Avro 618 Ten

The Avro 618 Ten or X was a passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. It was a licensed copy by Avro of the Fokker F.VIIB/3m.

Development

In 1928 Avro came to an arrangement with Fokker to license production of its successful F.VIIB/3m for sale in the British Empire (except Canada). The Avro designation 618 Ten was adopted as the aircraft was capable of carrying two crew and eight passengers. After a modification of the centre motor mounting to accommodate British airworthiness requirements, the aircraft was first displayed at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show. The Avro 642 Eighteen used the same wing as the Ten but had a new fuselage for 16 passengers.

Operational history

Australia

The first five aircraft were sold to the new Australian National Airways. The type entered service on 1 January of 1930 on the Brisbane-Sydney route, and later Melbourne-Sydney. They were:

Two of this fleet were lost in accidents: Southern Cloud in the Toolong range of the Australian Alps on 21 March 1931 (the wreckage was not found until 1958) and Southern Sun in Malaya in November 1931, while attempting the first airmail flight to the United Kingdom. The airline folded and the remaining aircraft were sold.