The Bison served with 421 and 423 Fleet Spotter Flights, could carry four crew, and offered a remarkably roomy observer cabin with large windows. Its Napier Lion installation accompanied modest performance, including a top speed of only about 108 mph and the climb figure quoted in the video. Like the Blackburn, it carried fixed and flexible machine guns but existed primarily to observe, communicate, and spot for the fleet. Despite the comparable role and greater cabin space, it retired in 1929, leaving the visually harsher Blackburn as the slightly more successful aircraft.
Chapter · 58:34-1:01:31
The Avro Bison offered a less successful alternative
The Avro Bison filled the same fleet-spotter niche with a roomier cabin and another Lion-engine installation, but left service earlier than the Blackburn.