Avro 523 Pike and 529

Long distance photo-reconnaissance fighter or short range day or night bomber, to meet RAF Specification Types IV, VI and VII. A large three-bay equal span biplane of wooden construction with fabric skinning, it featured a crew of three, comprising pilot, and nose and midships gunners, with the pilot just ahead of the mainplanes. Gunners' cockpits were located fore and aft; the nose was designed to take a large-calibre quick-firing gun, apparently of Hotchkiss type, the rear gunner hadving a ring mounted Lewis gun,. The divided undercarriage was sprung with Avro shock absorbers, and a large balanced rudder hinged to a fixed fin of low aspect ratio. Ailerons were fitted to upper and lower wings. The bomb load was to be carried internally in the fuselage with horizontal tier stowage.Two handed 160 h.p. Sunbeam Nubian powerplants were located at mid-gap with frontal car-type radiators and driving pusher propellers through extension shafts so as to clear the wing trailing edges.

As Type 523 with two 150 h.p. Green powerplants, initially with pusher propellers but later converted to tractor configuration, cooled by rear mounted radiators. The forward gunners armament was replaced by a Lewis gun on a ring-mounting. Flown with both single and triple fin arrangements.

Type 523 Pike Specification
Span	Length	Height	Wing Area	Empty Wt	Max AUW	Cruise Speed	Maximum Speed	Endurance	Service Ceiling
60 ft	39 ft 1 in	11 ft 8 in	815 sq ft	4000 lb	6064 lb		97 mph/ 84 kn	7 hr
18.29 m	11.91 m	3.56 m	75.72 m2	1814 kg	2751 kg		156 km/h

Three seat long range bomber for the RNAS. As the Type 523 Pike, with folding wings of increased chord, a more rounded rudder and smaller fin. Two uncowled, handed 190 h.p. Rolls-Royce Falcon powerplants were located at mid-gap.

As Type 529 with two 230 h.p. Galloway-built B.H.P. powerplants fully cowled and housed in nacelles on the lower mainplane. Each nacelle carried its own 60 gallon supply with small wind-driven pumps to raise the fuel to a 10 gallon gravity tank above the engine, whereas in the Type 529 fuel was carried in a 140 gallon tank in the centre fuselage.

Type 529 Specification
Span	Length	Height	Wing Area	Empty Wt	Max AUW	Cruise Speed	Maximum Speed	Endurance	Service Ceiling
63 ft	39 ft 8 in	13 ft	923 sq ft	4736 lb	6309 lb		95 mph/ 83 kn	5 hr	13500 ft
19.2 m	12.09 m	3.96 m	85.75 m2	2148 kg	2862 kg		153 km/h		4115 m