Aviation of World War II

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A.W.27 Ensign

A.W.27 Ensign
  • Mainline airliner
  • First flight: 1938
  • Armstrong Whitworth

Mainline airliner A.W. The 27 Ensign, a class of airliner, was developed to Imperial Airways' specification for a new aircraft capable of carrying large numbers of passengers and mail to South Africa and Australia on UK air routes. The aircraft was offered in two variants: a 40-seat "European" or "Western" (with 12 passengers in the forward cabin, 4 in the card room, 12 in the middle cabin and 12 in the rear cabin, plus 3 toilets) and a 27-seat "Empire" "or "Eastern" (with 3 cabins and 2 toilets), which could also be converted into a sleeping salon with 20 passengers. Both versions were externally identical and were high-wing aircraft with four 810 hp Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IX radial engines mounted along the leading edge of the wing. The fuselage was long and thin, with retractable landing gear and one large Dunlop wheel mounted on each main landing gear.

A.W.27 made its first flight on January 23, 1938, and since October 1938 it has already been carrying out passenger transportation between London and Paris for the British airline Imperial Airways. Production of the aircraft progressed slowly and with delays, mainly due to the heavy workload of the company producing bombers for the RAF, but three subsequent aircraft were nevertheless completed in time for mail flights to Australia in late 1938. However, due to problems with the engines, the sixth A.W.27 aircraft was already equipped with Tiger IXC engines with 850 hp each. With. each with a three-blade constant-speed propeller and had a modified tail section. These changes subsequently became standard on all A.W.27s.

Since the outbreak of the Second World War, A.W.27s have been used to transport RAF personnel, initially to France and then between RAF military bases in the UK. During this period, several aircraft were destroyed or damaged by German fighters. In 1941, the remaining aircraft were converted to 912 hp Wright R-1820-G Cyclone radial engines. and were known as A.W.27A Ensign Mk II. With the end of the war, the airliners were scrapped. A total of 14 A.W.27 airliners were built.

* Note. British airline Imperial Airways - long-range (1924-1939), not to be confused with Imperial Airlines. During this period, the Imperial Airways Speedbird logo was primarily used in advertising and rarely on aircraft.


Aircraft | Armstrong Whitworth | A.W.27 | A.W.38 | A.W.41 | Combat Use A.W.38 | A.W.41 in the USSR |


A.W. 27 Ensign
Crew 3
Dimensions
Wing area 123 ft 0 in (37.49 m)
Wing area, m² 2,449.97 sq ft (227.61m²)
Length 114 ft 0 in (34.75 m)
Height 23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
Powerplant
Engine 4 × PE Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IXC
Power 4 × 637 kW (850 hp.)
Weights
Empty weight 31729 lb (14,392 kg)
Loaded weight 49000 lb (22,226 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed 205 mph (330 km/h)
Крейсерская скорость, km/h 170 mph (274км/ч)
Service ceiling 18,000 ft (5485 m)
Service range 860 mi (1384 km)
Payload, passengers 40
Photo Description
Drawing A.W. 27 Ensign Drawing A.W. 27 Ensign
A.W. 27 Ensign A.W. 27 Ensign "on the straight". The Landing gear is extended, the radio compass frame is oriented towards the drive radio station.

Bibliography

  • "Encyclopedia of military engineering" /Aerospace Publising/
  • "British warplanes of World War II" /under cor. Daniel March/
  • "RAIDING THE REICH. The Allied Strategie Offensive in Europe" /Roger A. Freeman/