The Avro 641 Commodore was a British single-engine five-seat cabin
biplane built by
Avro in the mid-1930s for private use. A total of only six were built, including the prototype.
Design and development
After building the three seat
Avro 639 Cabin Cadet, Avro then designed a larger, five seat cabin biplane, the Avro 641 Commodore. The Commodore had a similar steel tube structure to the
Tutor, with heavily staggered single bay wings and a spatted undercarriage. The first Commodore was delivered to its owner on 24 May 1934.[1]
Operational history
Only six Commodores were built, with one being sold to the
Maharajah of Vizianagram. This was found to be unsuitable for Indian conditions and was returned to Britain and scrapped.[2] Two were sold to private owners in
Egypt and were later taken over by the
Egyptian Army Air Force.[1]
The two Commodores that remained in service in England on the outbreak of
World War II were impressed into service with the
Royal Air Force and the
Air Transport Auxiliary. One crashed fatally in 1941, with the last being struck off charge in 1942.[1]