Avro type 685 York

Designated the Avro type 685, development began in 1941. The design paired a new "squared-off" fuselage with the wings, tail and undercarriage of the Lancaster bomber. Production was undertaken by Avro with the hopes of sales to both the RAF and in the postwar civil airliner market.
The prototype, LV626, was assembled by Avro's experimental flight department at Manchester's Ringway Airport and first flew there on 5 July 1942. It had initially been fitted with the twin fins and rudders of the Lancaster, but the increased fuselage side area forward of the wing compared to the Lancaster necessitated fitting a third central fin to retain adequate control and directional stability. Initial assembly and testing of production Yorks was at Ringway, later Yeadon (Leeds) and Woodford (Cheshire).
One pattern aircraft was built at Victory Aircraft in Canada, but no further orders were received. Victory tooled up for 30 of those aircraft and built parts for five with one ultimately being completed about the time the war came to an end.
The first civilian York (G-AGJA) was delivered to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1944. One of the prototypes, named Ascalon, became a flying conference room for Winston Churchill; other Yorks were provided for the use of Lord Mountbatten when Viceroy of India, the Duke of Gloucester when Governor-General of Australia, and South African leader Jan Smuts. In RAF Transport Command service, the York was used on the England-India route.
Production orders included 50 civilian Yorks and 208 military versions to the RAF - many of which subsequently passed into civilian hands. During the Berlin Airlift, Yorks flew over 58,000 sorties - close to half of the British contribution, alongside the Douglas Dakota and Handley Page Hastings.
In the postwar years, BOAC used Yorks on their Cairo to Durban service, which had previously been worked by Shorts flying-boats. They were also used by British South American Airways and many private passenger and freight airlines.
When the Distant Early Warning Line (Dew Line) was being constructed in Canada in the late 1950s, the Avro York was introduced as a freighter by Associated Airways. At least one of the Yorks, CF-HAS, was retained, and was in service with Transair as late as 1961.
The Avro York was, like its stablemates, the Lancaster and Lincoln, a very versatile aircraft; one York, LV633 "Ascalon", was custom-built as the personal transport of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Ascalon was to be fitted with a special pressurised "egg" so that VIP passengers could be carried without their having to use an oxygen mask. Made of aluminium alloy it had eight perspex windows to reduce claustrophobia. It also had a telephone, instrument panel, drinking facilities and an ashtray with room for cigars, thermos flask, newspapers, books. Testing at RAE Farnborough found the "egg" to work satisfactorily. However, Avro said it was too busy with the new Lancaster IV (Avro Lincoln) work so it was never actually installed in the Ascalon. It was considered for installation in the successor aircraft, a Douglas C-54B but the contractor Armstrong Whitworth decided it was impractical and the project was shelved. The whereabouts of "Churchill's Egg" are presently unknown.
MW104 "Endeavour" flew to Australia in 1945 to become the personal aircraft of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Australia's then Governor-General. It was operated by the Governor-General's Flight and was the Royal Australian Air Force's only York.
Another aeroplane was fitted out as a "flying office" for Lord Mountbatten, then C-in-C South East Asia Command. During its first major overhaul at Manchester (Ringway) in 1945, the aeroplane was re-painted a light duck egg green, a shade intended to cool down the aeroplane, instead of its former normal camouflage colour scheme.
General characteristics
Crew: 5 (two pilots, navigator, wireless operator, cabin steward)
Capacity: 56 passengers
Length: 78 ft 6 in (23.9 m)
Wingspan: 102 ft 0 in (31.1 m)
Height: 16 ft 6 in (5 m)
Wing area: 1,297 ft² (120.5 m²)
Empty weight: 40,000 lb (18,150 kg)
Loaded weight: 65,000 lb (29,480 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce Merlin 24 liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1,280 hp (950 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 298 mph (258 knots, 479 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
Range: 3,000 mi (2,600 nm, 4,800 km)
Service ceiling: 23,000 ft (7,010 m)
Rate of climb: 820 ft/min (4.2 m/s)
Wing loading: 54 lb/ft² (260 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.079 hp/lb (130 W/kg)

[@robmurdoch7955]

My dad maintained Yorks at Langley airfield near Slough in the late 1940s when he was working for Skyways after he was demobbed from the RAF after the war. I have some pictures of him recovering a York which had dug itself into the grass runway when making a heavy landing

[@dave4shmups]

Awesome footage, and photos at the end! Thanks for sharing!

