Photograph of an AVRO biplane in flight

Postcard showing an Avro Type E or Type 500 biplane in flight.

The Type E was the name given to the prototype aircraft, which first flew on 3 March 1912. The War Office, which had requested the design of a two-seat aircraft capable of carrying a bomb, placed an order for two further aircraft, which became known as the Type 500. The Type 500, along with the single-seater Type 502, were considered to be A. V. Roe & Co.'s first successful aircraft.