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 |  melia Earhart gets an Avro Avian
Early on the morning of June 6th, to avoid the press, Amelia slipped out of her hotel to a waiting car sent by Lady Heath. They went to Croydon airfield where the Avian, carrying the British registration G-EBUG, was kept. Silver and blue, the small bi-plane was festooned with plaques and medals from its travels and had just been completely reconditioned at the Avro factory. After going up for a two-hour flight, Amelia fell in love with the little plane, calling it the best of its kind in the world. Lady Heath, perhaps caught up in the excitement of the moment, offered to sell the Avian to Amelia. Her offer was immediately accepted. For the third time in her life, Amelia Earhart had an airplane of her own.
Amelia left England a few days later and had the Avian shipped back separately. Upon her return she was again treated to a hero’s welcome, tickertape parades, public appearances and all. Prior to the Atlantic flight, publicist and publisher George Putman, who was involved in this and other promotional flights, had recruited Amelia to write a book about her adventure. Following what was without a doubt a very strenuous tour and a whirlwind of other activities, she was put up in the Putman home and asked to write what today would be called an “instant book.” 20 Hrs., 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship, was finished in a matter of weeks. After all this, Amelia was ready for a vacation!
Her newly acquired airplane arrived at Curtiss field on Long Island toward the end of July 1928. After a few licensing issues the Avro Avian, still carrying its British registration number G-EBUG, was issued U.S. “Identification Mark 7083” which was applied, in U.S. custom, to the tail of the airplane. In mid August, between correcting the last chapters of her book, Amelia flew her new plane from the polo grounds of the Westchester Country Club near the Putnam home in Rye, N.Y. She soon became so comfortable flying her new Avro that she began giving aerial demonstrations and rides to her friends. Now, the moment the book was finished, she was ready to take her vacation to fulfill a dream of years before, to fly all the way across the United States – and back! And so, on Friday, August 31, 1928, she set out from the Westchester polo grounds for a grand adventure.
A.V. Roe and The Avro Avian
Before we go on we would like to tell you about the remarkable A.V. Roe, his company, and the Avro Avian - an airplane with an incredible history of pioneering flights in the early days of aviation.
Alliott Vernon Roe was very much an aviation pioneer. Born in Patricroft, Manchester, England in 1877, he patented the first aircraft control column in 1906. In 1908, he designed and flew his own airplane. Then, on New Years Day 1910, A.V. Roe became the first company to be registered as an airplane manufacturer. During WWI they produced a very good aircraft for the British army called the Avro 504. After the war, in a hotly contested civilian market, Avro produced one of the most successful Golden Age aircraft, the Avro Avian. It was the beginning of a great legacy in civilian aircraft: Avro International Aerospace is now part of British Aerospace and is the oldest manufacturer aircraft in the world.
The prototype Avian flew in the summer of 1926, and for much of its production life the model remained an all-wood airplane with no metal tubing in the fuselage. While it was designed to appeal to the growing civilian market for a light sports plane, Avians found their way to the far reaches of the globe. They were used not only by private individuals, but also by many flying clubs and military flight training organizations. In addition to being made in England, Avians were manufactured under license in Canada and the United States.
For those with an interest in aircraft production numbers, here are a few fun facts. In 1926, two pre-production Type 594 Avian Mk Is were produced. Nine Mk. IIs followed these, and in mid-1927 the Mk. III appeared, of which 33 were built with the 84hp Cirrus II engine, and 58 as the model Mk. IIIA using the 94hp Cirrus III engine. The last all wood Avian was the Mk. IV, still with the Cirrus III engine. One of the principle improvements in the Mk. IV was a strengthening of the landing gear and wing root area, which, as Amelia and others discovered, would have been very nice on their Mk IIs. From 1929 on, the steel tube fuselage was introduced and the Type 616 Avian Mk. IVM powered by the Cirrus III and larger engines was born. It is the Avian MK. IVM that was also built in the U.S. and Canada in small numbers. Amelia’s airplane, G-EBUG/7083 was the first of the 91 Avro 594 Avian IIIs produced, and was one of the 33 with the 84hp Cirrus II engine.
Famous Pilots and Famous Avians
Because the Avian was such a great-flying little airplane, it was used by many well-known aviation personalities of the time, some of who became well known in part because of the Avian. These included lady Mary Heath in G-EBUG, which was to become Amelia’s plane. It was in the spring of 1928 that she flew G-EBUG from Cape Town, South Africa, to London. At virtually the same time, another great pilot decided to make a very long trip in his own Avian.
