It was planned for private and club use and, unlike the Cadet, was fitted with folding wings.

The Club Cadet was fitted with unstaggered wings, that could be folded to help save hangar space; the staggered biplane wings of the earlier Cadet were unsuitable to be adapted for folding.

The prototype flew in May 1933, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major radial piston engine, another 16 were built, and production finished in 1935.

A second three-seat version, the Avro 640 Cadet, was produced for joy-riding work, with a widened fuselage accommodating an open cockpit for two passengers side by side in front of the pilot.

These were later re-engined with 130 hp (100 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major engines; the air-cooled in-line inverted engines reduced drag, and gave improved fuel consumption.