Fokker F.VII variant
Fokker F.VII Avro 618 Ten
British version of the F.VIIb/3m built under licence by Avro with Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engines. Fourteen built.
- 14
- Units built
- 640 km
- Range
- 8
- Passengers
History
The British licence
In 1928 Avro reached an agreement with Fokker to build the F.VIIb/3m under licence for sale in the British Empire, except Canada. The Avro 618 Ten designation came from its capacity: two crew and eight passengers, ten people in all. After modifying the centre engine mounting to meet British airworthiness requirements, the aircraft was displayed at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show.
Figures and descendants
With 240 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVB or IVC engines, the Avro 618 measured 14.48 m long by 21.72 m in span, weighed 2,731 kg empty and 4,808 kg at take-off, and cruised at 160 km/h with 640 km of range. The Ten's wing gave rise to the Avro 642 Eighteen, which added a new fuselage for sixteen passengers.
Australia
The first five aircraft were sold to the newly formed Australian National Airways, which introduced the type on 1 January 1930 on the Brisbane–Sydney route and later used it between Melbourne and Sydney.