Avro Type F

Type F
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Role	Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer	A.V.Roe and Company
First flight	1 May 1912
Number built	1

The Avro Type F was an early single seat British aircraft from Avro. On 1 May 1912 it became the first aircraft in the world to fly with a completely enclosed cabin for the pilot as an integral part of the design.

Design and development

It was a wire-braced mid-wing monoplane with a tailskid undercarriage. The fuselage was teardrop-shaped with flat sides with cellon windows. Oil leakage from the engine had been anticipated to obscure pilot view by coating cabin windows; so two circular windows at the pilot's head level could be opened for the pilot's head to protrude when flying, but their use proved unnecessary. Ingress and egress was via a sheet-aluminum trapdoor in the fuselage top. The cabin was quite cramped, being only 2 ft (60 cm) across at its widest point.

The Type F made a few test flights in mid-1912 until damaged beyond repair in a hard landing on 13 September, after which it was not repaired. Its Viale 35 hp engine is on display at the Science Museum in London; and the rudder was preserved by the Royal Aero Club.

Specifications

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Length: 23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
• Wingspan: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Wing area: 158 ft² (14.7 m²)
• Empty weight: 550 lb (250 kg)
• Gross weight: 800 lb (360 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Viale 35 hp 5-cylinder radial, 35 hp (26 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 65 mph (105 km/h)
• Rate of climb: 300 ft/min (1.5 m/s)

References

• britishaircraft.co.uk