The slightly less well known

[Angry Turnip]

SIAI-Marchetti FN.333 Riviera

The Nardi FN.333 Riviera, later the SIAI-Marchetti FN.333 Riviera, is a luxury touring amphibious aircraft.

The FN.333 Riviera was originally developed by the Nardi Company in Milan. The first prototype Riviera was a three-seat aircraft, it first flew on 4 December 1952, and was to be the only FN.333 powered by a 145 hp Continental fan-cooled engine.The second prototype a more powerful engine, as well as the addition of a fourth seat. The second prototype made its first flight on 8 December 1954.The Nardi Company lacked resources to develop the Riviera, so the third aircraft did not fly until 14 October 1956. Improved power for this aircraft was provided by a 240 hp Continental O-470-H engine. This aircraft was designated the FN.333S and was to be the basis for series production. Nardi sold the manufacturing rights for the Riviera to the much larger SIAI-Marchetti in March 1959.

The SIAI-Marchetti version had improved power provided by a 250 hp Continental IO-470-P engine, equipped with fuel injection, and manufactured for a pusher-style aircraft. In 1961 the Riviera became available in the United States, where it was initially sold through the North Star Company of Newark, New Jersey.
Most of the 26 built by SIAI-Marchetti were sold to customers in the United States, but examples were also sold to Australia, Norway and Sweden.

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[Angry Turnip]

SIAI-Marchetti S.202 Series.

The AS/SA 202 Bravo is a two or three-seat civil light aircraft jointly designed and manufactured by the Swiss company Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) and the Italy`s  Savoia-Marchetti. The aircraft was designated the AS 202 in Switzerland, and the SA 202 in Italy.

Savoia-Marchetti manufactured the wings, undercarriage and engine installation, while FFA manufactured the fuselage, tail and controls,both companies had assembly plants manufacturing the complete aircraft.The first Swiss model flew on 9 March 1969, the first Italian aircraft following on 8 May.It is a rugged all-metal low-wing monoplane with a full vision canopy. Its tricycle landing gear is fixed.

34 202-15s (150hp engine) and 180 202-18s (180hp engine and fully aerobatic ) were built, with most in service with military customers. The biggest civil operator was Patria Pilot Training at Helsinki-Malmi Airport, Finland during 2000–2011.

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[Angry Turnip]

SIAI-Marchetti S.210

The SIAI-Marchetti S.210 was a 1970s Italian twin-engined cabin-monoplane.

The S.210 was developed from the single-engined S.205 and was an all-metal low-wing monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear. It was powered by two 200 hp Avco Lycoming TIO-360-A1B engines, one mounted on the leading edge of each wing. It had three pairs of side-by-side seats for one pilot and five passengers.

The prototype S.210M first flew on 18 February 1970 and was exhibited at the 1971 Paris Air Show wearing a military style colour scheme and markings. This aircraft was followed by an improved second prototype with increased baggage capacity and enlarged rear windows. A production batch of ten aircraft were built based on the second prototype.
Max speed was 222 mph and a cruise of 195 mph.

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[Angry Turnip]

SIAI-Marchetti S.211

The SIAI-Marchetti S.211 (later Aermacchi S-211) is a turbofan-powered military trainer aircraft from the 1980`s.

SIAI-Marchetti started to develop the S-211 in 1976 as a private venture,it first flew on 10 April 1981. SIAI-Marchetti planned to offer the type to the company's existing customer base, consisting of various air forces around the world that operated their SF.260, a piston-engined trainer.

The S-211 is a compact two-seat shoulder-wing monoplane, with full aerobatic capability.It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4C turbofan powerplant. The S-211 has been principally used as a basic trainer aircraft, the student and instructor being seated in a tandem arrangement; the front and rear cockpits are fully duplicated, the latter being elevated above the former to provide the occupant with improved forward visibility.The aircraft was designed to perform a secondary close air support (CAS) capability, being equipped with four underwing hard points, facilitating the carriage of various armaments and other external stores.Some models feature an additional hard point on the underside of the fuselage.

