The Avro 504 was designed and built from very modest means by Englishman Alliot Verdon Roe to meet the need for a reliable two place trainer where the instructor rode with the student. Up to this time (1913/14) most flight instruction was performed on the ground or in clipped winged aircraft and the student was soon on their own with very little detailed directions from their instructor. The entire Gosport method of training with a pupil and instructor utilizing the Avro 504 became standard in the Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force. The longevity of the 504 as a primary trainer (1914-1927) in England was because it had such excellent flying characteristics. The aviation milestones reached by the 504 were numerous and include: first aircraft to officially reach an altitude of 15,000 ft, first aircraft to be used as a military bomber in war, first aircraft to fly above the Arctic Circle (1923) and more than 10,000 aircraft were built over its entire service life. Few people know that Avro 504’s were still being flown over seas as instructional aircraft at the start of WW II! And that the type was used by more countries as a primary trainer than any other single design up until after WW II.
Here is a list of the countries that used the Avro 504 in all its variants as a trainer, bomber, zeppelin fighter, barnstormer and joy ride giver. Quite an amazing list.
As time allows I will expand on each of these countries and their history of flying Avro 504’s from 1913 to the current time. Below is a link to a detailed accounting of the 504’s rise to aviation historical significance.
Link to a detailed history of military Avro 504‘s.
Link to a detailed history of civilian Avro 504’s.