Avro Anson, part Thirteen, British users part two

The Avro Anson was a twin-engine cantilever low-wing monoplane. It was developed as a general reconnaissance aircraft for which it had many features that made it suitable for that role, just like considerable load-carrying ability and long range. Its structure was relatively simple as it relied on proven methods to make a robust airframe that minimised maintenance requirements. Much of the internal structure was like the one of the Avro 652 airliner from which it was developed. The Anson Mk.I was furnished with a low-mounted one-piece wooden wing which was made of a mixture of plywood and spruce throughout the wingbox and ribs. The fuselage was composed of a welded steel tubing framework which was mainly clad in fabric while the exterior of the nose was clad in magnesium alloy.
The Anson was powered by a pair of Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX radial engines which were rated each of them at 350 hp. Each engine had its own duplicated fuel pumps and separate fuel oil tanks which were composed of welded aluminium and were mounted in cradles placed within the wing. The cowlings were designed to have reduced diameter to reduce their negative impact on the external visibility, as it was considered valuable to the type's functions, specially when performing reconnaissance missions. Each of those engines drove a two-bladed Fairey-built metal propellers.
The Anson was equipped with a retractable undercarriage, which, upon the time of its production, wasn't a common feature and it holds the title of being the first Royal Air Force's (RAF) aircraft to enter service with such feature. The main undercarriage retracted into nacelles placed under the engines cowling, but, however, the tailwheel was fixed into position.The main undercarriage was retracted by a hand-operated crank which was placed besides the pilot's seat and it took 144 turns to fully retract it. To avoid this laborious task, early aircraft often performed their short flights with the landing gear extended, which reduced aircraft's cruising speed in about 30 mph (50 km/h).
The initial crew was composed of three, a pilot, a navigator/bomb-aimer and a radio operator/gunner when it was acting in the sea reconnaissance role. From 1938 onwards it was typically manned by a crew of four, which often could be omitted to make room for a passenger.
The defensive armament consisted on a single 0.303 in Vickers machine gun which was fixed within the forward fuselage and was aimed by the pilot. It had another gun turret equipped with a single Lewis K machine gun manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth. Additionally it could carry up to 360 pounds (160 kg) of bombs plus up to 160 pounds (73 kg) smaller bombs externally in the wings. Those Ansons assigned to the training role were equipped with dual controls and, usually, had their turret removed, although some of them, designed specifically for gunnery training were refitted with a Bristol-built turret used on the Bristol Blenheim. The tail fairing on the starboard nacelle contained an inflatable dinghy which was provided with automatic actuators and marine distress beacons.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson
2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson
3. https://www.valka.cz/Avro-Anson-t54872 (translated)