Avro 539

The Avro 539 was a British single-seat racing biplane built by Avro for the 1919 Schneider Trophy.

The Avro 539 (later 539A) was a single-seat floatplane first flown on 29 August 1919. It was a single-bay, unstaggered biplane with a nose-mounted 240 hp (180 kW) Siddeley Puma piston engine and twin wooden floats. It had a single open cockpit for the pilot aft of the wings. Registered G-EALG it was modified before the race with a balanced rudder and elongated fin. The Schneider Trophy was held on 10 September 1919 but the 539 was eliminated. It was later modified as a landplane with a smaller fin and flown at the Aerial Derby in July 1920. The aircraft forced landed but was rebuilt as the Avro 539B for the 1921 Aerial Derby with a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion and revised landing gear and registered G-EAXM. It was destroyed in a landing accident at Hamble on 15 July 1921 on the eve of the race.

Avro 539A

Schneider Trophy floatplane with a 240 hp (180 kW) Siddeley Puma engine, later modified as a landplane, rebuilt as the Avro 539A after a forced landing.

Avro 539B

539A rebuilt with a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 21 ft 4 in (6.5 m)
• Wingspan: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
• Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
• Wing area: 195 sq ft (18.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,670 lb (758 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,119 lb (961 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Siddeley Puma , 240 hp (179 kW)

• Schneider Trophy

Related lists

• List of flying boats and floatplanes

• Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10006-9.

• Avro 539 – British Aircraft Directory