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The Avro 504E was an experimental development of the RNAS’s Avro 504C given a more powerful engine to compensate for an increase in weight.
The 504C was a single seat development of the RNAS’s two seat Avro 504B, designed for use as a maritime patrol aircraft and against the Zeppelins. In order to increase its range the forward cockpit was removed and replaced with an extra fuel tank. It was armed with an upward firing Lewis gun.
The 504C was significantly heavier than the earlier models, so became under powered. The 504E was produced to counter this. It was given a 100hp Gnome Monosoupape engine. The single cockpit was moved further backwards. It carried the same heavy extra fuel tank in place of the forward cockpit as the 504C, which altered the centre of gravity. To counter this the stagger between the wings was reduced from 24in to 9in. The centre section wing struts were modified as well. It had the same fin with unbalanced rudder and and long span ailerons as the 504B. However the staggered top longerons of the fuselage, introduced on the 504B to allow for a cut-out on the sides of the rear fuselage, were replaced with the original straight longerons of the 504 and 504A.
Only ten were built. Some of these were used at Chingford and Fairlop and one at Cranwell. However the same engine was used in the Avro 504J, which was produced in large numbers and replaced the 504A as the RFC’s standard trainer.
One Avro 504E crashed at RNAS Freiston on 26 May 1917 when the engine failed while the aircraft was banking. The aircraft went into a spin and crashed, killing the pilot. At the time the aircraft was serving with the Armament Training School. A second aircraft crashed just after taking off from Westland on 3 September 1917 to carry Westland’s commercial director Robert Norton to RNAS Hendon for a meeting with the Air Board in London. The pilot, Fl Sub-Lt John Emyr Thomas, was killed although Norton survived.
Engine: Gnome Monosoupape
Power: 100hp
Crew: 2
Span: 36ft 0in
Length: 29ft 5in
Height: 10ft 5in