During 1983, the Singapore Air Force placed the first order for the S-211, for a batch of ten aircraft, later this was increased to 32.Since the 1990s, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has been using its 25 S-211 fleet both as a trainer and in offensive operations via secondary attack capability. These were redesignated as AS-211s and nicknamed as "Warriors".Following the retirement of the PAF's last Northrop F-5 fighters in 2005, the additional task of air defense has also been assigned to its AS-211s. Around 60 aircraft were completed.

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[Angry Turnip]

SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019

The SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019 is a STOL liaison monoplane for the Italian Army, and based on the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog.

SIAI-Marchetti modified the design of the Cessna 305A/O-1 Bird Dog with a new turboprop engine and a revised tail unit. The prototype first flew on 24 May 1969 powered by a 317 hp Allison 250-B15C turboprop engine.
It was evaluated against the Aermacchi AM.3 and was successful and won a production order for 80 aircraft, plus the prototype.
An engine upgrade version with a 400 hp engine was also built as the SM.1019B, but only four were built designated SM.1019E.1 by the Italian Army, these had four hardpoints under each wing.

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[Angry Turnip]

SIAI Marchetti SF.600 Canguro

The SIAI Marchetti SF.600 Canguro was a feederliner developed in the late 1970s.

It was a high-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration with a fuselage of rectangular cross-section and a high-set tail.The tricycle undercarriage was fixed, and its main units were carried on sponsons on the fuselage sides. SIAI Marchetti provided funding towards the construction of the prototype,and after flight testing proved positive, the type was put on sale, but failed to attract buyers in any number, even when the original piston engines were upgraded to turboprops and a retractable undercarriage was offered as an option.


Following their acquisition of SIAI Marchetti, Agusta continued to promote the design,a venture to produce the aircraft in conjunction with PADC in the Philippines proved fruitless. PADC acquired two aircraft, RP-C1298 and RP-3101. In 1997, Vulcanair purchased the design from Finmeccanica (Agusta's parent company), but although a small number of examples were produced, no series production was undertaken. Vulcanair next proceeded to use the Canguro's fuselage to develop the single-engine Vulcanair Mission.


That`s Italy done. I am going to go back and revisit the UK manufacturers, as I think I left out too many interesting aircraft.

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[Angry Turnip]

British Historic Military And / Or Civil Aircraft Part Two


Abbot-Baynes Scud 2.

The Abbott-Baynes Scud 2 was a 1930s high-performance sailplane.

The Scud 2 was a development of the single seat, parasol winged intermediate-level Abbott-Baynes Scud 1 glider flown a year earlier. The two aircraft were both designed by L. E. Baynes and had many common features but the Scud 2 has a wing of much higher aspect ratio, intended for serious rather than introductory soaring.

The Scud 2 first flew on 27 August 1932. Photographs and general arrangement drawings from 1932 show early aircraft had narrow chord ailerons extending over the outer half-span and maintaining the straight wing trailing edge.Later drawings show shorter and broader surfaces with curved trailing edges protruding beyond that of the wing. Abbott-Baynes advertisements from mid-1933 also show this modification. The one surviving Scud 2, the Slingsby built G-ALOT, has these ailerons.

After a long career at Dunstable this aircraft,became part of the Shuttleworth Collection in December 2009. After restoration and a preliminary flight trial the following Spring it flew successfully on 4 September 2010.

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[Angry Turnip]

ABC Robin

The ABC Robin was a single-seat light aircraft from 1929.

