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The aircraft was unstable and underpowered and after just nine hours of test flying, it was grounded to try to solve some of the problems. Test flying resumed in August 1949 but the aircraft had further engine problems. Changes were made to the design of the tail unit including fitting a dorsal fin
210:
Further engine problems stopped the trial and test flights. The company started a selling campaign to
European airlines but the problems with performance and continual engine difficulties caused the decision in June 1952 to abandon development of the aircraft. The competing Brabazon IIB design the
183:
ASM.2 which was expected to produce 1,270 shp (950 kW) plus 307 lbf (1,370 N) static thrust for the production aircraft. When the prototype Apollo was ready to fly the engine could only produce 800 shp (600 kW). Two prototypes - one to be completely fitted out - and a
175:. Due to the narrowness of the engines, there was no room in the nacelles for the main wheels which instead folded up into the wings. It had a conventional tail unit with a mid-placed cantilever horizontal
243:
during 1954 for multi-engine pilot training. The prototype was broken up in 1955 and the second aircraft was passed to the
Structures Department at RAE Farnborough. The aircraft fuselage was used at
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was granted to allow the aircraft to carry non-fare paying passengers. One proving flight - between
Baginton and Paris taking 1 hr 26 min - was carried out on 12 March 1951.
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became a best-selling turboprop in the 1950s and 60s. The second prototype was expected to use the Mamba 3 to give it a maximum weight of 45,000 lb.
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for an aircraft able to carry 24–30 passengers over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) at a cruising speed of 300 mph (480 km/h).
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in
September 1952. The second aircraft (serial VX224) followed in September 1953 and was later used by the
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and increasing the fin area to improve the flying qualities. In
October 1950, a limited category
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146:
35:
The second AW.55 Apollo in use by the Empire Test Pilot School at
Farnborough in September 1954
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179:. It had a pressurised fuselage with seating for 26–31 passengers. It was designed to use the
227:
Although the development programme was cancelled the two prototypes had been paid for by the
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British Civil
Aircraft since 1919, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913
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for water tank pressure testing until it was scrapped in the 1970s.
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199:, Coventry on 10 April 1949 for a thirty-minute test flight.
352:
970 imp gal (1,160 US gal; 4,400 L)
137:
but was beset with engine problems and only two were built.
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aircraft to fly its less-travelled routes which became
149:'s Type II design, calling for a small, medium-range
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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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231:and the prototype aircraft entered service at the
188:and construction started in 1948. The prototype (
530:King, Derek. "The Armstrong Whitworth Apollo".
604:
405:1,500 ft/min (7.6 m/s) at sea level
346:45,000–47,000 lb (20,412–21,319 kg)
8:
538:No. 4 Winter 2004, pp 164–165.ISSN 1742-996X
133:. The aircraft was in competition with the
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517:British Civil Aircraft since 1919:Volume 1
393:940 mi (1,510 km, 820 nmi)
387:276 mph (444 km/h, 240 kn)
381:330 mph (530 km/h, 290 kn)
184:static test fuselage were ordered by the
543:Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft since 1913
439:
17:
195:) first flew from the grass field at
7:
366:, 1,010 shp (750 kW) each
322:92 ft 0 in (28.04 m)
316:71 ft 6 in (21.79 m)
328:26 ft 0 in (7.92 m)
155:Air Ministry Specification C.16/46
145:The requirement resulted from the
14:
334:986 sq ft (91.6 m)
257:
112:Armstrong Whitworth AW.55 Apollo
26:
1408:Four-engined turboprop aircraft
340:30,800 lb (13,971 kg)
43:Four-engined turboprop airliner
1:
1398:Four-engined tractor aircraft
399:28,000 ft (8,500 m)
160:The resulting design was the
1403:Aircraft first flown in 1949
1393:Armstrong Whitworth aircraft
620:Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft
205:Certificate of Airworthiness
1429:
532:Air-Britain Aviation World
277:Empire Test Pilot's School
241:Empire Test Pilot's School
93:Empire Test Pilot's School
564:: 235–240, 26 August 1948
34:
25:
20:
519:. London:Putnam, 1974.
360:Armstrong Siddeley Mamba
181:Armstrong Siddeley Mamba
1388:1940s British airliners
545:. London:Putnam, 1988.
295:General characteristics
507:From July 1951, Mk 504
489:Jackson 1974, pp. 285.
173:tricycle undercarriage
480:FLIGHT, 23 March 1951
714:Post-First World War
498:Tapper 1988, p.308.
421:Airspeed Ambassador
223:Operational history
127:Armstrong Whitworth
85:Primary users
55:Armstrong Whitworth
229:Ministry of Supply
186:Ministry of Supply
147:Brabazon Committee
1413:Low-wing aircraft
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1374:
1371:
1370:
1180:Army co-operation
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171:with retractable
108:
107:
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1187:Atlas/Ajax/Aries
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541:Tapper, Oliver.
