Avro 533 Manchester | Aircraft Overview

Today we're looking at the other Avro Manchester - equally as cursed as the one from the second world war.
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Recommended Reading:
Avro Aircraft Since 1908 - amzn.to/3v7oFLx
The British Bomber Since 1914 - amzn.to/4caQBiy

[@RexsHangar]

F.A.Q Section - Ask your questions here :) Q: Do you take aircraft requests? A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:) Q: How do you decide what aircraft gets covered next? A: Supporters over on Patreon now get to vote on upcoming topics such as overviews, special videos, and deep dives. Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others? A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both.

[@167curly]

Rather ironic that both Avro Manchesters were both lemons.

[@spoddie]

Can you do a video on the SR-71 pls? KZbin only has 10 million videos on it and I think it needs more.

[@joehudson3914]

Absolutely love you videos, would you consider doing the Jetfire at some point? Keep it up Rex!

[@dundomaroje9627]

I have just watched one of Yours videos about torpedo bombers. It was older one so i think commenting there could be useless so i comment here. Have you ever heard of Soviet style of "torpedo" bombing? Soviet Black Sea fleet had american Boston B20 bombers, obtained through Iranian branch of Lend-Lease program . They had interesting tactics of bombing german ships using plain heavy bombs. It was like this: Top speed - lowest possible altitude, just over the water, and they dropped bomb near the ship, on the water. Bomb had jumped 2-3 times and slammed into ship hull, while airplane flies over the top of the ship. Boston B20 was best for that kind of use, but they used other types of aircrafts too. La-5, IL-2... whatever they had.

[@albertmak5496]

Can you do a video on the DO-26 please? It's one of the most beautiful aircraft of all times ( Well, in my opinion that is.)

[@tombier9170]

Ah, British understatement - "flight characteristics mediocre at best". Anyone else - frankly terrifying.

[@smythharris2635]

😅

[@snowstalker36]

Avro clearly agreed, seeing as they kept the corrected Pike's around to use as testbeds but tossed the 529 in the bin.

[@rjs_698]

The RH Dobson who crawled along the top of the Pike's fuselage in flight is better known to history as Sir Roy Dobson, Avro's Managing Director during WW2 and after.

[@Farweasel]

Code name 'Gekko'

[@JGCR59]

Serious "those magnificent men in their flying machines" vibes here

[@mycosys]

Something you didnt seem to notice with the Pike. The pic of the original Sunbeam Nubian powered machine appears to have counter-rotating props, something the later versions appear to do away with

[@Farweasel]

That was well spotted - I missed it completely

[@paulwoodman5131]

1:39 pushers counter rotating. 4:53 4-blade tractor counter rotating, inboard direction; 5:16 counter rotating outbound. As they struggled with longitudinal control, wondering if they were experimenting with prop rotation.

[@theinfernollama8564]

Ah yes Avro and the curse of Manchester

[@hammer1349]

Seems to be a running theme

[@WarblesOnALot]

G'day, Yay Team ! Och..., aye...; truth be told Olde Bean, the Avro-504 k was probabubblie the absolute Pinnacle of British Edwardian Aeroplanology... After that, it was All Downhill Until coming of The Lancaster.... The Lancastrian was vile, and the York was still significantly horrible...; while the Lincoln ran out of Fattles to Bight, until Malaya submitted an Imperial Request for Rainforest to be Pattern-Bombed to better intimidate the more rebellious local Native Yokels into submission to "their betters", in the 1960s. And the Shackleton could outfly most Submarines for as long as it operated under an impenetrable CAP in Airspace free from Aerial Opposition. The 504 k during the Great Patriotic Existential War of One..., and the Lancaster in the Sequale staged 20, years later ; were the twin Peaks of Avro's Achievement... Such is life. Have a good one... Stay safe, ;-p Ciao !

[@thestrangegreenman]

I'd watch that VHS video

[@johndyson4109]

Like your familure with this example in aircraft history...lol...

[@jimroberts3009]

Twice they tried, twice they failed!

[@SuperchargedSupercharged]

Only awake one minute this morning, literally. This is a great was to start a day at 0430 hours.

