Avro Bison Mk I

The Avro Bison Mk I was a British single‑engine biplane developed by Avro in the early 1920s as a successor to the earlier Avro 504 series. First flown in 1921, the Bison was intended for the Royal Air Force’s General Purpose role, combining reconnaissance, light bombing and training capabilities. Powered by a 450 hp Rolls‑Royce Eagle VIII V‑12, it featured a wooden two‑spar wing structure with fabric covering, a robust steel tube fuselage and a fixed, split‑axle undercarriage. The cockpit accommodated a pilot and an observer, the latter equipped with a flexible Lewis gun and provision for a small photographic camera. Despite its solid construction and reliable handling, the Bison suffered from limited payload and relatively short range, which led to only a small production run of 23 aircraft. Nevertheless, the type provided valuable operational experience that informed Avro’s later designs, most notably the Avro Aldershot and the iconic Avro Anson. The Bison’s brief service highlighted the transition from World I‑era trainers to multi‑role aircraft, marking an important step in the evolution of British military aviation in the interwar period.

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