1st Flight 1941
The AS.45 was designed in response to Air Ministry Specification T.4/39 for a single engine trainer.
It was a low-wing monoplane of composite construction with a single piston engine and a tail wheel-type, retractable undercarriage.
The first of two prototypes flew on 19 February 1941.
Testing showed deficiencies in both maximum speed and low-speed flight characteristics.
There was no attempt to rectify these shortcomings, partly because there was no shortage of advanced trainers thanks to plentiful supplies of Masters and Harvards and partly because of the importance of Airspeed’s other products, the Horsa and Oxford.
Specifications
Crew: 2
Length: 36 ft 1 in (11 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
Height: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Wing area: 290 sq ft (26.94 m2)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Mercury VIII radial engine 2-blade, 730 hp (544 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 237 mph (381 km/h, 206 kn)
Range: 680 mi (1,094 km, 590 nmi)
Service ceiling: 24,800 ft (7,560 m).
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