Bert Hinkler was a test pilot at Avro from 1920 to 1927. In fact, as an Avro factory test pilot, he actually was the first person to fly G-EBUG just after its manufacture. Hinkler made many record setting flights in his own Avian, but he is best known for one in particular. In 1928, Hinkler flew solo in his Cirrus Mk. II Avian from England to Australia. He left London on February 7 spanning Europe, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, and Asia, finally arriving in Darwin, Australia 16 days later. The flight covered 11,450 miles in 129 flying hours with an average speed of 82.5 m.p.h.
Another famous Avian pilot was Beryl Markham whose book, West with the Night, chronicles her experiences in Africa and her many hours of flight in her trusty Avro Avian. She became a celebrity in her own right when she piloted her blue and silver Avian from Nairobi to London and back, in 1932, with nothing but a map and a compass. Of course, the most famous pilot and the most famous Avro Avian, at least for those of us in the United States, are Amelia Earhart and her Avian, 7083.
First, let us make it clear that today’s Avro Avian 7083 is not the exact same Avian that Lady Mary Heath and Amelia Earhart owned. The Avian Amelia flew was an Avro 594 Avian III, SN: R3/AV/101, with a Cirrus Mk II engine of 84hp. It was originally registered to Lady Heath on October 29, 1927 and given the U.K. aircraft marking: G-EBUG. When Amelia brought it to the United States it was assigned “unlicensed aircraft identification mark” 7083. Aircraft not officially certificated in the United States were allowed to be flown as unlicensed but identified aircraft. This was very similar to our present Experimental and Experimental Exhibition categories.
Regrettably, Amelia’s original Avian has melted away, as have many old aircraft, being salvaged for parts one piece at a time, until there is nothing left. Amelia’s airplane finally slipped beneath the waves of history, cancelled off the official government records on August 11, 1936. To resurrect, if you will, Amelia’s Avian 7083 it was necessary to travel to Australia, there to locate a sister ship manufactured only a few weeks earlier back in 1927.
Australia’s Oldest Registered Flying Aircraft
G-AUFZ, serial number R3/AV/127, built in the fall of 1927 was originally an Avro 594 Avian Mk. II, with an 84hp Cirrus II engine. After being test flown by Bert Hinkler it was crated, shipped to Australia and arrived late that year. Upon its arrival, Captain F.C.R. Jaques, a WWI Royal Flying Corps pilot who owned the Australian Avro franchise, took his new plane out of the box in Adelaide. Jaques was himself a pioneer of Australian aviation and used the Avro for demonstrations, barnstorming and instruction. Over the years, two significant improvements were made to G-AUFZ (changed to VH-UFZ in 1930). As a Mk. II, it had the weaker landing gear and was subsequently converted to a Mk. IV by strengthening the landing gear and wing root areas. A larger, more reliable Gipsy Mark II engine was also installed; while similar in appearance to the Genet II, the present Gipsy Mk II engine yields 120hp.
The airplane remained in Australia for the next 74 years until acquired by Greg Herrick in early 2001. At the time it left Australia, it was the oldest registered flying airplane in the country. Given the airplane’s long Australian history, even for its new owner, it was a day of mixed emotions. But the Avian was destined to recreate Amelia Earhart’s first record flight. Yet it would not be this Avian’s first significant flight re-creation.
Before VH-UFZ left Australia, its then owner, Lang Kidby, took it on what even today is a very daring adventure. In 1998, Lang duplicated Hinkler’s incredible 11,000-mile flight of seven decades earlier, from England to Australia. When Greg heard that the plane might be available, he contacted Kidby who pointed out the illustrious history of Avians and their penchant for being involved in record setting flights by historically significant pilots. Being an admirer of Amelia Earhart, Greg was reminded again of her flight in Avro Avian 7083 and the idea struck him. Why not honor Amelia Earhart by duplicating her 1928 flight in Avro Avian 7083!
Specifications for 1927 Avro Avian 7083
Maximum speed: 102 mph
Cruise speed: 87 mph
Initial climb: 650 ft/min
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft.
Gas capacity: 35 gal.
Max. range: 400 miles
Wingspan: 28’
Length: 24’ 3”
Height: 8’ 6”
Tare weight: 1130
Max. weight: 2002 lbs.
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