The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador was a British twin piston engined airliner that first flew on July 10, 1947 and served in small numbers through the 1950s and 1960s.
The Ambassador had its origin in 1943 as a requirement identified by the Brabazon Committee for a twin-engined, short to medium-haul Douglas DC-3 replacement. Airspeed Ltd. was asked to prepare an unpressurised design in the 14.5 ton gross-weight class, using two Bristol Hercules radial...
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The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador was a British twin piston engined airliner that first flew on July 10, 1947 and served in small numbers through the 1950s and 1960s.
The Ambassador had its origin in 1943 as a requirement identified by the Brabazon Committee for a twin-engined, short to medium-haul Douglas DC-3 replacement. Airspeed Ltd. was asked to prepare an unpressurised design in the 14.5 ton gross-weight class, using two Bristol Hercules radial engines.
By the time the British Ministry of Aircraft Production ordered two prototypes from Airspeed, immediately after the end of the Second World War, the design had grown substantially. The Ambassador would be pressurized, have more powerful Bristol Centaurus radials, and have a maximum gross weight of almost 24 tons.
The revised design offered seating for 47 passengers and, having a nose wheel undercarriage, looked more modern than the DC-3s, Curtiss Commandos, Avro Lancastrians and Vickers Vikings that were common on Europe's shorter...
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