P.Lewis The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)

Another auspicious two-seat design which was unable to make the grade once the Bristol machine had gained a firm foothold was Avro’s 530, completed in July, 1917. Careful attention had been paid to producing an airframe for the two-bay biplane which was designed to use the 300 h.p. Hispano-Suiza engine. The current shortage of this engine dictated the installation of the 200 h.p. version of the same make and the 530 was tested also with the 200 h.p. Sunbeam. Unusual features of the design were the deep fuselage filling the entire wing gap, the fairings applied to fill the openings between the undercarriage V struts, and the flaps which formed the trailing edges of the wings. Two guns were carried - a Vickers for the pilot and a Scarff-mounted Lewis in the rear cockpit.

F.Mason The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)

Avro Type 530

   It might be contended that the secret of success enjoyed by the Bristol F.2B Fighter was due to two circumstances, namely that it had already been developed into an aircraft for which there was a demand before any would-be competitor, and that it avoided using the Hispano-Suiza engine. Almost every one of those other challengers, as has been shown, favoured the Hispano engine and, as a result, were defeated by the prior claims on its faltering supply on behalf of the S.E.5.
   The Avro 530 was just one more such aircraft which fell victim of the short supply of Hispano engines. The aircraft was directly comparable with the Bristol Fighter and was, if anything, slightly superior in some aspects of performance. Built at Avro’s works in Manchester and first flown at Hamble in Hampshire in July 1917, it featured a 200hp Hispano-Suiza engine with a frontal radiator, all enclosed in an annular cowling; cooling airflow to the radiator passed through a large spinner which itself improved the shape of the nose. The deep fuselage was a wire-braced wooden box-girder, fabric-covered and formed to improved aerodynamic shape by secondary stringers. The wooden, two-bay, two-spar wings of RAF 14 section were also fabric-covered and not only included ailerons, but also underwing trailing-edge flaps on upper and lower wings for landing - the latter being operated by a handwheel in the pilot’s cockpit.
   Unfortunately the fuselage was so deep that, in placing the upper wing in line with the pilot’s eye level - so as to achieve the best possible field of view upwards and downwards - the wing scarcely cleared the upper decking of the front fuselage; this was further aggravated by fairing over the single forward-firing synchronized Vickers gun. Careful attention to detail elsewhere included fairing the undercarriage V-struts together to provide a single aerodynamic member on each side.
   Only one example of the Type 530 was completed, and it became immediately obvious that the aircraft possessed no future while fitted with the Hispano-Suiza engine, even though the engine for which the Avro was designed was the 300hp version. The sole prototype was therefore extensively modified to incorporate the 200hp Sunbeam Arab eight-cylinder water-cooled in-line engine. The landing flaps were removed in favour of lengthened ailerons, and the fairings were removed from the undercarriage V-struts.
   However, by the time these changes had been made, production of the well-established Bristol Fighter - a much-liked aircraft among its crews - had accelerated to an impressive rate, and there could therefore be no question of introducing a new aircraft with untried operational qualities.


   Type: Single-engine, two-seat, two-bay biplane fighter.
   Manufacturer: A V Roe & Co Ltd, Manchester.
   Powerplant: One 200hp Hispano-Suiza engine driving two-blade propeller; later one 200hp Sunbeam Arab engine.
   Dimensions: Span, 36ft 0in; length, 28ft 6in; height, 9ft 7in; wing area, 325.5 sq ft.
   Weights: Tare, 1,695lb; all-up, 2,500lb.
   Performance: Max speed, 114 mph at sea level; climb to 10,000ft, 15 min; service ceiling, 18,000ft; endurance, 4 hr.
   Armament: One synchronized 0.303in Vickers machine gun faired on nose, forward of the pilot’s cockpit; one Lewis gun with Scarff ring on the rear cockpit.
   Prototype: One, first flown in July 1917. No production.

