Hawker Duiker

Manufacturer: H.G. Hawker Engineering Co. Ltd
First flight: July 1923
Number built: 1

The Hawker Duiker was an unusual, but unsuccessful aircraft. It was the first design at Hawker under a new chief designer, Captain Thomson, in 1922. Much of the equipment and parts were proprietary and made by another aircraft company, Vickers, which also shared the airfield at Brooklands. The Duiker was a parasol wing monoplane in a period where the biplane held sway.

Design and development

The Duiker was designed to meet a requirement for a Corps Reconnaissance aircraft to carry out operations in support of the Army, which eventually was drawn up into Air Ministry Specification 7/22.

The Duiker had an all-wood structure. The wing had a slight sweep-back, which gave rise to instability at all speeds, and even caused the separation of the wing from the rear struts. The fin was rather small and was typical of Sopwith design in shape. An Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine was initially used, but this was later changed for a Bristol Jupiter IV. The first flight took place in July 1923. Only one aircraft was built.

Specifications

Data from Hawker Aircraft since 1920

General characteristics

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 31 ft 5 in (9.58 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 5 in (14.76 m)
Height: 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m)
Wing area: 390 ft² (36.2 m²)
Empty weight: 3,950 lb (1,792 kg)
Loaded weight: 4,700 lb (2,132 kg)
Powerplant: 1x— Bristol Jupiter IV 9-cylinder radial engine, 389 hp (290 kW)
Designed Maximum Weight: 4,940 lb (2,241 kg)

Performance

Maximum speed: 125 mph (108 kn, 201 km/h)
Cruise speed: 99 mph (86 knots, 159 km/h)
Range: 340 mi (295 nmi, 547 km)
Service ceiling: 14,500 ft (4,420 m)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3050 m): 20 min 25 sec
Endurance: 3¾ hours

Comparable aircraft

Short Springbok
Armstrong Whitworth Wolf

Mason, Francis K, Hawker Aircraft since 1920. London:Putnam, Third edition 1991. ISBN 0 85177 839 9.

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Source: WikiPedia