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505:
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496:
490:
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481:
478:"Civil Aviation"
475:
469:
468:
462:"Apollo on tour"
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452:
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426:Vickers Viscount
397:Service ceiling:
374:
362:AS.1 axial-flow
310:26–31 passengers
297:
263:
261:
260:
217:Rolls-Royce Dart
213:Vickers Viscount
135:Vickers Viscount
101:
45:Type of aircraft
30:
18:
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1304:General purpose
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515:A.J. Jackson,
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403:Rate of climb:
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283:Specifications
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385:Cruise speed:
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344:Gross weight:
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338:Empty weight:
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237:Boscombe Down
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164:, a low-wing
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69:Introduction
68:
67:
63:
61:First flight
60:
59:
56:
53:
51:Manufacturer
50:
49:
42:
39:
38:
33:
29:
24:
21:AW.55 Apollo
19:
16:
1265:F.K.9/F.K.10
1232:Experimental
1169:
1162:
1155:
1138:
1005:
910:
631:designations
627:Manufacturer
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579:
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162:AW.55 Apollo
161:
159:
144:
118:four-engine
114:was a 1940s
111:
109:
100:Number built
15:
372:Performance
356:Powerplant:
245:Farnborough
151:pressurized
141:Development
1382:Categories
1346:Transports
1021:Argosy (2)
1016:Argosy (1)
434:References
364:turboprops
332:Wing area:
166:cantilever
1353:Albemarle
1280:Armadillo
1117:Airliners
1031:Armadillo
1001:Albemarle
629:numerical
320:Wingspan:
308:Capacity:
288:Data from
251:Operators
177:tailplane
169:monoplane
125:built by
120:turboprop
1295:Starling
1285:Scimitar
1258:Fighters
1148:Airships
1129:Atalanta
1086:Starling
1066:Scimitar
1061:Sea Hawk
1036:Atalanta
576:"Apollo"
558:"Apollo"
527:. pp 285
410:See also
197:Baginton
131:Baginton
123:airliner
77:Retired
1332:Tadpole
1249:A.W.171
1223:Whitley
1196:Bombers
1110:By role
1096:Whitley
1091:Tadpole
989:By name
976:A.W.690
971:A.W.681
966:A.W.680
961:A.W.670
956:A.W.660
951:A.W.650
946:A.W.171
941:A.W.169
936:A.W.168
582:article
578:a 1948
326:Height:
314:Length:
116:British
1290:Siskin
1270:A.W.16
1244:A.W.52
1218:Sinaia
1213:A.W.29
1208:A.W.23
1203:A.W.19
1139:Apollo
1134:Ensign
1081:Sissit
1076:Sinaia
1071:Siskin
1056:Meteor
1051:Ensign
1006:Apollo
931:A.W.59
926:A.W.58
921:A.W.57
916:A.W.56
911:A.W.55
906:A.W.54
901:A.W.53
896:A.W.52
891:A.W.51
886:A.W.50
881:A.W.49
876:A.W.48
871:A.W.45
866:A.W.44
861:A.W.43
856:A.W.41
851:A.W.40
846:A.W.39
841:A.W.38
836:A.W.37
831:A.W.36
826:A.W.35
821:A.W.34
816:A.W.33
811:A.W.32
806:A.W.31
801:A.W.30
796:A.W.29
791:A.W.28
786:A.W.27
781:A.W.26
776:A.W.25
771:A.W.24
766:A.W.23
761:A.W.22
756:A.W.21
751:A.W.20
746:A.W.19
741:A.W.18
736:A.W.17
731:A.W.16
726:A.W.15
721:A.W.14
700:F.K.13
695:F.K.12
690:F.K.10
580:Flight
562:Flight
549:
523:
466:Flight
450:Flight
391:Range:
262:
190:serial
1363:Awana
1316:F.K.8
1311:F.K.3
1046:Awana
1041:Atlas
1026:Aries
705:F.M.4
685:F.K.9
680:F.K.8
675:F.K.7
670:F.K.6
665:F.K.5
660:F.K.4
655:F.K.3
650:F.K.2
645:F.K.1
302:Crew:
193:VX220
80:1957
72:1952
64:1949
40:Role
1337:Wolf
1101:Wolf
996:Ajax
547:ISBN
534:Vol
521:ISBN
358:4 ×
110:The
1275:Ara
1239:Ape
1170:R33
1163:R29
1156:25r
1011:Ara
235:at
129:at
1384::
560:,
536:56
464:,
104:2
612:e
605:t
598:v
553:.
304:3
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