W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters

AVRO 530 UK

   Of relatively clean aerodynamic design by contemporary standards and featuring a ducted propeller spinner, the Avro 530 two-seat fighter was designed in 1916 to compete with the Bristol F.2A, but the first prototype was not flown until July 1917. Powered by a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Bd eight-cylinder water-cooled engine, the Avro 530 was of wooden construction with fabric skinning, and mounted an armament of a single fixed and synchronised 0.303-in (7,7-mm) Vickers gun, a Lewis gun of similar calibre being mounted on a Scarff ring in the rear cockpit. Although performance of the Avro 530 proved to be good, it did not improve sufficiently on that of the Bristol F.2A to warrant production orders. Furthermore, priority in the supply of the Hispano-Suiza engine was being given to the S.E.5a. During 1918, one of the two Avro 530 prototypes was flown with a 200 hp Sunbeam Arab engine, revised undercarriage, an extended tail fin and flapless wings of new section with long-span ailerons, but development was subsequently abandoned.

Max speed, 114 mph (183 km/h) at sea level, 102 mph (164 km/h) at 10,0 ft (3 050 m).
Time to 10,000 ft (3 050 m), 15min.
Endurance, 4hrs.
Empty weight, 1,695 lb (769 kg).
Loaded weight, 2,680 lb (1216 kg).
Span, 36 ft 0 in (10,97 m).
Length, 28 ft 6 in (8,69 m).
Height, 9 ft 7 in (2,92 m).
Wing area, 325.5 sqft (30,23 m2).

J.Bruce British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 (Putnam)

Avro 530

  THE Avro 530 was one of the many promising designs of the war period which, for one reason or another, did not go into production. It was a two-seat fighter of advanced conception, and its performance compared quite well with that of early versions of the Bristol Fighter. However, by the time the Avro 530 appeared in July, 1917, the Bristol machine was already in production; moreover, at that time virtually all Hispano-Suiza engines were absorbed by the S.E.5a production programme.
  The Avro 530 was originally designed to have a 300 h.p. Hispano-Suiza engine but none was available at the time of completion of the airframe, and the prototype was fitted with the 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza and the Sunbeam Arab. The components were made at the Manchester works of the Avro company and were sent to Hamble for assembly.
  The machine was characterised by commendably clean design. The Hispano-Suiza version had a large open-fronted spinner on the airscrew, and the radiator was installed behind it within the engine cowling. The deep fuselage completely filled the gap between the wings, and the central connexion between the fuselage and upper wing had a plywood fairing which also housed the pilot’s machine-gun. The upper wing was level with the pilot’s eyes, and he therefore had an excellent view all round the upper hemisphere. The observer’s cockpit was immediately behind the pilot’s in order to ensure maximum crew cooperation. The undercarriage legs, which were normal vees, were carefully faired over with fabric.
  The basic structure was conventional. The fuselage was the usual wire-braced wooden box-girder and had fairings on the sides. The engine was mounted on duralumin girders. The wings were made almost wholly of wood, but some metal was used in the construction of the ribs.
  The wings were of R.A.F. 14 section, and were fitted with trailing-edge flaps along the whole of their length between the ailerons and the fuselage: these flaps were actuated by a wheel control in the pilot’s cockpit. For comparative tests a second set of wings of R.A.F. 15 section were built without flaps.
  The version of the Avro 530 which had the Sunbeam Arab engine had no spinner; the undercarriage vees were much wider than those of the Hispano-powered version and were not faired over.


SPECIFICATION
  Manufacturers: A. V. Roe & Co., Ltd., Clifton Street, Miles Platting, Manchester; final assembly at Hamble works.
  Power: 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza, engine No. 115034; 200 h.p. Sunbeam Arab.
  Dimensions: Span: 36 ft. Length: 28 ft 6 in. Height: 9 ft 7 in. Chord: 5 ft 6 in. Gap: 5 ft. Stagger: 1 ft 9in. Dihedral: 1° 30'. Incidence: 2°. Span of tail: 12 ft. Airscrew diameter: 9 ft 9 in.
  Areas: Wings: 325-5 sq ft. Ailerons: each 14-5 sq ft, total 58 sq ft. Tailplane: 28-4 sq ft. Elevators: 22-8 sq ft. Fin: 4-5 sq ft. Rudder: 8-8 sq ft.
  Weights: Empty: 1,695 Military load: 214 lb. Crew: 360 lb. Fuel and oil: 411 lb. Loaded: 2,680 lb.
  Performance: Maximum speed at ground level: 114 m.p.h.; at 10,000 ft: 102 m.p.h. Climb to 5,000 ft: 6 min 30 sec; to 10,000 ft: 15 min; to 18,000 ft: 40 min. Ceiling: 18,000 ft. Endurance: 4 hours at 10,000 ft.
  Tankage: Petrol: main tank 33 gallons, auxiliary 7 gallons; total 40 gallons.
  Armament: One fixed Vickers machine-gun mounted in the central fairing on top of the fuselage, and synchronised to fire forward through the revolving airscrew; one Lewis machine-gun on Scarff ring-mounting on rear cockpit.
  Production: One Avro 530 was built under Contract No. A.S.425/17/C.