It was a high-wing, single-seat monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration.It was the first lightplane to be equipped with a fully enclosed cockpit in Britain. It was designed at the request of T. A. Dennis specifically to use the firm's 30–40 h.p. Scorpion engine. Construction was primarily of wood,the wings were hinged at their inner rear corners to the top of the fuselage and supported by tubular struts in 'Vee' formation to the lower longerons of the fuselage.
The tail was also wood-framed and both wings and tail were covered with doped fabric. The Robin, registered G-AAID, was built by ABC Motors Limited at Walton-on-Thames in 1929. The first flight was at Brooklands in June,it was modified later in the year with the windscreen moved back to allow access to the fuel filler caps from the outside, and with an enlarged fin and rudder. The sole Robin built was scrapped at Brooklands in 1932.

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[Angry Turnip]

ANEC I and II

The ANEC I and ANEC II were 1920s single-engine ultralight aircraft designed and built by Air Navigation and Engineering Company Limited at Addlestone Surrey.

The ANEC I and II, designed by W.S Shackleton, were amongst the earliest ultralight aircraft; they were very small, wooden, strut braced high-wing monoplanes.
The first ANEC I, G-EBHR, first flew at Brooklands on 21 August 1923. It was the first aircraft with an inverted engine, a 696 cc 16 hp Blackburne Tomtit, to fly in the UK.
Two aircraft were built in the UK, and one in Australia by George Beohm, who later went on to design the other aircraft.  E. W. Beckman, the owner, intended to enter it in the Low-Powered Aeroplane Competition held at Richmond in December 1924, but it was not completed until the following year. The first of the two built in the United Kingdom in 1923, G-EBHR, was exported to Australia in late 1924.

The ANEC II was an enlarged version of the ANEC I built for the 1924 Lympne light aircraft trials competition.As permitted by revised competition rules, it was a two-seater and its more powerful 1,100 cc Anzani inverted V twin-cylinder had the greatest capacity allowed. The wing area was increased to accommodate the extra weight by a span extension. It was also 5ft longer than the mk I Engine problems kept it from flying in the competition and out of the Grosvenor Trophy race.Just one example was completed.

In 1927 a new owner refitted it with a 32 hp Bristol Cherub III flat twin engine, a larger rudder, and a more conventional undercarriage with larger wheels mounted on a cross axle.In 1931 yet another new owner fitted a heavier 30 hp ABC Scorpion engine, another flat twin and, to keep the weight down,and reworked it as a single seater. It was in this condition when it was acquired by Richard Shuttleworth in about 1937.It is currently airworthy and can be seen at Shuttleworth.

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[Angry Turnip]

ANEC III

The ANEC III was a 1920s six-seat passenger and mail carrier aircraft.

Just three ANEC III aircraft were built,sub-contracted to ANEC from an Australian company Handasyde The new design was an unequal-span biplane with a 380 hp Rolls Royce Eagle IX engine. The pilot sat in the open above the mail compartment, with space for six passengers or cargo inside the fuselage.
The first aircraft flew at Brooklands on 23 March 1926 with the Australian registration G-AUEZ. All three aircraft were crated and shipped to Australia and were operated by Larkin's operating subsidiary Australian Aerial Services. The aircraft were named Diamond Bird, Satin Bird and Love Bird.

Later two aircraft were rebuilt as 11-seaters (two pilots plus nine passengers) with a lengthened fuselage and a more powerful 485 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar 14-cylinder engine.
The converted aircraft were known as the Lasco Lascowl. Both aircraft, retained their original names Diamond Bird and Love Bird, and were chartered by an aerial survey expedition led by Australian explorer Donald Mackay. The expedition set off on 23 May 1930 to carry out an aerial survey of central Australia. Both aircraft returned to Melbourne in July 1930 without a mishap, each having flown more than 300 hours.All three aircraft had been scrapped by 1932.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airco DH.1

The Airco DH.1 was an early military biplane of typical "Farman" pattern flown by Britain's Royal Flying Corps during World War I.

The DH.1 was of pusher configuration, its pilot and observer sat in two open tandem cockpits in the nose. The observer's cockpit was stepped down below the pilot's and equipped with a machine gun. The wings were of typical fabric-covered, two-bay, unstaggered, unswept, equal span design, while the stabiliser and rudder were carried on the end of two long, open-framework booms.
It was powered by the air-cooled Renault 70 hp V8 engine.

In January 1915 Geoffrey de Havilland piloted the D.H.1 prototype on its first fligh,although the Renault engine left it underpowered, performance was still reasonable. It was ordered into production, with an initial order of 49 being placed. Airco was already occupied with building and designing other aircraft, so DH.1 production was undertaken by Savages Limited of King's Lynn,production was initially very slow, and only five examples of the type had reached the RFC by the end of 1915.

Later production machines were fitted with the 120 hp Beardmore engine, as originally intended, as these had become more plentiful. This version was redesignated the DH.1A.
The DH.1 saw operational service only in the Middle East theatre, where six Beardmore-powered DH.1As arrived in July 1916 and were used by No. 14 Squadron RFC as escorts for their B.E.2 reconnaissance aircraft.The other DH.1s served in training, with 43 aircraft allotted and Home Defence units in the UK receiving an additional 24 aircraft,finally being withdrawn from service in 1918
Around 100 aircraft were built in total.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airco DH.9C


The Airco DH.9C was a passenger aircraft from late 1921.

After World War 1 many surplus aircraft were available including Airco DH.9 light bombers, which could be suitable for the emerging air transport business. Stripped DH.9s were used to carry one passenger behind the pilot in the gunner's position, but later versions, designated DH.9B, added a second passenger seat ahead of the pilot. A second seat behind the pilot was added by extending the rear cockpit in the early DH.9C. Later DH.9Cs had this rear position converted to hold two passengers face to face, protected by a faired dorsal canopy or cabin.

The DH.9, DH.9B, and DH.9C had the same wingspan and height and only slight variations in length depending on the fitted powerplant usually around 230 hp. They were two-bay tractor biplanes, with fixed two-wheel main and tail-skid undercarriage. Their main structure were of spruce and ash, wire-braced and fabric-covered.

The first four-seat DH.9C, received its certificate of airworthiness on 13 January 1922.Nineteen aircraft were produced for various operators, 13 in the UK, three in Spain, and three in Australia. The last in service was operated by Northern Air Lines in Barton, Greater Manchester, until 1932.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airco DH.16

The Airco DH.16 was a British four-seat commercial biplane of the 1910s.

The DH.16 was a redesigned Airco DH.9A with a wider fuselage,featuring an enclosed cabin for four passengers, plus the pilot in an open cockpit.The prototype first flew in March 1919 at Hendon Aerodrome. Nine aircraft were built, all but one being delivered to Aircraft Transport & Travel Limited (AT&T). They used the first aircraft for pleasure flying, then on 25 August 1919 it began a London-to-Paris service. One aircraft was sold to the River Plate Aviation Company in Argentina, to operate a service between Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

The first six aircraft were powered by a 320 hp Rolls Royce Eagle inline piston engine; the last three aircraft were fitted with the more powerful 450 hp Napier Lion engine.
AT&T operated the London -to-Paris service, plus a Croydon Airport-to-Amsterdam service on behalf of KLM. In December 1920, AT&T closed down, and the surviving seven aircraft were stored. Two were later used for newspaper delivery flights, and the other five were scrapped. On 10 January 1923, one of the newspaper delivery aircraft crashed, and DH.16s were withdrawn and scrapped.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airspeed Ferry

The Airspeed AS.4 Ferry was a 1930s British three-engined ten-seat biplane airliner.

The Ferry was an unusual configuration biplane with a third engine mounted in the upper wing to give the pilot a better view. Not all three engines were the same, the lower engines were 120 hp de Havilland Gipsy IIs, and the upper wing had an inverted 120 hp de Havilland Gipsy III. The lower wing was mounted at the top of the fuselage to give passengers an unobstructed view of the ground.

The first aircraft flew on 10 April 1932 from Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield, followed soon after by the second aircraft.The outbreak of World War II caused the first aircraft (G-ABSI) to be pressed into service with the Royal Air Force in 1940, as AV968, and served until November 1940.The second aircraft was sold in India to Himalaya Air Transport and Survey Company Limited in 1934 as VT-AFO.It was destroyed by vandals in a hangar fire in 1936.

The third (G-ACBT) and fourth (G-ACFB) aircraft were built for the Midland and Scottish Air Ferries Ltd and used on services from Renfrew to Campbeltown, Belfast and Speke. The firm closed in 1934 and the aircraft were put up for sale. G-ACBT was not sold and was dismantled in 1941. G-ACFB returned to England,later it was pressed into service with the Royal Air Force in 1941 and became an instructional airframe.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airspeed Courier

The Airspeed AS.5 Courier was a six-seat single-engined light aircraft that saw some use as an airliner.

It first flew on 10 April 1933 and was the first British type with a retractable undercarriage to go into production, with a total of 16 built.The Courier was a wooden low-winged cabin monoplane;he prototype was powered by a 240 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine.A production run of 15 Couriers followed during 1933/34, being used for air-racing, and as a light airliner and for air taxi work.

Owing to its advanced aerodynamics, two were used as research aircraft, one by the RAE and one by Napier's, who used it for development of the Napier Rapier engine.
At the outbreak of World War II the majority of the surviving Couriers were pressed into RAF service, who used them for communications purposes. Only one Courier survived the War, being used for pleasure flights at Southend-on-Sea before being scrapped in December 1947.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airspeed Envoy

The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a light, twin-engined transport aircraft from the mid-1930`s.

The Envoy was a twin-engined low-wing cabin monoplane of all-wood construction apart from fabric covered control surfaces. It had a rearward retracting main undercarriage with a fixed tailwheel. The aircraft was built in three series, Series I was the initial production seventeen built. Thirteen Series II variants were built with split flaps and the Series III (19-built) was similar but had detailed improvements. Each series of the Envoy was sold with a choice of engines including the Wolseley Aries, Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah V or Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC radial.

The prototype, G-ACMT, first flew on 26 June 1934, Tata Air Service of India flew an Airspeed Envoy in a demonstration flight between Bombay and Calcutta on 25 February 1935 as a proving flight of air mail service between the two cities.Orders soon came from the whole Commonwealth. Two aircraft went to the Ansett Airlines in Australia. North Eastern Airways and Olley Air Service in the UK also used the AS.6. In Czechoslovakia, the CSA ordered four AS.6 Envoy JC in 1937.

The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy also entered the Air Forces of different countries. The RAF used a few AS.6 in a military configuration, it was also used in the Air Forces of Spain, Japan, South Africa, Finland and China and some others. Seven machines were ordered for joint use by the South African Air Force and South African Airways, with three being delivered in military form and four delivered to SAA.Each of these seven aircraft could be transformed by a work crew of four within four hours from the transport version into a light bomber or reconnaissance aircraft. In this configuration the crew consisted of four; pilot, navigator, radio operator and gunner.
In total 52 aircraft were built.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airspeed Queen Wasp

The Airspeed AS.30 Queen Wasp was a British pilotless target aircraft from the late 1930`s.

The Queen Wasp was built to meet an Air Ministry Spec for a pilotless target aircraft to replace the de Havilland Queen Bee. Two prototypes were ordered in May 1936, one to have a wheeled landing gear for use by the RAF and the other as a floatplane for RN use for air-firing practice at sea. Powered by the 350 hp Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah engine, a total of 65 aircraft were ordered, depending on the success of the flight test programme.

The aircraft was a single-engined biplane constructed of wood with sharply-tapered wings and fabric-covered control surfaces. An enclosed cabin with one seat was provided so the Queen Wasp could be flown manually with the radio control system turned off. The radio control system was complex with a number of backup safety devices to ensure radio and battery operation was uninterrupted.
The landplane first flew on 11 June 1937, and the floatplane on 19 October 1937. The floatplane was successfully catapulted from HMS Pegasus in November 1937.In flight tests, the aircraft was found to be underpowered and water handling difficulties necessitated a redesign of the floats,just 7 aircraft were completed before the project was ended.


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[Angry Turnip]

Airspeed Fleet Shadower

The Airspeed AS.39 Fleet Shadower was a long-range patrol aircraft design from the early 1940`s.

The Royal Navy expressed an interest in an aircraft that could shadow enemy fleets at night and called for a slow-flying low-noise aircraft with a long range, capable of operating from an aircraft carrier's flight deck. The required performance was to be a speed of 38 knots at 1,500 ft (460 m) for at least six hours.Five companies showed interest: Percival, Short Brothers, Fairey Aviation, General Aircraft Ltd and Airspeed. General Aircraft and Airspeed were selected to build two prototypes each and Airspeed received a contract on 10 August 1938.

The AS.39 was a high-wing,strut-braced monoplane with wooden wings and tail unit and an all-metal monocoque fuselage. It had a fixed, divided type landing gear and tailwheel. The aircraft had a crew of three: pilot, observer and radio operator. The AS.39 had a unique crew configuration with the observer positioned in the nose with clear-vision windows on three sides and the pilot's compartment raised to allow passage to the radio operator's compartment. Four small 130 hp Pobjoy Niagara V air-cooled radial engines were mounted on the wings. This maximized propwash over the wing giving extra lift at low speed. The wings could be folded for storage.

Of two prototypes started, just one was finished and flown, first flying on 17 October 1940, the flight was delayed due to problems with the engines which had caused vibrations. The prototype had stability problems and poor stall handling not helped by the under-powered engines. Airspeed were asked to re-engine the aircraft with two Armstrong Whitworth Cheetah XI radials and add rear-facing machine guns. The second aircraft was not finished when on 17 February 1941 the Navy cancelled the Shadower program, along with the AS.39,the company were requested to scrap both aircraft. The competing G.A.L.38 flew for a few months before it was cancelled and scrapped in March 1942. The requirement for such aircraft had been made obsolete due to the introduction of radar on long-range patrol aircraft.

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[Angry Turnip]

Airspeed Ambassador

The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador is a British twin piston-engined airliner from the late 1940`s.

The Ambassador originated in 1943 as a requirement identified for a twin-engined short-to-medium-haul replacement of the Douglas DC-3. Airspeed Ltd. was asked to prepare an unpressurised design in the 14.5-ton gross weight class, using two Bristol Hercules radial engines.
After the end of the WWII , the design had grown substantially.The Ambassador would be pressurised, have more powerful Bristol Centaurus radials, and two prototypes were ordered.
The revised design offered seating for 47 passengers and, had a tricycle undercarriage.With three low tailfins and a long pointed nose, it shared something of the character of the larger transcontinental Lockheed Constellation.

Eventually three prototypes were built, the first registered G-AGUA was first flown on 10 July 1947. The second, G-AKRD, was used by the Bristol Aeroplane Company from 1953 for flight-testing the Bristol Proteus 705 turbine engine. From March 1958 it was used by Rolls-Royce for test flying the Dart and Tyne turboprops. The third prototype and first Ambassador 2 G-ALFR was used for BEA proving trials and from 1955 in the development trials of the Napier Eland turbine engine.

British European Airways (BEA) placed an order for 20 aircraft in September 1948, and operated them between 1952 and 1958, calling them their "Elizabethan Class" in honour of the newly crowned Queen.Flagship of the fleet was G-ALZN, named "RMA Elizabethan". The first "Elizabethan" scheduled flight was from Heathrow to Paris Le Bourget on 13 March 1952 and the type later also served other key UK routes. By December 1955 the "Elizabethan Class" had reached 2,230 flying hours annually, per aircraft, the highest in BEA's fleet. However, the last Elizabethan scheduled service for BEA was operated in August 1958, and the type was replaced by the Vickers Viscount.

Further sales were not achieved, after disposal by BEA, the type helped to establish the scheduled and charter flight operations of Dan-Air, an important airline in the development of package holidays. The type was also used in the UK by Autair and BKS Air Transport. Second-hand Ambassadors were flown for short periods by Butler Air Transport (Australia), Globe Air (Switzerland) and in Norway.

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[Angry Turnip]

Armstrong Whitworth F.K.10

The Armstrong Whitworth F.K.10 was a two-seat quadruplane fighter aircraft built during the First World War.

The F.K.10 was designed in 1916 by Frederick Koolhoven,chose the unusual quadruplane layout, also used by Pemberton-Billing (later known as Supermarine) for the P.B.29E and Supermarine Nighthawk anti-Zeppelin aircraft.
The first prototype, the F.K.9 was built and first flew in the summer of 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z rotary engine. It had a shallow fuselage, with the wings joined by plank-like struts,similar to those used by the Sopwith Triplane. After evaluation at the Central Flying School in late 1916, a production order for 50 was placed by the RFC for a modified version, the F.K.10.

The production F.K.10 had a redesigned,deeper fuselage, and tail, but retained the wing planform of the F.K.9. The F.K.10 showed inferior performance to the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, which was already in service as a successful two-seat fighter, and only five were built of the RFC order, with a further three built for the RNAS. They were not used operationally and the design was not developed further.The F.K.10 had an uprated 130hp engine but only 8 of the aircraft ordered were completed.

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[Angry Turnip]

Armstrong Whitworth Ara

The Armstrong Whitworth Ara was a single-seat biplane fighter aircraft from WWI.

In early 1918, the British Air Ministry requested designs for a single-seat fighter to replace the Sopwith Snipe. The specified engine was the ABC Dragonfly, a new radial engine which had been ordered into production based on promised performance before any testing had been carried out. To meet this specification, Armstrong Whitworth's chief designer, Fred Murphy, produced the Armstrong Whitworth Ara, three prototypes being ordered.

The Ara was a two-bay biplane. It had a square fuselage, the engine was covered in a pointed cowling, with the cylinder heads exposed. The upper wing was low to give the pilot a better upwards view.
The 320 hp Dragonfly engine proved to have hopeless reliability. Two of the three prototypes were completed, the first flying in mid-1919. The Ara was abandoned towards the end of the year when Armstrong Whitworth closed down its aircraft department.

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[Angry Turnip]

Armstrong Whitworth Wolf

The Armstrong Whitworth Wolf was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft from 1923.

The Wolf was a two-bay biplane of unusual design, with the fuselage mounted between the two sets of wings. No production order was placed, and the three machines built served their days at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough as experimental testbeds.

Alongside the RAF's order in 1923, two were built for the RAF Reserve Flying School at Whitley, and a final, sixth aircraft in 1929. As trainers, they proved popular with pilots, although less so with ground crews for whom the rigging and undercarriage were difficult to maintain.
The aircraft were powered by a 350 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar III 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine, which gave a max speed of 110 mph and a cruise of 95 mph.All Wolves were retired from service in 1931 and all but the most recently built were scrapped.

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[Angry Turnip]

Armstrong Whitworth Argosy

The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a three-engine biplane airliner from 1926.

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.154 Argosy emerged from a declaration by Imperial Airways that all its aircraft would be multi-engine designs, on the grounds of safety.They were intended to replace the single-engine de Havilland aircraft that Imperial Airways had inherited. The first example flew in March 1926, following an initial order for three Argosies from Imperial Airways. An improved Mk. II version was introduced in 1929. The Mk1 was powered by three 385 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IIIA radial piston engines.The MkII had three 420 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVA radial piston engines. Seven aircraft were completed in the short production run.