[@johnedwards3198]

When BAE systems go through the former RAF titles Typhoon, Tempest etc "I know, we haven't done Manchester in a while, I wonder why?" 😅

[@Farweasel]

Or a Whirlwind ........... which, well, RR Kestrels ... Nah Which reminds me Does the RAF must have a thing about wind?

[@rjs_698]

@@Farweasel Westland, and the RAF, did re-use Whirlwind pretty soon after WW2 for a licence-built Sikorsky S55.

[@rjs_698]

@@Farweasel - and another thing - the twin-engined fighter Whirlwind was powered by the RR Peregrine not the Kestrel. The connection between the Peregrine and the second Avro Manchester is that the RR Vulture that powered it was an X24 engine based on two V12 Peregrines joined together.

[@Farweasel]

@@rjs_698 👺 ! Rolls up anorak sleeves ... *Sir, The Peregrine was the successor to the Kestrel & derived from it* Whirlwind of different types used BOTH 🙄

[@Farweasel]

@@rjs_698 👺 ! Rolls up anorak sleeves ......... *Sir, Might I just point out that the Peregrine was a successor derived from the Kestrel* (&) The Whirlwind, in various types, used BOTH 🙄

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

When an aircraft goes from _AVRO_ to _AV-NO._

[@SephirothRyu]

'Av no what? Oh, a tail.

[@brianedwards7142]

"My Mum wouldn't like it Cap'n Mainwaring." "Shutup, Pike."

[@danielstickney2400]

One would think someone would have actually bothered to verify the Center of Gravity before the first test flight. Just imagine the finger pointing afterwards. "I thought you checked the CG! No, I thought YOU checked the CG!"

[@Alobo075]

"Have you heard the tale of the Avro Manchester..." "It's a tale you won't hear from the Jedi...."

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Dang it, I thought I was witty with my other comment, but you beat me to the meme.

[@raymondyee2008]

Omg I didn’t know about the earlier part of the “Manchester curse”.

[@pissedoff-is1mt]

Your vids are superb mate not only for the detail and the enthusiasm that comes thru in your voice which makes them even more watchable and fun but also because you cover all the aircraft that others don't and it's not just a list of the usual suspects. Please keep them coming!!

[@williammorris584]

When you’re just along as an observer and wind up crawling half the length of the plane’s exterior.

[@Sssaaatttuuurrrnnn]

He was in-flight promoted from an observer to an experiencer that day.

[@Fen.ri.s]

Falling asleep to these videos is just amazing

[@alexdvorak4079]

Glad to see you posting again 🤙

[@TheOsfania]

R.H. Dobson had balls of steel.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

It's like a horror story for Avro. The Fall of the House of Manchester.

[@iffracem]

To be fair, I think the second Manchester's issues derived mainly from the silly design requirement to be able to fit inside a standard hanger of the time, limiting it's wingspan, and the dodgy RR Vulture engines. Seems a common thread in British aircraft "failure", the Air Ministry design requirement.

[@FionaOfMountLawley]

The A.B.C. Dragonfly *was* a very unsuccessful engine. Of the 19 different aircraft it is known to have been used for, only a total of 236 aircraft were ever built. 200 of those were Sopwith Dragons, with the 1A development of the engine installed, and some Nieuport Nighthawks, initially developed with the A.B.C. Dragonflies in mind, were exported to Greece, Sweden and Japan (but only after the replacement of the engine). There were the 485 Armstrong-Whitworth Siskins produced, but those too had the engine switched out during development. So, leaving aside the Sopwith Dragons (because of the improvements in the 1A version) the original engine ended up being used in an average of 2 aircraft of the other 18 types, which were all prototypes except for the Sopwith Rainbow, That was a racing plane, was scratched before the single race it entered with the Dragonfly engine, Of the three races it was entered into ,it only flew in the third (fitted with a Bristol Jupiter II powerplant) and was then destroyed in a crash less than a month later

[@drstevenrey]

I remember well what you said at the end of the other Manchester video: It spawned the Lancaster and was therefore a good thing. This Manchester spawned nothing, a complete waste of time, money and space. Love you videos so much. Thank you for all the hard work.

