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| Avro Ten | |
|---|---|
| Name | Avro Ten |
| Type | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| First flight | 1928 |
| Introduced | 1928 |
| Retired | various |
| Primary user | Imperial Airways |
| Produced | 1928–1932 |
| Numberbuilt | ~26 |
Avro Ten The Avro Ten was a British single‑aisle, four‑seat to sixteen‑seat biplane airliner produced by Avro (Aircraft Company), derived from the military Avro 566 Avenger family and developed during the late 1920s for expanding commercial routes. It served several early international carriers on scheduled services linking London, Paris, Copenhagen, Brussels, Helsinki and Colonial Empire destinations, competing with designs from de Havilland, Handley Page, Fokker and Junkers. The Type Ten combined a wooden fuselage with new cabin comforts and was used in both civil and governmental roles by operators including Imperial Airways, KLM, Aer Lingus and the Royal Air Force.
Designed by engineers at Avro (Aircraft Company), the Ten evolved from earlier prototypes influenced by the Avro 618 Ten lineage and by licensed adaptations of Fokker F.VII concepts. The airframe adopted a conventional biplane configuration similar to contemporary types produced by de Havilland Aircraft Company and Handley Page, featuring a plywood‑skinned fuselage built at Woodford Aerodrome workshops and wing structures using spruce and ash spars typical of Aviation industry practice in the Interwar period. Powerplant choices included radial engines supplied by Armstrong Siddeley, Wright, and Bristol, enabling different performance and range packages tailored for operators such as Imperial Airways, KLM, and Air Maroc. The cabin layout was configured to meet standards adopted by regulators in United Kingdom, France, and Belgium and to provide passenger amenities comparable to Handley Page H.P.42 services on European trunk routes.
The Ten entered service with Imperial Airways on European and Empire routes, forming a component of early scheduled networks that linked Croydon Airport, Le Bourget Airport, Heston Aerodrome and continental aerodromes. It operated alongside aircraft used by British Airways companies of the 1930s, Sabena, and KLM and participated in publicity flights involving figures from British Empire Exhibition events and inaugurations attended by officials from Air Ministry. Several examples served on long‑range mail and passenger legs to India and Africa in cooperation with staging posts at Egypt, Sudan, and Kenya Colony. The Ten saw military conversion for transport and communications duties with the Royal Air Force, civil air ambulance roles during emergencies, and continued secondary use in charter operations by smaller carriers such as Northern Air Lines and earlier forms of Aer Lingus.
- Avro Ten Mk I — Main production civil variant fitted with Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine and passenger cabin. - Avro Ten Mk II — Alternative powerplant variant using Bristol Jupiter engine for improved reliability and different range profile, marketed to KLM and private operators. - Avro Ten Mailplane — Freight and mail conversion with cargo door and strengthened floor, used by Imperial Airways and postal services linked to Royal Mail. - Military transport conversion — Short‑run adaptations for Royal Air Force communication and light transport roles, sometimes fitted with radio sets from Marconi Company. - Custom executive versions — One‑off conversions for private patrons and governments in Europe including state use by delegations to events such as the League of Nations assemblies.
- Imperial Airways - KLM - Sabena - Aer Lingus - Royal Air Force - Portuguese military and other colonial government services - Smaller regional carriers and private owners in United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, France and Spain
Operational history involved several accidents typical of the Golden Age of Aviation era, including forced landings, structural failures in severe weather encountered over the North Sea and incidents during takeoff and landing at early aerodromes such as Croydon Airport and Le Bourget Airport. Notable occurrences attracted investigative attention from authorities including the Air Ministry and civil aviation boards in Belgium and Netherlands, contributing to evolving safety recommendations that influenced later designs from Avro (Aircraft Company), Handley Page, and de Havilland.
- Crew: 2 (pilot, radio/engineer) - Capacity: up to 10–16 passengers (standard cabin) - Length: approx. 12.5 m (estimate per contemporary descriptions) - Wingspan: approx. 18.3 m (biplane staggered layout) - Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine (various engines used across fleet) - Maximum speed: approx. 185 km/h (115 mph) - Range: approx. 1,000–1,500 km depending on load and engine fitment - Service ceiling: approx. 4,000–5,000 m
Category:1920s British airliners