Avro York
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| York G-ANTK is a former Dan-Air machine and is now on display at the Imperial War Museum after restoration by the Duxford Aviation Society. It is one of only two survivors. |
| The Avro 685 York was developed as a simple military
transport for the Royal Air Force and flew for the first time at
Manchester's Ringway airport on July 5, 1942. The design relied heavily
on the company's Lancaster bomber, using the same wing, Merlin engines
and dual tail assembly arranged around a larger, box-like fuselage. The type was designed quickly but was a low prority aircraft and few were built until the end of World War II in 1945. When production ended in 1948, 256 had been built and these contuned in military service until the mid 1950s. The first civil Yorks were five RAF machines allocated to BOAC as 12-seat passenger/cargo aircraft, with which the arline began a London to Cairo service in April 1944. BOAC went on to operate 43 Yorks, including 19 acquired from British South American Airways after that company folded in 1949. Most had an 18-seat layout, although some were 12-berth sleeper transports. Other overseas operators included FAMA of Argentina and South African Airways, while Skyways in Britain also built up a large fleet for charter work. The type was retired from RAF srevicer in 1956, with BOAC following suit a year later. The type continued in service with Skyways, Dan-Air and Hunting Clan in 1960 but these were retired within a few years. There are only two survivors, one with the RAF Museum at Cosford and another in Dan-Air markings at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Another wrecked aircraft survives within the Arctic Circle in Canada, with long-term plans to recover it. |
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