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History: The Avro Anson was originally designed as a light, four-passenger civil transport and mail aircraft. The first three were built to civil specifications, and first flew in 1935 for Imperial Airways. However, its promise was recognized by the British Air Ministry and, in 1936, the Avro 652A entered service with both the RAF and the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Coastal Commands, where it was the first low-wing monoplane, and the first operational aircraft with retractable (manually) landing gear.

Named after 18th Century Royal Navy Admiral, George Anson, the Avro Anson Mk I was used initially as a coastal patrol reconnaissance aircraft, with a manually-operated, enclosed gun turret mounting a single .303 machine gun, two internally-carried 100-lb bombs, and external racks that could carry eight 20-lb bombs, flares or smoke generators. The Anson was woefully under-gunned for its task, as was embarrassingly demonstrated when one accidentally bombed a Royal Navy submarine (H.M.S. "Snapper") with 100-lb bombs that merely broke four light bulbs on the undersea craft.

Thus, as quickly as possible, the Anson was replaced as a patrol craft by the Lockheed Hudson and reassigned as a training aircraft, a role for which it proved to be ideally suited, and in which it performed for nearly 3 decades. Initially intended to be the standard twin-engine pilot trainer for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the Anson II was also used for training radio operators, navigators, and bombardiers. When Canada began manufacturing the complete aircraft at their own Federal Aircraft LTD site, the turret was dropped from their variant.   
The Anson Mk II was the first variant to be completely built in Canada, differing from the Mk I in its Jacobs engines, hydraulically powered flaps and landing gear, and a molded plywood nose. Fifty of the Canadian-manufactured Mk IIs were supplied to the U. S. Army as the AT-20 crew trainer.

Subsequent Ansons manufactured in Canada under the BCATP were fitted either with Jacobs L-6MB (Mk III) or Wright Whirlwind R-975-E3 (Mk IV) radial engines. Canada also manufactured an Anson (Mk V) that used plywood completely in its fuselage, which proved useful in Canadian magnetic surveying after the war. A single gunnery training sample (Mk VI) was built in 1943. Mark numbers VII, VIII and IX were set aside for future Canadian varieties that never materialized, while Britain resumed manufacturing with the Anson Mk X, which was a Mk I with a stronger cabin floor, intended for freight and passenger use, while Marks XI and XII saw the raising of the cabin roof for passenger comfort (both marks), and the addition of all metal wings (MK XII, series 2), with both marks also being produced in ambulance variations. Marks XIII, XIV, XV and XVI were assigned but never produced, while MK XVII was never allotted.

A civilian variety of the Anson, Avro Nineteen, built on a MK XI airframe, was produced in limited quantities for British internal routes, while its RAF version was designated Anson C.19. A police patrol and survey variant, the Anson C.18 was developed for both the Royal Afghan Air Force and for the Indian government where it was to be used for civilian crew training. A bomber trainer version, Anson T.20, was developed for use in Southern Rhodesia, and a similar T.21 was produced, differing primarily in the removal of a transparent nose and bomb racks, while the final variant, the T.22, was built as a radio trainer.

With an active service life that extended from 1935 to 1952, more than 11,000 Ansons were built and one was still flying for the RAF in 1968.
Despite its obvious limitations as a weapon, the Anson's maneuverability, surprising durability and skilled crews sometimes turned the slow, lightly armed craft into a formidable opponent. During the evacuation of British and French forces from Dunkirk, for instance, one of a group of Ansons pressed into service to protect the beleaguered troops was attacked by 10 Messerschmitts, shooting down two and damaging a third before the "dogfight" ended. Not bad for an obsolete and vastly outclassed weapon.

Nicknames: Faithful Annie; Limping Annie; Aggie; The Flying Greenhouse.

Specifications (Mk I):
        Engine: Two 350-hp Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah IX radial piston engines.
        Weight: Empty 5,375 lbs., Max Takeoff 8,000 lbs.
        Wing Span: 56ft. 5in.
        Length: 42ft. 3in.
        Height: 13ft. 1in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed at 7,000 ft: 188mph
            Ceiling: 19,000 ft.
            Range: 790 miles
        Armament:
            One 7.7-mm (0.303-inch) forward firing machine gun in port side of nose, another one in dorsal turret, plus up to 360 pounds of bombs.

Number Built: ~11,000

Number Still Airworthy: Approximately 5

Links:
Alberta Aviation Museum -- Anson page
Avro Anson Data Page (Australia)
British Columbia Aviation Museum -- Anson Restoration
Canadian Warplane Heritage -- Anson IV page
Duxford (Imperial War Museum) -- Anson info
Fighting the U-Boats (Anson History)
Royal Canadian Air Force -- Anson history

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