Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
De Havilland DH.50
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| DH.50 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Transport Biplane |
| Manufacturer | De Havilland Aircraft Company |
| Maiden flight | 1923 |
| Retired | 1942 |
| Primary users | QANTAS Imperial Airways |
| Number built | 38 |
The de Havilland DH.50 was a 1920s British large single-engined biplane transport built by De Havilland Aircraft Company at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware and licence built in Australia, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
Contents |
De Havilland realised that war surplus aircraft would so need replacing the company designed a four-passenger cabin monoplane the 'de Havilland DH.50 using experience gained with the earlier de Havilland DH.9. The first DH.50 G-EBFN flew in August 1923 and was used within a few days by Alan Cobham to win a prize for reliability during trial flights between Copenhagen and Gothenburg. Only 17 aircraft were built by de Havilland the rest were produced under licence. Different aircraft had a wide variety of engine fits.
In 1924 Cobham won the King's Cup air race in G-EBFN averaging 106 mph. Cobham made several long range flights with the prototype until he replaced it with the second aircraft. The second aircraft G-EBFO was re-engined with the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine and was designated the DH.50J. Cobham flew the aircraft on a 16,000 mile (25749 km) flight from Croydon Airport to Cape Town between November 1925 and February 1926. The aircraft was later fitted with twin floats (produced by Short Brothers at Rochester) for a survey flight of Australia in 1926. On the return flight from Australia to England Cobham's engineer (A.B. Elliot) was shot by a stray bullet when overflying the desert between Baghdad and Basra.
The aircraft was popular in Australia and licence production was agreed with 16 aircraft built in Australia. Four DH.50As and three DH.50Js by QANTAS, Western Australian Airlines built three DH.50As and Larkin Aircraft Supply Company who built one DH.50A. Three DH.50A were built by SABCA at Brussels and seven by Aero at Prague. One of the QANTAS built aircraft G-AEUR was the first aircraft used by the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service.
- Australia
- Australian Aerial Services Ltd
- Holdens Air Transport
- QANTAS
- Rockhampton Aerial Services Ltd
- Royal Australian Air Force
- West Australian Airlines Ltd
- Belgium
- Czechosloavakia
- Czechoslavakia Government
- Iraq
- Iraq Petroleum Transport Company Ltd
- New Zealand
- Royal New Zealand Air Force
- United Kingdom
- Air Taxis Ltd
- Brooklands School of Flying Ltd
- Imperial Airways Ltd
- North Sea Aerial and General Transport Company Ltd
- Northern Air Lines Ltd
General characteristics
- Length: 29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)
- Wingspan: 42 ft 9 in (13.03 m)
- Height: 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)
- Wing area: 434 ft² (40.32 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,352 lb (1022 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,900 lb (1769 kg)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 112 mph (180 km/h)
- Range: 380 miles (612 km)
- Service ceiling: 14,600 ft (4450 m)
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
- Jackson, A.J. (1973). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 10107 X.
Related lists
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft