Avro Tudor
Avro · United Kingdom · first flew 1945 · airliner
The Avro Tudor was Britain's first pressurised airliner, developed from the Lancaster/Lincoln bomber lineage and intended for transatlantic service with BOAC. Despite early promise it was beset by structural and safety problems that severely limited its commercial career.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Circular-section fuselage with small oval windows |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Four-engine pressurised postwar British airliner
- Lincoln bomber wing and undercarriage ancestry
- Circular-section fuselage with small oval windows
The Tudor resembles a stretched Avro Lincoln with a circular pressurised fuselage grafted on; four Merlin or Hercules engines in underslung nacelles, a tall conventional tail, and tricycle undercarriage distinguish it from its bomber forebears.
Specifications
- The Avro Tudor has a length of 24.23 m (79 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 36.58 m (120 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 495 km/h (308 mph).
- Typical crew: 4, up to 32 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Tudor 1 first flew in June 1945, but BOAC rejected it as underpowered and poorly laid-out for passenger service. Several Tudors disappeared under mysterious circumstances, notably in the 'Bermuda Triangle' area, damaging its reputation fatally. The type found a second life operating the Berlin Airlift in 1948–49 carrying liquid fuel.
Variants
Variants included the Tudor 1 (long-range), Tudor 2 (short-range wider fuselage), Tudor 4, and Tudor 5; later marks were used as tankers and freighters after passenger operations proved problematic.
Where you'll see it
Briefly operated by BOAC and British South American Airways before accidents led to grounding; later used by charter operators for freight and the Berlin Airlift, with small numbers serving into the 1950s.
Related aircraft
- Avro Lancastrian
- Avro Lincoln
- Avro Lancaster B.III
- Avro York
- Ilyushin Il-12
- Short Sandringham
- Sud-Ouest SO.30 Bretagne
- Vickers Viking
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