Airspeed AS.45 Cambridge

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).