De Havilland DH.51

DH.51

Picture - Airworthy DH.51, G-EBIR, at the Shuttleworth Collection

Role: Touring biplane
Manufacturer: de Havilland
First flight: 1924
Number built: 3

The de Havilland DH.51 is a 1920s British three-seat touring biplane built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware.

Design and development

De Havilland designed the DH.51 as an economical touring biplane, based on the 90hp (67kW) RAF 1A engine which was available from war-surplus stocks. The aircraft first flew in July 1924; it performed well but because it did not have a dual-ignition system it was refused a certificate of airworthiness. As it would have taken at least ten hours of flight testing to certify it with a single-ignition system, de Havilland decided to re-engine the aircraft instead. The aircraft was fitted with an ADC Airdisco inline piston engine, which considerably improved performance but was no longer cheap to operate. As a result only three aircraft were built. The first aircraft was fitted with single-bay wings and was designated the DH.51A. It was exported to Australia and later converted to a floatplane as the DH.51B.

Operational service

The first aircraft was exported to Australia in 1927, as a floatplane it capsized in Sydney Harbour in January 1931. The second aircraft was used in Britain until it was scrapped in 1933. The third aircraft was exported to Kenya in 1929. It returned to Britain in 1965 and is still in use today.

Survivors

The third aircraft built (registered G-EBIR and named Miss Kenya; built in 1925) is on public display (and is flown regularly) at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden, England.

Specifications (DH.51)

General characteristics

Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Wing area: 325 ft² (30.19 m²)
Empty weight: 1,342 lb (609 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2,240 lb (1016 kg)
Powerplant: 1x— ADC Airdisco inline piston engine, 120 hp (89 kw)

Performance

Maximum speed: 108 mph (174 km/h)
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4570 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. ISBN0 370 10107 X.

Living Warbirds: The best warbirds DVD series.

Source: WikiPedia