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de Havilland Albatross

January 01, 1970

The de Havilland DH.91 Albatross was a four-engined British transport aircraft of the 1930s manufactured by de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited. Seven aircraft were built between 1938 and 1939.

DH.91 Albatross
The prototype DH.91 Albatross, G-AEVV, over Hatfield, September 1938 (photo from Flight International)
Role Mail plane and transport aircraft
Manufacturer de Havilland
Designer A. E. Hagg
First flight 20 May 1937
Introduction October 1938
Retired 1943
Primary users Imperial Airways/British Overseas Airways Corporation
Royal Air Force
Number built 7 (including two prototypes)

Development edit

The DH.91 was designed in 1936 by A. E. Hagg to Air Ministry specification 36/35 for a transatlantic mail plane.

The aircraft was notable for the ply-balsa-ply sandwich construction of its fuselage, later used in the de Havilland Mosquito bomber. Another unique feature was a cooling system for the air-cooled engines that allowed nearly ideal streamlining of the engine mounting.[1] The first Albatross flew on 20 May 1937. The second prototype broke in two during overload tests, but was repaired with minor reinforcement. The first and second prototypes were operated by Imperial Airways.

Although designed as a mail plane, a version to carry 22 passengers was developed, with the main differences being extra windows and the replacement of split flaps with slotted flaps. Five examples formed the production order delivered in 1938/1939. When war was declared, all seven aircraft were operating from Bristol/Whitchurch to Lisbon and Shannon.[2]

Operational history edit

 
BOAC de Havilland Albatross at Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, circa 1941

As normal for the Imperial Airways fleet of the time, all were given names starting with the same letter, and the first aircraft's name was also used as a generic description for the type overall, as "Frobisher class". This tradition, which came from a maritime and railway background of classes of ships and locomotives, lasted well into postwar days with BOAC and BEA.

The first delivery to Imperial Airways was the 22-passenger DH.91 Frobisher in October 1938. The five passenger-carrying aircraft were operated on routes from Croydon to Paris, Brussels, and Zurich. After test flying was completed, the two prototypes were delivered to Imperial Airways as long-range mail carriers. The only significant season of their operation was the summer of 1939, when they were the main type on the two-hour-long London Croydon-to-Paris Le Bourget passenger route.

With the onset of World War II, the Royal Air Force considered their range and speed useful for courier flights between Great Britain and Iceland, and the two mail planes were pressed into service with 271 Squadron in September 1940, operating between Prestwick and Reykjavík, but both were destroyed in landing accidents in Reykjavík within 9 months: Faraday in 1941 and Franklin in 1942.[3]

The five passenger-carrying aircraft were used by Imperial Airways, (BOAC from September 1940) on Bristol–Lisbon and Bristol–Shannon routes from Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport.[3]

Frobisher was destroyed during a German air raid on Whitchurch in 1940,[a], Fingal was destroyed in a crash landing, following a fuel-pipe failure in 1940 at Pucklechurch and Fortuna crashed near Shannon Airport in 1943. The latter accident was found to be due to deterioration of the aircraft's plywood wing structures. In view of the two surviving aircraft's vulnerability to similar problems, and for lack of spares parts, Falcon and Fiona were scrapped in September 1943.[5]

Aircraft edit

Faraday

Mail-carrier variant was delivered to Imperial Airways in August 1939 as Faraday and registered G-AEVV. It was transferred to BOAC when it was formed in 1940 but was impressed into Royal Air Force service with serial number AX903 for operation by No. 271 Squadron RAF. It was destroyed in a landing accident at Reykjavík on 11 August 1941.[6][7]

Franklin

Mail-carrier variant was delivered to BOAC as Franklin and registered G-AEVW. Impressed into Royal Air Force Service with the serial number AX904 for operation by 271 Squadron. It was destroyed when the landing gear collapsed on landing at Reykjavík on 7 April 1942.[6][8]

Frobisher

Passenger variant was registered G-AFDI and delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Frobisher in 1938. It was destroyed on the ground during a German air attack on Whitchurch Airport on 20 December 1940.[6][9]

Falcon

Passenger variant was registered G-AFDJ and delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Falcon in 1938. It was scrapped in September 1943.[6][10]

Fortuna

Passenger variant was registered G-AFDK and delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Fortuna in 1939. Destroyed in a crash landing near Shannon Airport, Ireland on 16 July 1943.[6][11]

Fingal

Passenger variant was registered G-AFDL and delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Fingal in 1939. Destroyed in a crash landing near Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire, England on 6 October 1940.[6][12]

Fiona

Passenger variant was registered G-AFDM and delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Fiona in 1939. It was scrapped in September 1943.[6][13]

A 1/10 scale model of the Albatross owned by British Airways was found in a crate at Croydon in the 1990s and is on display in the heritage museum at Speedbird House.