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks Rex

[@tonyraheja1]

Very interesting... Thanks.. Lovely pics.. As usual!

[@bobroberts6155]

As soon as you hear “was designed to fulfil several roles” you know it’s going to be mediocre at best.

[@SeanJamesZA]

Enjoyed this one.

[@jamieblanche3963]

Forgive the pedantry, dear sir, but at 1:41 you say "a wingspan of 60ft (or 8.2m)", that cannae be right. :P

[@oldfatbastad6053]

Avro Pike? cue dads army jokes hahahaha

[@Farweasel]

Don't tell 'em that

[@travelbugse2829]

Sad - Ian Lavender left us on February 2nd. RIP.

[@jeffapplewhite5981]

Performing a loop in a big bipane! Open cockpit! Wow! 👍👍

[@copperator6649]

if i had a Nickle for every time there was a plane named the Manchester, I'd have two Nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice

[@ianbell5611]

Great video as always. Cheers

[@robertdragoff6909]

When AVRO’s first design was rolled out, it had 150 hp engines and I it could have been designated as an ultralight! But you’d think that after almost 20 years they’d get things right the first time…. It wasn’t until someone decided to add 2 more engines did things work out. Interesting video

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

9:30 Gee, an engine with great performance promise that ended up shafting (to one degree or another) every aircraft development program in which it was utilized! A distant predecessor to the J40 (and the Vulture, but the Vulture never carried the hopes and dreams of as many aircraft as some others...).

[@jimeditorial]

Looping that aircraft would have required mind boggling courage

[@jeffapplewhite5981]

Good information! Thanks 👍

[@drstevenrey]

I am amazed that these kites were powered by just 150 hp per side. The planes were big, really big. Basically we are looking at the power of a Piper Seminole on an aircraft three times the size.

[@marcelocraveroregeni6973]

Oh god damn it Avro, you did it again?!

[@byrdman50010]

Another great video!

[@womble321]

Never build an engine designed to run at its natural vibration frequency! Precisely what the Dragonfly did.

[@rafaxo6086]

RAF: alr the plane has a good look what did you name it? Avro: we named it the Manchester! What do you think?...général? RAF: *gone as they heard the name manchester*

[@cameronnewton7053]

*sounds of screaming and smashing glass as they throw themselves out the nearest window*

[@johnjephcote7636]

When I heard "disastrous tale" I immediately thought of the Tail of the Halifax and all those lives lost owing to rudder stall.

[@sleeplessindefatigable6385]

The moment I saw the Dragonfly engine, I knew exactly where this was going.

[@Insanitypants80]

Don't tell them your name, Avro Pike!

[@chrismoule7242]

"Dragonfly" yes that's all we need to hear...

[@jamesengland7461]

"Completely let down by its engine" 😂 yeah, that's usually the result...

[@stnylan]

Rex, I am sure we all appreciate your hopes to build up a backlog and all, but you do know making promises like that are just a gift to Chance and Fate to come a-calling with the analagous equivalent of a Dragonfly engine for an Avro Manchester, right? :)

[@steveshoemaker6347]

What a deal.....Thanks Rex's Hangar..... Old F-4 2 Shoe🇺🇸

[@bobfry5267]

How about a history of drones? They have been around a while. You might understandably want to stay with manned aircraft.

[@colinhooper1933]

Interesting that the glazed bombardiers position is very similar to the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

[@mikedowd2094]

"Oh! Manchester, So much to answer for".

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

At least it's not a Blackburn...

[@adrianklaver113]

I believe that is 18.2 meters for wingspan.

[@JGCR59]

I think no aircraft role ever produced less impressive results than the anti-Zeppelin fighter

[@300guy]

I guess Manchesters can't be choosers!

[@barkebaat]

1:41 - No, wrong feet/ metres!

[@JavvyF61]

0:36 tbf they were named after manchester. i wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy.

[@mattheweagles5123]

I had the curse of Manchester once. Some antibiotics cleared it up though.

[@AFNacapella]

after watching so many videos, why am I still baffled by how sketchy airplanes looked a good hundred years ago

[@johnp8131]

I know many aircraft could be quite similar looking back then. However this Manchester looks very much like a re-engined DH10?

