Avro 548
title: "Avro 548" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1910s-british-civil-utility-aircraft", "avro-aircraft", "biplanes", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1919"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_548" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Avro 548 |
| image | StateLibQld 1 194247-519x.jpg |
| caption | Avro 548, 1922 |
| type | Civil utility aircraft |
| manufacturer | Avro |
| first_flight | October 1919 |
| produced | 1920–25 |
| number_built | 38 |
| :: |
|name=Avro 548 |image= StateLibQld 1 194247-519x.jpg |caption= Avro 548, 1922 |type=Civil utility aircraft |manufacturer=Avro |designer= |first_flight=October 1919 |introduction= |retired= |status= |primary_user= |more_users= |produced=1920–25 |number_built=38 |variants=
The Avro 548 was a civil trainer aircraft built in Britain after World War I. Its design was based extensively on Avro's 504 military aircraft, but it had an inline engine and a third seat. The prototype, designated 545, first flew with a Curtiss OX-5 V-8 engine, but this proved impractical for the civil market on account of the engine's weight and the complexity of its cooling system. An air-cooled Renault engine was used instead, and the designation 548 applied to this configuration. In practice, these aircraft were usually customised for their buyers and most differed from each other in equipment and detail; some were retrofitted war-surplus 504s. Many were used as civil trainers, others for joyriding, personal transport and racing.
A revised version, the 548A resulted when fitted with an ADC Airdisco engine, a development of the Renault which gave 120 hp (90 kW). This engine greatly improved performance.
Plans for a version with an enclosed cabin, designated 553 were never brought to fruition.
Operators
;
- Latvian Air Force - Two 548Ns acquired 1924. ;
- Portuguese Air Force - Two 548As acquired 1924.
Specifications (548)
|prime units? = imp |ref=Avro Aircraft since 1908 |crew=one pilot |capacity=two passengers |length m=8.97 |length ft=29 |length in=5 |span m=10.97 |span ft=36 |span in=0 |height m=3.18 |height ft=10 |height in=5 |wing area sqm=30.7 |wing area sqft=330 |empty weight kg=607 |empty weight lb=1,338 |gross weight kg=881 |gross weight lb=1,943 |eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Renault 80 hp air-cooled V-8 engine |eng1 kw=60 |eng1 hp=80 |max speed kmh=129 |max speed mph=80 |cruise speed kmh=105 |cruise speed mph=65 |range km=282 |range miles=175 |climb rate ms=1.8 |climb rate ftmin=350
|related= |similar aircraft= |lists= |see also=
References
Citations
Bibliography
References
- Jackson 1990, p.189.
- "All-Time Aircraft Used List | Latvian Air Force (Pre-WW2)".
- Niccoli 1998, pp. 22–23.
- Jackson 1990, p.191.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::