The Gloster A.S.31 Survey was a 1920s British photo-survey biplane developed by the

Gloster Aircraft Company The Gloster Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1917 to 1963. Founded as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company Limited during the First World War, with the aircraft construction activities of H H Martyn & Co Ltd of Chelte ...

from the de Havilland DH.67 design project.

Background

In 1926, the

Aircraft Operating Company The Aircraft Operating Company was a British aerial photography company, that took over Aerofilms in 1925. In 1940, its staff and equipment were requisitioned by the Air Ministry, and in 1944 the company itself was taken over by Hunting Aerosurvey ...

, an official contractor to the British

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

for aerial survey work overseas, required a replacement for the converted

Airco DH.9 The Airco DH.9 (from de Havilland 9) – also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 – was a British single-engined biplane bomber developed and deployed during the First World War. The DH.9 was a development of Airco's earlier successful ...

s that formed the majority of its fleet. The requirements included maximum reliability, all-metal construction so that it could operate in the tropics or the arctic, a preference that it could be broken down into parts for transport. It should be able to maintain height at 9,000 ft on a single engine while fully laden. It approached the

de Havilland Aircraft Company The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...

which prepared a design for a twin-engined biplane of metal construction, resembling a smaller version of 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 ...

to meet the specification, designated de Havilland DH.67.Jackson 1987, p. 275. However, de Havilland was busy with production of the Hercules and DH.60 Moth and in November 1928 it transferred the project to

. The customers requirement was for an aircraft that could be converted to a seaplane and capable of surveying large areas while operating from a single base. Under Folland, Gloster comprehensively redesigned the aircraft with changes in all dimensions and for its own construction methods, the resulting aircraft being designated as Gloster AS.31 Survey.Jackson 1987, p. 276.James 1971, pp. 190–191.

Design and development

The Gloster Survey was a twin-engined biplane with a conventional landing gear and an open cockpit for two pilots, while a camera operator and survey camera could be accommodated in the enclosed cabin.Jackson 1974, p. 314James 1971, p. 192. The entirety of the front portion of the floor of the aircraft was glazed for so that three cameras could be installed. It was powered by two 525 hp (392 kW) Bristol Jupiter XI engines, mounted on top of each lower wing. Provision was made in the design to take alternative engines including the

Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar The Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar was an aircraft engine developed by Armstrong Siddeley. The Jaguar was a petrol-fuelled air-cooled 14-cylinder two-row radial engine design. The Jaguar III was first used in 1923, followed in 1925 by the Jaguar ...

Pratt & Whitney Hornet The Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet was a widely used American aircraft engine. Developed by Pratt & Whitney, 2,944 were produced from 1926 through 1942. It first flew in 1927. It was a single-row, 9-cylinder air-cooled radial design. Displacemen ...

, Lorraine-Dietrich 14Asc and

Wright Cyclone Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. Background The Wright Aeronautical Corporation was f ...

Operational history

In June 1929, the prototype Survey (G-AADO) made its first flight. It was handed over to the

on 25 January 1930 on an occasion patronised by the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

and Under-secretary for Air. It had the ability to fly effectively on the power of one engine alone. On 20 March 1930, piloted by Alan S. Butler, it departed from

Heston Aerodrome Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, Ne ...

for a survey of

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...

, covering the 7,000 miles at an average speed of 128 mph. On 11 April 1930 it reached

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 ...

.James 1971, p. 193. During 1931, it successfully surveyed . It was used for further surveys over the next few years, not requiring replacement of any major components in 500 flying hours. In March 1935, it was sold to the South African Air Force and operated for aerial photography until it was broken up at Waterkloof in December 1942.The Saga of Old "250"
/ref> A second Gloster Survey (''K2602'') was built for 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 State ...

, and in November 1931 it was delivered to the

Royal Aircraft Establishment The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

. It was employed for radio experiments, and remained in use until 1936. Gloster received interest from Egypt for a bomber reconnaissance version to Egypt and quoted £11,000 per aircraft, but no order was placed. Gloster Survey

Operators

;South Africa * South African Air Force ;United Kingdom *

Specifications

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Civil Aviation Authority Registration Document G-AADO
{{Gloster aircraft 1920s British civil utility aircraft

Survey Survey may refer to: Statistics and human research * Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population * Survey (human research), including opinion polls Spatial measurement * Surveying, the techniq ...

Aircraft first flown in 1929 Biplanes Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft