Avro 534 Baby

The AV Roe & Company Avro 534 Baby was a tiny, single bay biplane (25ft span, 20ft long) designed by Roy Chadwick to try to attract the private owner. The type is chiefly notable for several long-distance flights carried out by Bert Hinkler as well as a degree of success in air racing during the early 1920s. 

 

 

As was the norm for Avro designs at the time, the Avro Baby first flew at Hamble, on the south coast, on 30th April 1919. Unfortunately, it crashed only two minutes after take-off.

 

However, just a few weeks later its replacement (K-131/G-EACQ) flew, also at Hamble, on 10th May 1919.

 

 

The Avro Baby was a conventional biplane of wooden construction, with the characteristic Avro comma-style all-moving rudder. Powered initially by the Green C 4 water-cooled engine, producing 25 hp, these were later replaced by the 60 hp ADC Cirrus 1 and the 80 hp le Rhone. 

 

The second aircraft was raced successfully by Capt A.H. Hammersley, winning the Victory Aerial Derby Trophy Race at Hendon on 21st June 1919 at 77 mph. The following month, it was flown by Hammersley  yet again, this time non-stop from Hounslow Heath to Brussels in just 2hr 50 min.

 

After an accident, the aircraft was rebuilt with detailed changes including tapered ailerons. modifications to the tailplane and rudder, more streamlined interplane struts with a fuel capacity increased to 25 gallons. In this form, it was used as the mount for Bert Hinkler for a series of long distance flights, including the 9½ hour 650 mile non-stop flight from Croydon to Turin on 31st May 1920.

 

Avro Babies were raced by a number of pilots during the 1920s and Hinkler later set a new distance record in Australia by flying non-stop between Sydney and his home town of Bundaberg, a distance of 800 miles in just 8 hours 40 minutes.

 

 

There were a series of derivatives of the Avro Baby, which included the seaplane floatplane Avro 534A (G-EAPS) which featured revised tail surfaces and flew in October 1919. Another was the Avro 534B (G-EAUG) which flew in early 1920, this one with a plywood covered fuselage and original rudder shape.

 

Next came the Avro 543 Baby (G-EAUM / G-EBFE) in July 1920, with two seats and a lengthened fuselage. This aircraft is credited with achieving 82 mph on its 35 hp Green engine and cruising at 70 mph at 2½ gallons per hour. It also achieved an altitude of 11,000ft with Hinkler and Chadwick on board. This aircraft was later re-engined with a 60hp AD Cirrus I engine.

 

Avro Babies were raced by a number of pilots during the 1920s including one non-stop flight by Bert Hinkler in May 1920, where he flew between Croydon and Turin in just 9 hours 30 minutes. Hinkler later set a new distance record in Australia by flying non-stop between Sydney and his home town of Bundaberg, a distance of 800 miles in just 8 hours 40 minutes.

 

The Avro 534C (G-EAXL) was a racing version of the Avro Baby, specifically designed for the 1921 Aerial Derby. It had a reduced wingspan although sadly it retired 'due to engine problems' on the second lap of the course. 

 

Another was the Avro 534D (G-EAYM), which flew in September 1921 and was built to order for Col. E Villiers, who flew it for several years in Calcutta, India.

 

A single seat Avro 534 (G-EBDA) was sold in Russia, its delivery flight in May 1922 being the first ever flight made between London and Moscow.

 

The final example was the Avro 554 'Antarctic' Baby floatplane, which featured rounded wing tips, N-type interplane struts and steel struts replacing the flying wires. Power was provided by an 80 hp Le Rhone rotary engine and the aircraft accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton on his final expedition to Antarctica in 1921. However, mechanical and parts issues meant that it never did reach the South Pole and it was later converted into landplane configuration and civil registered (G-EBFE).

 

Variants & Numbers

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	Avro 534
Powerplant	One 35 hp Green C4
Span	25 ft 0 in
Maximum Weight	870 lb
Capacity	Single pilot only
Maximum Speed	80 mph
Cruising Speed	70 mph
Range (normal)	200 miles

Avro 534 Baby                (G-EACQ)

Hinkler Hall of Aviation, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia     www.hinklerhallofaviation.com​