H.King Armament of British Aircraft (Putnam)

530. Quite rightly this two-seater fighter of 1917 has been compared with the Bristol Fighter, but its advanced design has not, perhaps, been sufficiently stressed, especially in respect of armament provisions. Avro made reference to a 'turret-like structure' having a wing secured to it and housing a gun firing through an opening and allowing vertical adjustment. A fixed gun firing through the airscrew boss was also mentioned, and the rear gun was said to be 'raised clear of the top plane#. As it materialised, the 530 had a single synchronised Vickers gun in the pylon, or 'turret# structure, with ejection chutes projecting from the fuselage sides, and the gunner had a Lewis gun on his high-set Scarff ring-mounting.

Jane's All The World Aircraft 1919

Of relatively clean aerodynamic design by contemporary standards, and featuring a ducted spinner, the Avro 530 two-seat fighter was designed in 1916 to compete with the Bristol F.2A, but the first prototype was not flown until July 1917. Powered by a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Bd eight-cylinder liquid-cooled engine, the Avro 530 was of wooden construction with fabric skinning, and mounted an armament of a single fixed and synchronised 0-303-in (7,7-mm) Vickers gun, and a Lewis gun of similar calibre mounted on a Scarff ring in the rear cockpit. Although performance of the Avro 530 proved to be good, it did not improve sufficiently on that of the Bristol F.2A to warrant production orders. Furthermore, priority in the supply of the Hispano-Suiza engine was being given to the S.E.5A. During 1918, one of the two Avro 530 prototypes was flown with a 200 hp Sunbeam Arab engine, revised undercarriage, an extended tail fin, and flapless wings of new section with long-span ailerons, but development was subsequently abandoned.
  
  
Max speed 114 mph (183 km/h) at sea level,
   102 mph (164 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3 048 m).
Time
   to 10,000 ft (3 048 m) 15 min.
Endurance 4 hr.
Empty weight 1,695 lb (769 kg).
Loaded weight 2,680 lb (1 215 kg).
Span 36 ft 0 in (10,97 m).
Length 28 ft 6 in (8,69 m).
Height 9 ft 7 in (2,92 m).
Wing area 325.5 sq ft (30,23 m2).

Журнал Flight

Flight, March 20, 1919.

"MILESTONES"

The Avro Machines

Avro Two-Seater Fighter, Type 530. July, 1917.

   In many ways the 530 was a radical departure from usual Avro practice. Thus the engine, instead of the rotaries fitted in the type 504 machines, was a water-cooled - a 200 h.p. Sunbeam "Arab." Also the shape of the wing tips was totally different from the usual Avro rectangular tips with rounded corners. As regards the fuselage, this was very much deeper, and of different shape altogether from the ordinary Avro bodies. The object kept in view when designing this machine was to provide as good a view as possible for both gunner and pilot. To this end the body was made very deep, and the pilot was so placed that his eyes were on a level with the under side of the top plane. Similarly the gunner was placed very high in relation to the top plane, being in fact able to fire over it. It will be noticed that the attachment of the top plane to the body was unusual. A sort of fin was extended up from the body, covered with ply-wood, to which the centre section was attached. Inside this fin was mounted the pilot's machine gun, synchronised, of course, while the gunner's weapon was mounted on the usual rotatable gun ring. The undercarriage was of a simple Vee type, but forming a letter M, as seen from in front, and the two side Vees were enclosed in fabric. The machine was very light and quick on the controls, and the deep roomy fuselage afforded ample space for ammunition, wireless, cameras, etc. From the table of performances it will be seen that both speed and climb were very good indeed for the power, and this is of particular interest in view of the comparatively large cross sectional area of the fuselage - 14 sq. ft. - which does not appear to have adversely affected the speed of the machine. Originally the Type 530 was designed for a 300 h.p. Hispano-Suiza engine, but as this could not be obtained the experimental machines were fitted with 200 h.p. Sunbeam "Arabs" and 200 h.p. Hispano-Suizas.