[@_ArmIa]

Absolutely beautiful aircraft.

[@RollaArtis]

I read somewhere that these planes were used for transporting coal in the Berlin airlift, and were subsequently full of coal dust that couldn't easily be removed!

[@spuds4t]

Apropos James darwin (6yrs ago!) It too flew in one of these to RAF Fayid in the Suez Canal Zone in 1953 to "help" sort out our problems there. Rearward facing seats, very noisy. We were issued with two barley sugar sweets and some cotton wool pads before take off to help clear ear-popping at 9,000ft! Quite exciting for an 18yr old Cornishman that had scarcely ridden a train out of Cornwall let alone flown in an aeroplane (lol)

[@SuperAncientmariner]

@CaptBubble I used to be involved in conservation at Duxford and the York was the first plane I worked on. It had been used by DAN AIR for transporting animals including (believe it or not) elephants. The corrosion of the frame from "leaking animal fluids"(piddle) was incredible

[@Avroyork1]

My grandad flew on this Beauty from blackbush airport in London to faid in Egypt to prevent something happening to the suez canal. What a Beauty of an aircraft, sad that there is no airworthy examples left.

[@bashleyhorn]

When I was a 16yr old aircraft apprentice one of the first jobs I had was to help change a Main wheel on one of the 3 Yorks in service with Euravia of London (now Britannia Airways) at Luton. Mostly I remember that the wheel was bigger than me. Spent many hours doing Major checks on them and loved them. The last one in Euravia service, G-AGNV is now at Cosford in RAF colours. Saddest thing for me is that I missed out on a training flight because my boss needed me for something trivial. Blast !!!

[@aetio2]

waw!! very good video... Thanks a lot!!

[@paulwillson8887]

I saw an York at Mont Joli Quebec in the mid 1950s

[@CaptBubble]

@SuperAncientmariner I think it had recently been moved into the new hangar and was missing its outer wings at the time of my visit, but it looked so good that I assumed it might be in air-worthy condition, so congratulations on a great job!

[@SuperAncientmariner]

My time was in the early stages, the engines were off, no glazing and the flight deck was being rebuilt. I was only on it for a little while when they transfered me to the Storch team.

[@xairman565]

The Avro York that you mentioned in Canada with Transair, sat in a hangar at The Pas in northern Manitoba for quite a few years. Then it was taken out of the hangar at some point and left outside. As to what happened to it, it apparently was used for target practice by some of the locals. Then eventually scrapped, I believe. My dad had one or two pictures of it. Too bad a historical aircraft had to meet such a bad end. I don't know how many Yorks were used in Canada, but this was stupidity!

[@davidpeters6536]

A York was one of Churchill's Official Aeroplanes in WWII, PM1 in a way but never called that obviously.

[@DaBlazesUSay]

I wish I had been around to see the York in operation. What I could NOT believe was watching the rampies walk right between the props while they were spinning ! ! !

[@timorvet1]

I must have missed that...

[@DaBlazesUSay]

At 3:10, look at the left side of the screen.

[@javiergilvidal1558]

Health & Safety, anybody?

[@Gruntol5]

At 3.57 same soundtrack as the "10 ton bomb video" - I think.

[@LaurenceWyche]

May I mention the Manchester tail?

[@CaptBubble]

When I visited Duxford about 3 years ago their York was being worked on. I asked if it was ever likely to take to the air again, and got a fairly emphatic "No". Sad

[@refiandikrisnawan]

hello Bomberguy, I'm admin of the modelkitindo channel, I ask permission to hanging this video on my channel as a teaser, and I will enclose your channel name on the video and link in description ... thank you