; G-ABTK) *Astraea (c/n 784; G-ABTL; later DG450) *Amalthea (c/n 785; G-ABTG) *Aurora (c/n 786; G-ABTM, later VT-AEG, DG454)

Specifications

Armstrong_Whitworth_AW_XV_Atalanta_3-view_NACA-AC-167

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

"The A.W. X.V Monoplane."
''

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 ...

'', Volume XXIV, No. 28, 8 July 1932, pp. 619–623. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
"The A.W. X.V Monoplane" (continued).
''Flight'', , Volume XXIV, No. 29, 15 July 1932, pp. 661–665. Retrieved 7 November 2021. * ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)''. London: Orbis Publishing, 1985. * Jackson, A.J. ''British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Volume 1''. London: Putnam, 1974. . * Tapper, Oliver. ''Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913''. London: Putnam, 1988. . * Warne, D. W. "In Defence of India". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...

'', Twenty-eight, July–October 1985. pp. 1–7. ISSN 0143-5450. * Williams, Ray. "Atalanta - Part 1". ''

Aeroplane Monthly ''Aeroplane'' (formerly ''Aeroplane Monthly'') is a British magazine devoted to aviation, with a focus on aviation history and preservation. __TOC__ ''The Aeroplane'' The weekly ''The Aeroplane'' launched in June 1911 under founding edito ...

'', October 1980, Vol 8 No 10. pp. 506–511. ISSN 0143-7240. * Williams, Ray. "Atalanta - Part 2". ''Aeroplane Monthly'', November 1980, Vol 8 No 11. pp. 564–570. ISSN 0143-7240.

External links

Photo of 'Aurora' from the archives of Captain RP Mollard who flew mail with it to Darwin in 1934 {{Authority control 1930s British airliners

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...

Four-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1932 Four-engined piston aircraft