Avro 533 Manchester

Yet another promising aircraft let down by the ABC ("All British Company) Dragonfly engine, which proved a dismal failure. The Dragonfly was and air-cooled stationary radial engine developed late in WW-I which was supposed to produce 320 horsepower but which proved extremely unreliable. Late in WW-I a wide variety of British aircraft were developed to be powered by the ABC Dragonfly engine, none of which ever prosecution because of insoluble problems with the engine. Although the British eventually did succeed in developing powerful air-cooled stationary radial aircraft engines in the form of the Armstrong Siddely Jaguar and Bristol Jupiter, neither became available until after the war ended.

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There were three prototypes of this Avro 529 development built, the third model not having any engines, they were the Avro 533A Manchester Mk1 and the Avro 533A Manchester MkII. The original Mk1 was designed to take the ABC Dragonfly engine, but when this was not forthcoming the plane was fitted with 2 x 400 h.p Liberty engines thus making the Mk II fly first. The Dragonfly engines arrived eventually, but as we know elsewhere these just did not make the grade. The result being that the performance was far below expectations and Avro decided to cut their losses and abandoned the project. A passenger version the Avro 537 was still born.

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