Armstrong Whitworth Argosy
The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British three-engined biplane airliner of the 1920s, and Armstrong Whitworth's first airliner design. Seven were built for Imperial Airways, which flew them on its European routes from 1926, each aircraft named after a city. In 1927 an Argosy launched the 'Silver Wing', the first named air service, between London and Paris, and from 1929 the type helped work the Empire air mail routes towards India and South Africa. Imperial Airways retired the Argosy in 1935, and the last example flew until December 1936.
Why It Mattered
The Argosy was the aircraft Imperial Airways turned to when it decided that every new airliner in its fleet would be multi-engined, a policy the airline adopted on safety grounds. It was Armstrong Whitworth's first airliner design: a large three-engined biplane seating twenty passengers. On 1 May 1927 an Argosy opened the 'Silver Wing' lunchtime service between London and Paris, which the Historic Croydon Airport Trust identifies as introducing the concept of a named air service, and as the starting point of the business-class airline product. Only seven Argosies were built, but the type worked Imperial's European services for nine years and helped open the Empire air mail routes to India and South Africa.
Design Notes
Three Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engines powered the Argosy: one in the nose and two in nacelles mounted between the wings. The design owed a great deal to the company's Siskin fighter, with a steel-tube fuselage, and most exterior surfaces were covered by fabric. Its long, square-section fuselage ended in a biplane tail carrying three fins and rudders. The two pilots sat side by side in an open cockpit in the nose, ahead of an enclosed cabin for twenty passengers. That cabin had a wooden floor, windows that opened and a toilet, with baggage carried in a hold at the rear. The Mk II, introduced to service in 1929, brought more powerful Jaguar IVA engines, increased fuel capacity and automatic wingtip slots, and the Mk Is were later re-engined with the same powerplant.
Operational History
The first Argosy, G-EBLF, made its maiden flight on 16 March 1926. The type entered service on 16 July 1926, on the London to Paris route. Imperial's Argosies settled onto European services linking London with Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Basle, each aircraft carrying the name of a city. From 1 May 1927 the adapted Argosy flying the 'Silver Wing' service had two seats given over to a bar, and a steward served a four-course lunch during the two-and-a-half-hour flight to Paris. In April 1931 the Prince of Wales and his brother Prince George flew home from Paris in the City of Glasgow, which landed specially in Windsor Great Park. From 1929 Argosies also worked stages of the first Empire air mail route, from London to Karachi. On 28 February 1931 two re-engined Argosies opened the mail route onward to Cape Town, a service on which the type proved troublesome, with low reliability. Three Argosies were lost in Imperial service: two in 1931, one written off in a forced landing near Aswan and one in a training accident, neither with injuries. The third, City of Liverpool, caught fire over Belgium on 28 March 1933 and crashed, killing all three crew and twelve passengers.
Afterlife
Imperial Airways retired its remaining Argosies during 1935, in favour of a new generation of larger airliners with four engines. The last two aircraft were withdrawn from service at the end of 1935. One of them, City of Manchester (G-AACJ), passed to British Airways Ltd and spent its final summer, 1936, flying hundreds of joy-riders around Blackpool Tower from Stanley Park. The other survivor, City of Coventry (G-AAEJ), was broken up at Croydon. By the end of 1936 every operator had withdrawn the type.