Anson oli ensimmäinen kaksi moottorinen kone suomessa, Friedrichshafen FF 41 koneen surullisten ja siitä saatujen huonojen kokemusten jälkeen.
Koneet saatiin käyttöön 1937, ja niiden käyttö-tarkoitus oli helpottaa ilmavoimien ajan mukaiseen lentokalustoon siirtymistä, jossa silloin oli vahvana vaikuttajana yleinen ja maailmalla laajalle levinnyt "douhetismi" joka oli siis pommituskoneita suosiva aate.
Koneilla koulutettiin ohjaajia, tähystäjiä ja radiosähköttäjiä.
Anson koneen ensilento lennettiin maaliskuussa 1935, ja ensimmäinen sarjakone valmistui joulukuussa samana vuonna.
Kone otettiin RAFin palveluskäyttöön maaliskuussa 1936.
Anson oli alun perin meritiedustelukone, jota käytettiin paljon yhteyskoneena ja harjoituspommikoneena. Ansoneita rakennettiin Englannissa 8 138 kappaletta ja Kanadassa 2 882 kappaletta.
Viimeiset RAF:n Ansonit poistettiin käytöstä vuonna 1968.
Anson oli Ilmavoimien ensimmäinen sisäänvedettävällä laskutelineellä varustettu. Viimeinen kolmesta ilmavoimien Ansonista lensi viimeisen lentonsa vuonna 1947, ja se poistettiin kirjanpidosta vuonna 1952.
Suomen ilmailumuseossa on näytteillä yksi Cheetah-tähtimoottori.
Tekniset tiedot Avro 652a Anson T.21
Valmistaja: Avro
Voimalaite: Kaksi350 hv Amstrong Siddley Cheetah IX tähtimoottori
Kärkiväli: 17,22 m
Pituus: 12,88 m
Siipipinta-ala: 38 m²
Lentopaino: 4286 kg
Huippunopeus: 303 km/h
Lakikorkeus: 5 800 m
Lentomatka: 1 250 km
Pommeja: 224 kg
Aseistus: 4 kpl 7,69 mm konekivääriä
The Avro Anson was a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Canadian Air Force and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War. Named after British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed as an airliner as the Avro 652 before being redeveloped for maritime reconnaissance, but was soon rendered obsolete in both roles.
However, it was rescued from obscurity by its suitability as a multi-engined aircrew trainer, becoming the mainstay of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. By the end of production in 1952, the Anson spanned nine variants; a total of 8,138 were built in Britain by Avro. From 1941, a further 2,882 were built by Federal Aircraft Ltd. in Canada
The Anson was derived from the commercial six-seat 652 model; the militarised version, which first flew on 24 March 1935, was built to Air Ministry Specification 18/35. It was the first RAF monoplane with a retractable undercarriage. Avro allotted the type number 652A to the Anson. The first production run resulted in 174 Mk I aircraft for service with Coastal Command. No. 48 Squadron RAF was the first to be equipped in March 1936.
A distinctive feature of the Anson I was its landing gear retraction mechanism which required no fewer than 140 turns of the hand crank by the pilot. To forgo this laborious process, early model aircraft often made short flights with the landing gear extended at the expense of 30 mph (50 km/h) of cruise speed.
A total of 11,020 Ansons were built by the end of production in 1952, making it the second-most-numerous (after the Vickers Wellington), British multi-engined aircraft of the war.
At the start of the Second World War, there were 26 RAF squadrons operating the Anson I: 10 with Coastal Command and 16 with Bomber Command. However, by this time, it was obsolete in the roles of bombing and coastal patrol and was being superseded by the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Lockheed Hudson.
Limited numbers of Ansons continued to serve in operational roles such as coastal patrols and air/sea rescue. Early in the war, an Anson scored a probable hit on a German U-boat. In June 1940, a flight of three Ansons was attacked by nine Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Remarkably, before the dogfight ended, without losing any of their own, one of the Ansons destroyed two German aircraft and damaged a third.
The aircraft's true role, however, was to train pilots for flying multi-engined bombers such as the Avro Lancaster. The Anson was also used to train the other members of a bomber's aircrew, such as navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers and air gunners. Postwar, the Anson continued in the training and light transport roles. The last Ansons were withdrawn from RAF service with communications units on 28 June 1968.
The Royal Australian Air Force operated 1,028 Ansons, mainly Mk Is, until 1955. The Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy operated the aircraft until 1952. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), employed 50 Canadian-built Ansons, designated the AT-20.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force operated 23 Ansons as navigation trainers in the Second World War, (alongside the more numerous Airspeed Oxford), and acquired more Ansons as communication aircraft immediately after the war. A preserved navigation trainer is in the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum at Wigram.
Avro Anson 11 G-ALIH of Ekco Electronics at Blackbushe, Hants, in September 1955
The Egyptian Air Force operated Ansons in communications and VIP duties. A specially outfitted Anson was given to the then King by the Royal Air Force. The Royal Afghan Air Force obtained 13 Anson 18 aircraft for various duties from 1948. These aircraft survived until 1972.
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