[@thegreat_I_am]

Men were men in those days! Imagine looping one of these things.

[@smythharris2635]

The Avro Nettlebed, the best!

[@bryanparkhurst17]

I have watched so many of your videos that I'm starting to believe that you might start running out of material soon. I haven't actually gone back and looked at your playlist but I would be interested to know if you have done the Wright flier or any Zeppelin's.

[@JGCR59]

Thats what you get from naming a plane after that city

[@pandaphil]

Such a shame. They were nice looking planes.

[@uingaeoc3905]

Alliot Roe was from Manchester and the factory i s in the district of Woodford in Manchester.

[@rjs_698]

Woodford didn't open until 1924 and was only a final assembly and flight test facility. The main manufacturing site before the Chadderton site opened in 1939 was at Newton Heath, not too far from where Manchester City's stadium now is. Flight testing in the Manchester area prior to Woodford opening was done at Alexandra Park.

[@AlanSueBishop]

Woodford is not in Manchester. The main factory was in Chadderton, Manchester. The final assembly hangar was at Woodford, Cheshire and also the Flight Sheds and Experimental Hangar at the other side of the Airfield. I was an Avro Apprentice until 1970. Sadly, the airfield no longer exists, as it is now a large housing estate, although there is a heritage museum, including an early Vulcan in anti-flash white scheme.

[@Insanitypants80]

The Manchester was mad fer it

[@forthwithtx5852]

Nice one.

[@EricBrindle-dp8kq]

please more

[@321bytor]

Manchester, so much to answer for

[@Dreska_]

Ah yes, Nubian! We have lots of that!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

You've heard about the disastrous tale of the Avro Manchester, but have heard of the tale of Plageous the Wise?

[@Somni_Rex]

But it work then

[@tonyraheja1]

Wingspan 60 feet / 8.23 metres? Sumthin wrong there

[@johndyson4109]

The Dragonfly engine! Leave it up to the British to keep using a shit engine in their planes...

[@stevecunningham8960]

Except, they didn't, there were a lot of aircraft "planned" to use it but when it turned out to be a dud they were dropped. Granville Bradshaw was a far better salesman than an engineer. He managed to convince the War Dept to make the ABC the standard aircraft engine for the UK before one had been built. After the war he was responsible for some strange motorcycle engines, like the ABC. His main actual success would be the P&M Panther 600 Single.

[@garryferrington811]

Is the city of Manchester cursed, too?

[@Farweasel]

If they'd just named it for Salford instead of Manchester they'd have neve had such problems 😋

[@mikedowd2094]

A.V. Roe's house (birthplace) still stands on the corner of Green Lane and the A57 Liverpool Road in Patricroft. Salford Council claim AV Roe as a son of the city but Salford as a city wasn't created until 1926 and Patricroft wasn't incorporated in to it until local govt reorganisation in 1974. I think the Council still own the building, but it is in a declining unoccupied state and no blue plaque or anything. Wouldn't be suprised if in the coming years they let it get burnt down or decline to such a state thry can legally demolish it. Very sad.

[@Farweasel]

@@mikedowd2094 Ah BUT Salford was the original 'big town' for the area when Manchester was two cottages & a shared outhouse. Possibly plus a Goat.

[@thenationalthing7979]

Avvvroooooaaaaneson

[@40over86]

Too bad. It was actually a nice looking aircraft.

[@womble321]

No the manchester wasn't that bad. They discovered someone was messing with the engines and that they had metal particles added or not cleaned out. After they were carefully dismantled and cleaned the engine problems went away. They never managed to catch the people responsible.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

FYI Your Channel is popping BIDEN Election Adds for DONATIONS! Right! Bu BY!

[@NellaCuriosity]

Channels can't choose what ads run on their videos. If you don't want to see a particular ad, you need to click on the ad video and say 'Not interested'

[@davefellhoelter1343]

But they need to Know. or they do not know.@@NellaCuriosity

[@Tomi-yy3fv]

AVRO: From Manchester with love, and a hint of curse!

[@demonicsquid7217]

To be fair, these aircraft are quite appropriate for the city of Manchester.