Operators edit

  United Kingdom

Specifications (DH.91) edit

Data from ,[14] British Civil Aircraft since 1919[15]

General characteristics

  • Crew: Four (pilot, copilot, radio operator and steward)
  • Capacity: 22-30 passengers
  • Length: 71 ft 7 in (21.83 m)
  • Wingspan: 105 ft 0 in (32.01 m)
  • Height: 22 ft 3 in (6.78 m)
  • Wing area: 1,077.9 sq ft (100.14 m2)
  • Airfoil: RAF-34 mod[16]
  • Empty weight: 21,300 lb (9,662 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 29,500 lb (13,381 kg)
  • Fuel capacity:
  • airliner 440 imp gal (528 US gal; 2,000 L) in two under-belly tanks;
  • mailplane 1,320 imp gal (1,585 US gal; 6,001 L) in four main cabin fuel tanks
  • Powerplant: 4 × de Havilland Gipsy Twelve V-12 air-cooled inverted geared and supercharged piston engines, 415 hp (309 kW) each at 2450 rpm at 8,000 ft (2,400 m) or 510 hp (380 kW) at 2,600 rpm for take-off
  • Propellers: 2-bladed de Havilland constant-speed propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 mph (362 km/h, 196 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 210 mph (340 km/h, 180 kn) with 77% power at 11,000 ft (3,400 m)
193.5 mph (311.4 km/h) with 65% power at 11,000 ft (3,400 m)
200 mph (320 km/h) with 65% power at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
  • Range: 1,070 mi (1,720 km, 930 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 18,700 ft (5,700 m)
  • Absolute ceiling: 20,500 ft (6,200 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,018 ft/min (5.17 m/s)
  • Time to altitude:
  • 5,000 ft (1,500 m) in 7 minutes
  • 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in 14 minutes
  • 15,000 ft (4,600 m) in 26 minutes
  • Wing loading: 27.4 lb/sq ft (134 kg/m2)
  • Power/mass: 0.0719 hp/lb (0.1182 kW/kg)

See also edit

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Havilland DH.91 Albatross.

Notes edit

  1. ^ Moss states that Frobisher was actually destroyed by an arson attack by a disgruntled ex-BOAC employee on 20 October 1940.[4]

Citations edit

  1. ^ Bonnier Corporation (September 1938). "Cooling System for Plane Engines Uses Air Piped from Wings". Popular Science. Bonnier Corporation. p. 46. from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  2. ^ Mondey, Dvaid (1982). Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. p. 75. ISBN 1851526684.
  3. ^ a b Moss Air Pictorial, September 1964, p. 292.
  4. ^ Moss Air Pictorial September 1964, p. 293.
  5. ^ Moss Air Pictorial, September 1964, p. 294.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Jackson 1973, pp 472
  7. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AEVV 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AEVW 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AFDI 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AFDJ 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AFDK 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AFDL 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G-AFDM 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Grey, C.G.; Bridgman, Leonard, eds. (1938). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. pp. 32c–34c.
  15. ^ Jackson 1973, p.153.
  16. ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

Bibliography edit

  • Jackson, A. J. (1987). De Havilland aircraft since 1909. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870218964.
  • Jackson, A. J. (1973). British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 2 (2nd ed.). Putnam. ISBN 0370100107.
  • Kopenhagen, Wolfgang, ed. (1987). Das große Flugzeug-Typenbuch. Transpress. ISBN 3344001620.
  • Moss, Peter W. (September 1964). "The de Havilland D.H.91 Albatross". Air Pictorial. Vol. 26, no. 9. pp. 292–294.
  • Wixey, Ken (Spring 1994). "Albatross–Long-legged Beauty". Air Enthusiast. No. 53. pp. 1–9. ISSN 0143-5450.

