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#Post#: 9039--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Airspeed Oxford (the "Ox-Box")
By: vonofterdingen Date: January 6, 2020, 3:06 pm
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Now that the Plane of the Week has its own forum topic, I
thought perhaps I should start with an iconic aircraft. But I
quickly decided that was a bad approach. I think the POTW should
be a learning experience. The POTW should provide an “aha”
moment and let us learn something we had not known before. So
this week I chose the Airspeed Oxford. It is a quirky little
plane used in WW2 for a very wide variety of roles. It filled
all of those roles well. I had never heard of this plane before
saw Dimon’s initial version on this site. I read a little about
it, did a campaign for it (available at this site), and have
been in the cockpit quite a bit since. Doing the research,
combined with testing the campaign, got me hooked. Writing this
article has me thinking about doing an Iraq bombing campaign,
but that’s a different article.
From Wikipedia:
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine monoplane aircraft
developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use
for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation,
radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Second
World War.
The Oxford was developed by Airspeed during the 1930s in
response to a requirement for a capable trainer aircraft that
conformed with Specification T.23/36, which had been issued by
the British Air Ministry. Its basic design is derived from the
company's earlier AS.6 Envoy, a commercial passenger aircraft.
Performing its maiden flight on 19 June 1937, it was quickly put
into production as part of a rapid expansion of the Royal Air
Force (RAF) in anticipation of a large-scale conflict.
As a consequence of the outbreak of war, many thousands of
Oxfords would be ordered by Britain and its allies, including
Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Poland, and the United
States. Following the end of the conflict, the Oxford continued
to achieve export sales for some time, equipping the newly
formed air forces of Egypt, India, Israel, and Yugoslavia. It
was considered to be a capable trainer aircraft throughout the
conflict, as well as being used a general-purpose type. A large
number of Oxfords have been preserved on static display.
The Oxford (nicknamed the 'Ox-box') was used to prepare
complete aircrews for RAF Bomber Command and could
simultaneously train pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, gunners
and radio operators on the same flight. In addition to training
duties, Oxfords were used in communications and anti-submarine
roles and as air ambulances in the Middle East.
The Oxford was the preferred trainer for the Empire Air Training
Scheme (EATS) and British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
(BCATP), which sent thousands of potential aircrew to Canada for
training. 27 Oxfords were on the strength of No 4 Flying
Training School RAF Habbaniya, Iraq in early 1941 and some were
converted locally, for use as light bombers to help in the
defence of the School against Iraqi forces.
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In 1941, the aviator Amy Johnson went missing in an Airspeed
Oxford, presumably crashing into the Thames Estuary.
After the war, 152 surplus Oxfords were converted into 6-seat
commercial airliners called the AS.65 Consul. A few Oxfords were
acquired by the Hellenic Air Force and used by the 335th
Squadron during the Greek Civil War.
Although the Oxford was equipped with fixed-pitch wooden or
Fairey-Reed metal propellers, the cockpit contained a propeller
pitch lever, which had to be moved from "Coarse" to "Fine" for
landing. This was to reinforce this important step for trainee
pilots.
Oxfords continued to serve the Royal Air Force as trainers and
light transports until the last was withdrawn from service in
1956. Some were sold for use by overseas air arms, including the
Royal Belgian Air Force. Most Oxfords in the UK were equipped
with a knotted rope from the pilot's seat to the rear door to
assist evacuation should the plane inadvertently be put into a
spin, which it was almost impossible to recover from. When the
pilot(s) released their seat belts centripetal force would hurl
them to the rear of the plane, beyond the exit door, from which
it was impossible to crawl forward to the door. The rope was
installed as a response to a test by four "boffins" who tried to
recover from a spin from 18,000 ft. When no recovery happened no
matter what was tried the four released their harness and were
hurled to the rear of their plane and there remained helpless as
the spiral descent continued. However all was not lost. The
plane was in such a flat spin when it reached the ground that it
skidded sideways over the surface of a field until the tail
section hit a haystack and broke off. The four "boffins" walked
away relatively unharmed, the knotted rope being their only
positive remedy for an Oxford in a spin.
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In game…
I guess we all play this wonderful game in a different
manner. Some (like me) like the fighter role, others like attack
aircraft, and some like bombers. I think though we all look for
some variety once and again. Sometimes l like to just fly from
point A to point B, enjoy the scenery, and practice my takeoff,
navigation, and landing. My new aircraft for these combat-free
excursions is the Airspeed Oxford. The Oxford is a recent
addition to the game, courtesy of Dimon and Beowulf, and it is
available here at this site in the multi-engine download
section. If you are inclined, I recommend that you give it a
try. The Canary Islands are a favorite itinerary of mine, by the
way.
#Post#: 9040--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Airspeed Oxford (the "Ox-Box")
By: JG51_Ruski Date: January 6, 2020, 3:19 pm
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Very good von thanks and "aha"
#Post#: 9044--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Airspeed Oxford (the "Ox-Box")
By: Beowolff Date: January 6, 2020, 4:22 pm
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Wonderful choice for the POTW! Very good article on it too. I
too really enjoy this small, happy plane. Makes me feel good to
fly it and I think it looks very cool.
Great information on her too, BTW. I didn't know most of that.
And yeah, like you, before Dimon came along, I didn't know this
plane either except in passing occasional reading.
S! :D
Beo
#Post#: 9045--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Airspeed Oxford (the "Ox-Box")
By: vonofterdingen Date: January 6, 2020, 4:31 pm
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I really like this plane. To some extent I think it reminds me
of a television show I watched when I was little. It was called
"Sky King." Sky flew a Cessna Songbird and for some reason the
Oxford reminds me of that.
#Post#: 9046--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Airspeed Oxford (the "Ox-Box")
By: JG51_Ruski Date: January 6, 2020, 4:54 pm
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I remember that show also von
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