Early post-war pleasure flying was booming and a batch of Avro 504Ks were modified at the company’s Hamble factory. The fuselage was widened 9 in / 22.8 cm to accommodate four passengers in two pairs in the rear cockpit. The first conversion flew at Hamble in April 1919 and was later fitted with floats, the only such floatplane.
In all, 25 Avro 536s were built. 10 at Hamble, 12 at Manchester, and three at Croydon, where Surrey Flying Services undertook assembly.
A considerable amount of joy-riding was undertaken with these open-cockpit aircraft, and one was completed as a two-seater with a long range fuel tank. The last 536s were withdrawn from use at the end of 1930, these being the Surrey Flying Services machines, which had been fitted with 130 hp / 99 kW Clerget engines when Bentley rotaries became unavailable.
The Last Hamble-built Avro 536 was finished as the Avro 546 four-seat cabin biplane. The pilot was seated outside, I a cockpit above the three-seat cabin. Registered in December 1919, the 546 flew very little and its registration was cancelled 12 months later.
Avro 536
Engine: 1 x 130hp Clerget or 150hp Bentley B.R.1
Wingspan: 11.20 m / 37 ft 9 in
Length: 8.97 m / 29 ft 5 in
Height: 3.18 m / 10 ft 5 in
Wing area: 31.12 sq.m / 334.97 sq ft
Take-off weight: 1011 kg / 2229 lb
Empty weight: 650 kg / 1433 lb
Max. speed: 145 km/h / 90 mph
Cruise speed: 113 km/h / 70 mph
Ceiling: 3658 m / 12000 ft
Range: 306 km / 190 miles
Seats: 5
All Aero 