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Avro 504N J8709

Type : Avro 504N Last Flew : 6th June 1930

Known information
06th June 1930	Avro 504N J8709, RAF College, Cranwell Collision with J9693 on approach, Cranwell Flt Lt Henry Leonard Drake (29) killed Flt Cadet Francis de la Poer Beresford-Peirse injured Flt Cadet G W Montague injured in J9693

Pilots and Aircrew who flew : Avro 504N J8709
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Drake, Henry Leonard, Click the name above to see a profile of Drake, Henry Leonard,    Died : 6 / 6 / 1930	Drake, Henry Leonard, Avro 504N J8709, RAF College, Cranwell Collision with J9693 on approach, Cranwell Flt Lt Henry Leonard Drake (29) killed Flt Cadet Francis de la Poer Beresford-Peirse injured Pilot of other machine (Flight Cadet George Wrounghton Montagu, uninjured. Aeroplane, 11 June 1930 reported:

Aircraft type : Avro 504N
A profile page including a list of all art prints for the Avro 504N is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Avro 504N Click the name above to see prints featuring Avro 504N aircraft. Manufacturer : Avro Production Began : 1913 Retired : 1933 Number Built : 8970	Avro 504N Small numbers of early aircraft were purchased both by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) prior to the start of World War I, and were taken to France when the war started. One of the RFC aircraft was the first British aircraft to be shot down by the Germans, on 22 August 1914. The pilot was 2nd Lt. Vincent Waterfall and his navigator Lt Charles George Gordon Bayly (both of 5 Sqn RFC) The RNAS used four 504s to form a special flight in order to bomb the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constance. Three set out from Belfort in north-eastern France on 21 November 1914, carrying four 20 lb (9 kg) bombs each. While one aircraft was shot down, the raid was successful, with several direct hits on the airship sheds and the destruction of the hydrogen generating plant. n the winter of 1917–18 it was decided to use converted 504Js and 504Ks to equip Home Defence squadrons of the RFC, replacing ageing B.E.2cs, which had poor altitude performance. These aircraft were modified as single-seaters, armed with a Lewis gun above the wing on a Foster mounting, and powered by 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome or 110 hp (80 kW) Le Rhône engines. 274 converted Avro 504Js and Ks were issued to eight home defence squadrons in 1918, with 226 still being used as fighters at the end of World War I. Following the end of the war, while the type continued in service as the standard trainer of the RAF, large numbers of surplus aircraft were available for sale, both for civil and military use. More than 300 504Ks were placed on the civil register in Britain. Used for training, pleasure flying, banner towing and even barnstorming exhibitions (as was ongoing in North America following World War I with the similar-role, surplus Curtiss JN-4s and Standard J-1s); civil 504s continued flying in large numbers until well into the 1930s. Soon obsolete as a frontline aircraft, it came into its own as a trainer, with thousands being built during the war, with the major production types being the 504J and the mass production 504K, designed with modified engine bearers to accommodate a range of engines in order to cope with engine shortages. 8,340 Avro 504s had been produced by the end of 1918. The improved, redesigned and radial-engined 504N with a new undercarriage was produced by Avro in 1925. After evaluation of two prototypes, one powered by the Bristol Lucifer and the other by the Armstrong-Siddeley Lynx, the Lynx-powered aircraft was selected by the RAF to replace the 504K. 592 were built between 1925 and 1932, equipping the RAF's five flying training schools, while also being used as communication aircraft. The 504N was also exported to the armed forces of Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Greece, Thailand and South Africa, with licensed production taking place in Denmark, Belgium, Canada and Japan. The RAF's 504Ns were finally replaced in 1933 by the Avro Tutor, with small numbers continuing in civilian use until 1940, when seven were impressed into RAF service, where they were used for target- and glider-towing.

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