The Shuttleworth Collection's Avro C Mk.19 Anson, displaying at Old Warden during The Shuttleworth Season Premiere Airshow 2022.
The Avro Anson originated from the Avro 652 commercial aircraft which first flew on 7th January 1935.
A twin-engine British-built multi-role aircraft, it saw distinctive service with both the Royal Air Force and The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm as well as The Royal Canadian Air Force during and after the Second World War.
Developed from an initial airliner design and named after Admiral George Anson, the prototype first flew at Woodford, England on 7th January 1935. The adaptation for a coastal reconnaissance role resulted in the production variant, the Avro 652a, which flew at Woodford on 31st December 1935. It entered service with the RAF in March 1936 as the Anson Mk.1. Initially it was flown with a 3-man crew but later developments in its reconnaissance role required a 4th crew member.
In addition to coastal patrol and training roles, Ansons provided support for the Air Transport Auxiliary, thereby having an important role in ensuring the rapid delivery of new production aircraft of all types from the factory and into operational service.
The various marks of Anson were built at Yeadon, England (now Leeds Bradford Airport). The Civil Transport Anson XIX prototype made its first flight on 30th December 1945.
The Series 2 version of the Anson C.Mk.19 introduced an all-metal wing in place of the wooden original whilst the Anson T.Mk.20 and Mk.21 served as navigation trainers (with the T.Mk.22 being used for radio communications training).
The last of nearly 11,000 Ansons to be built was delivered to the RAF on 27th May 1952 . At the peak of production 135 Ansons were being built every month at Yeadon.
A fleet of five Ansons continued in operation with Kemp’s Aerial Surveys at Thruxton, England into the 1970’s and today The Shuttleworth Collection owns and operates this Avro Anson C MK.19 from their airfield at Old Warden, after it was donated to them in March 2022 by its previous owner, BAe Systems.
The Anson was one of the most successful aircraft built by Avro and 11,020 were manufactured by the end of 1952 (including those built in Canada).
This example had the first of its test flights in November 1946 and was subsequently delivered to Smiths Instruments at Staverton, who operated it on communications and instrument development work until 1959.
For the next six years it was used on aerial survey contracts by Meridian Air Maps, based at Shoreham. Sold on in 1958 to Treffield Aviation, it flew freight until returning to survey work with Kemps Aerial Surveys Ltd of Southampton in 1968. Kemps kept the aircraft for just under five years, until early 1973, when it was acquired by the expanding Strathallan Museum.
Unfortunately the Strathallan Collection closed and its aircraft were put up for auction in July 1981. Keen to preserve one of the few remaining examples of this Manchester built aircraft the Directors of British Aerospace sent representatives to bid for the Avro 19 and managed to secure it for the bargain price of £600, although it was then unairworthy.
It was originally intended that restoration of the aircraft would be useful in providing apprentices with hands on experience but as, apart from the basic airframe, the Avro 19 was largely constructed of wood with fabric covering this proved impractical and the task was completed by volunteer retired staff. The result of their many hours of dedicated effort first flew again on 8 March 2002.
For the celebrations of the Royal Air Force centenary in 2018, the aircraft was repainted to represent an Anson that served with the Royal Air Force in the station flight for RAF Coningsby, coded TX176.
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