Avro 531 Spider
Avro · United Kingdom · first flew 1918 · fighter
The Avro 531 Spider was a prototype First World War British sesquiplane fighter built by Avro. It was designed by Clifton Britt.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.25 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Sesquiplane: the lower wing is smaller than the upper
- Single rotary engine, a 130 hp Clerget 9B
- Single fixed forward-firing Vickers machine gun
Look for a small single-seat sesquiplane fighter with a rotary engine, a ceiling of 19,000 ft and a span of 8.7 m.
Specifications
- The Avro 531 Spider has a length of 6.25 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.69 m (29 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 193 km/h (120 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Spider first flew in April 1918. It was powered by a 130 hp Clerget 9B air-cooled rotary engine and armed with one fixed forward-firing .303 in Vickers machine gun.
Variants
A second, more refined version, the Avro 531A, was apparently never completed, but some of its components were used to build a derivative, the Avro 538.
Where you'll see it
The Spider remained a prototype and did not enter production.
Related aircraft
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