The Beverley was a developed version of the General Aircraft Limited GAL.60 Universal Transport, which had been designed in 1946 & flown in 1950. General Aircraft Limited merged with Blackburn, who continued with the design. The original Hercules engines were replaced by more powerful Centaurus radials, & the aircraft was renamed the Blackburn Beverley. The Beverley made its first flight in 1953, with fixed tricycle landing gear & a large tail with endplate vertical surfaces. The massive boom of the Beverley could accommodate 94 passengers, & access to the spacious hold was provided by two clamshell doors, which could be removed if necessary. The Beverley had STOL the take-off & landing run of a STOL aircraft, & yet was not designed as one. Production of the Beverley amounted to 47 aircraft, which served with five squadrons (three in the UK, one in the Middle East & one in the Far East). The Beverley was retired in 1968.
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