[1] First exhibited in Manchester in January 1914, the 508 was a wooden fabric-covered pusher biplane of unusual shape, resembling a back-to-front Avro 504.

Its top and bottom three-bay wings were equal in length, made of fabric-covered wood.

It was completed by March 1914, and shown at the Olympia Aero Show in London,[2] however its first flight was at the start of official testing in April 1915 at Brooklands.

[citation needed] The Royal Flying Corps showed no interest in the sole prototype and therefore the aircraft remained a training aircraft and engine tester at Hendon Aerodrome until it was dismantled in April 1916.

[citation needed] Data from Avro Aircraft since 1908[2]General characteristics Performance