Beverley
Blackburn · United Kingdom · first flew 1950 · transport aircraft
The Blackburn Beverley was a large British four-engined heavy-lift transport with a boxy fuselage, fixed landing gear and a distinctive twin-boom tail.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Huge slab-sided fuselage box with twin tail booms and fins |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Huge slab-sided fuselage box with twin tail booms and fins
- Fixed undercarriage under a high straight wing with four radials
- Tail-boom doors allowing rear loading and paradropping
A massive fixed-gear box of a fuselage feeding into twin tail booms and two fins, under a high straight wing with four radial engines.
Specifications
- The Beverley has a length of 30.3 m (99 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 49.4 m (162 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 383 km/h (238 mph).
- Typical crew: 6.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1950 and entering RAF service in 1955, the Beverley could carry outsize loads into short, rough airstrips. Forty-nine were built, serving until 1967.
Variants
Only the single Beverley C.1 production type entered service, though it performed freight, paratroop and heavy air-drop duties across the RAF transport force.
Where you'll see it
RAF Beverleys supported operations across the Middle East, Aden and the Far East from bases such as Abingdon and Seletar; one airframe is preserved in the UK at the Fort Paull and later Solway aviation collections.
Related aircraft
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