The Argosy was initially used on European routes (later operating on services to South Africa), with the fleet named after cities. The first revenue flight was from London to Paris on 16 July 1926. Argosies implemented the world's first named air service, the luxury 'Silver Wing' service from London to Paris,using Argosy City of Birmingham (G-EBLO). Two seats were removed and replaced with a small bar, and a steward. In April 1931 Edward, Prince of Wales and his brother Prince George flew home from Paris–Le Bourget Airport in City of Glasgow (G-EBLF).

On 28 March 1933,the City of Liverpool caught fire over Belgium, causing a crash in which all three crew and twelve passengers were killed.Argosies continued in service with Imperial Airways until 1935, with the last example, City of Manchester (G-AACJ), being used for pleasure flights by United Airways Ltd of Stanley Park Aerodrome (Blackpool), which later was merged into British Airways Ltd. It continued in use with British Airways until December 1936.

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[Angry Turnip]

Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta

The Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta was a four-engine airliner built in the early 1930`s.

The AW.15 Atalanta was designed to meet a Imperial Airways requirement for a four-engined airliner for its African routes.The specification called for an aircraft that could carry nine passengers, three crew and a load of freight for 400 miles, cruising at 115 mph.The prototype, G-ABPI, was named Atalanta and first flown on 6 June 1932.

The Atalanta was a high-wing monoplane with four 340 hp Armstrong Siddeley Serval III ten-cylinder (two rows of 5 cylinders) radial engines. Its construction included steel, plywood and fabric; the undercarriage was fixed but was streamlined to minimize drag.The aircraft had some minor design flaws and any teething problems were quickly overcome. The prototype was flown to Croydon for acceptance by Imperial Airways, and on 26 September 1932, it flew a commercial service from Croydon to Brussels and Cologne.

The Atalanta could carry up to 17 passengers but Imperial Airways limited the seating to nine for on the Indian route and 11 on the African route.
Imperial Airways ordered eight aircraft which had all been delivered by 1933. The first service was flown from Croydon to Brussels and then Cologne on 26 September 1932. The prototype G-ABPI left Croydon Airport on 5 January 1933 on a proving flight to Cape Town, South Africa. Three other aircraft joined it in South Africa to fly the service between Cape Town and Kisumu, although they proved to be unsuitable.Imperial withdrew the Atalanta from its African routes in 1937.

Three aircraft were lost before WW II and the remaining five aircraft were taken over by BOAC. In March 1941, they were impressed into use by the Royal Air Force in India.In December 1941, they were handed over to the Indian Air Force for use on coastal reconnaissance duties, armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun operated by the navigator. The last patrol was flown on 30 August 1942 and the two survivors were transferred to transport duties where they continued in use until June 1944.

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[Angry Turnip]

Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16

The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16 (or A.W.XVI) was a British single-engine biplane fighter aircraft from 1930.

It was a single bay biplane with wings of unequal span braced with struts, and bore a close resemblance to the A.W.XIV Starling Mk I, though with a less Siskin-like, humped fuselage. The undercarriage was fixed, undivided and spatted. The 420 hp Armstrong Siddeley Panther radial engine, earlier known as the Jaguar Major was enclosed by a Townend ring.

Problems with the Panther engine delayed the first prototype aircraft,which first flew in March 1930, and the competing Hawker Nimrod was purchased before the AW.16 could be delivered for evaluation. When it was evaluated, it showed inferior performance to the Nimrod, and had poor handling on an exposed carrier deck.

A second prototype was fitted with a more reliable 525 hp Panther IIA engine for submission for an order from the RAF. By this time the A.W.16 was almost obselete, and was quickly discarded from consideration. A number of production aircraft were built with 17 ordered by the Kwangsi Air Force in China.
These aircraft were produced late in 1931,and were delivered via Hong Kong. While initially serving in the air force of the local Warlords, the A.W.16s were (along with the rest of the Kwangsi Air Force) incorporated in the main Chinese Nationalist Air Force in 1937.

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