Avro 539
Avro · United Kingdom · first flew 1919 · light aircraft
The Avro 539 was a British single-seat racing biplane built by Avro for the 1919 Schneider Trophy.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Small single-seat tractor biplane with a stubby fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Small single-seat tractor biplane with a stubby fuselage
- Twin wooden floats on the Schneider Trophy floatplane form
- Unstaggered single-bay wings with dihedral on the lower wings and curved wing tips
A small racing biplane with a stubby fuselage and twin floats, flown from a single open cockpit aft of the wings.
Specifications
- The Avro 539 has a length of 6.5 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.77 m (25 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Avro designed and built the floatplane in August 1919, and it first flew at Hamble on 29 August 1919. It was powered by a 240 hp Siddeley Puma engine.
Variants
The 539A was the Schneider Trophy floatplane, later modified as a landplane. The 539B was rebuilt with a 450 hp Napier Lion engine.
Where you'll see it
It was nominated as reserve aircraft for the 1919 race, which was ruined by fog and declared void. As a landplane it took part in the 1920 Aerial Derby, and the 539B crashed into a railway cutting before the 1921 Aerial Derby.
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