The York was a four-engined transport aircraft used by Transport Command and British Overseas Airways Corporation. During its career with the Royal Air Force it was one of the aircraft used by the Prime Minister Winston
Churchill when travelling during the Second World War. Post-war service saw the Avro York take part in the Berlin Airlift before its retirement in the late 1950s.
Avro chief designer Roy Chadwick, alongside his design team, had been working on a transport aircraft which used the Avro Lancaster's wings,
tail and landing gear, fitted to a new fuselage, with design work completed in February 1942. However, before the first prototype flight four aircraft were ordered. The Bristol Hercules VI engine was to power two, with the
Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine powering the other two. In the end the Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine would be fitted to all four aircraft.
The York prototype made its maiden flight on the 8th July 1942, flying from Ringway Airport. Once production started, from the third aircraft onwards a central third fin was added. The York C1 was powered by four 1,280-hp
Rolls-Royce Merlin 22 or 24 engines which gave the aircraft a top speed of 298 mph, range of 3,000 miles with a service ceiling of 23,000 ft. No armament was installed.
The York C1 entered service during May 1943 with No. 24 Squadron at RAF Northolt receiving the first example. These early Yorks would be used for VIP duties. Perhaps the most famous of these was
the third York which was named Ascalon and used by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. A futher five were used by British Overseas Airways Corporation from April 1944 for
use on a UK - Morocco - Egypt service. These were followed eighteen months later when in August 1945 twenty five were dispatched for operations with Transport Command.
The first squadron to be fully equipped with the York was No. 511 Squadron based at RAF Lyneham in December 1944 and by the time the Berlin Airlift (26th June 1948 - 30th September 1949) began, a further six squadrons were
equipped with the aircraft, with the last Royal Air Force York sortie of the operation flown on the 26th August 1949. In all ten RAF squadrons would use the York.
Despite the Bristol Hercules engine not being used for two of the prototypes as originally planned, a York C2 prototype appeared towards the end of 1943 using the Bristol Hercules VI engine.
The Avro York saw service with a number of civilian firms after it was phased out of service. In total 257 Yorks were built with the 29th April 1948 seeing the last one delivered to RAF Honington.