January 01, 1970
havilland, albatross, havilland, albatross, four, engined, british, transport, aircraft, 1930s, manufactured, havilland, aircraft, company, limited, seven, aircraft, were, built, between, 1938, 1939, albatross, prototype, albatross, aevv, over, hatfield, septe. The de Havilland DH 91 Albatross was a four engined British transport aircraft of the 1930s manufactured by de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited Seven aircraft were built between 1938 and 1939 DH 91 Albatross The prototype DH 91 Albatross G AEVV over Hatfield September 1938 photo from Flight International Role Mail plane and transport aircraft Manufacturer de Havilland Designer A E Hagg First flight 20 May 1937 Introduction October 1938 Retired 1943 Primary users Imperial Airways British Overseas Airways CorporationRoyal Air Force Number built 7 including two prototypes Contents 1 Development 2 Operational history 3 Aircraft 4 Operators 5 Specifications DH 91 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 Citations 7 3 BibliographyDevelopment editThe DH 91 was designed in 1936 by A E Hagg to Air Ministry specification 36 35 for a transatlantic mail plane The aircraft was notable for the ply balsa ply sandwich construction of its fuselage later used in the de Havilland Mosquito bomber Another unique feature was a cooling system for the air cooled engines that allowed nearly ideal streamlining of the engine mounting 1 The first Albatross flew on 20 May 1937 The second prototype broke in two during overload tests but was repaired with minor reinforcement The first and second prototypes were operated by Imperial Airways Although designed as a mail plane a version to carry 22 passengers was developed with the main differences being extra windows and the replacement of split flaps with slotted flaps Five examples formed the production order delivered in 1938 1939 When war was declared all seven aircraft were operating from Bristol Whitchurch to Lisbon and Shannon 2 Operational history edit nbsp BOAC de Havilland Albatross at Bristol Whitchurch Airport circa 1941 As normal for the Imperial Airways fleet of the time all were given names starting with the same letter and the first aircraft s name was also used as a generic description for the type overall as Frobisher class This tradition which came from a maritime and railway background of classes of ships and locomotives lasted well into postwar days with BOAC and BEA The first delivery to Imperial Airways was the 22 passenger DH 91 Frobisher in October 1938 The five passenger carrying aircraft were operated on routes from Croydon to Paris Brussels and Zurich After test flying was completed the two prototypes were delivered to Imperial Airways as long range mail carriers The only significant season of their operation was the summer of 1939 when they were the main type on the two hour long London Croydon to Paris Le Bourget passenger route With the onset of World War II the Royal Air Force considered their range and speed useful for courier flights between Great Britain and Iceland and the two mail planes were pressed into service with 271 Squadron in September 1940 operating between Prestwick and Reykjavik but both were destroyed in landing accidents in Reykjavik within 9 months Faraday in 1941 and Franklin in 1942 3 The five passenger carrying aircraft were used by Imperial Airways BOAC from September 1940 on Bristol Lisbon and Bristol Shannon routes from Bristol Whitchurch Airport 3 Frobisher was destroyed during a German air raid on Whitchurch in 1940 a Fingal was destroyed in a crash landing following a fuel pipe failure in 1940 at Pucklechurch and Fortuna crashed near Shannon Airport in 1943 The latter accident was found to be due to deterioration of the aircraft s plywood wing structures In view of the two surviving aircraft s vulnerability to similar problems and for lack of spares parts Falcon and Fiona were scrapped in September 1943 5 Aircraft editFaraday Mail carrier variant was delivered to Imperial Airways in August 1939 as Faraday and registered G AEVV It was transferred to BOAC when it was formed in 1940 but was impressed into Royal Air Force service with serial number AX903 for operation by No 271 Squadron RAF It was destroyed in a landing accident at Reykjavik on 11 August 1941 6 7 Franklin Mail carrier variant was delivered to BOAC as Franklin and registered G AEVW Impressed into Royal Air Force Service with the serial number AX904 for operation by 271 Squadron It was destroyed when the landing gear collapsed on landing at Reykjavik on 7 April 1942 6 8 Frobisher Passenger variant was registered G AFDI and delivered to Imperial Airways later BOAC as Frobisher in 1938 It was destroyed on the ground during a German air attack on Whitchurch Airport on 20 December 1940 6 9 Falcon Passenger variant was registered G AFDJ and delivered to Imperial Airways later BOAC as Falcon in 1938 It was scrapped in September 1943 6 10 Fortuna Passenger variant was registered G AFDK and delivered to Imperial Airways later BOAC as Fortuna in 1939 Destroyed in a crash landing near Shannon Airport Ireland on 16 July 1943 6 11 Fingal Passenger variant was registered G AFDL and delivered to Imperial Airways later BOAC as Fingal in 1939 Destroyed in a crash landing near Pucklechurch Gloucestershire England on 6 October 1940 6 12 Fiona Passenger variant was registered G AFDM and delivered to Imperial Airways later BOAC as Fiona in 1939 It was scrapped in September 1943 6 13 A 1 10 scale model of the Albatross owned by British Airways was found in a crate at Croydon in the 1990s and is on display in the heritage museum at Speedbird House Operators edit nbsp United Kingdom Imperial Airways which was reorganised as British Overseas Airways Corporation received all seven aircraft Royal Air Force No 271 Squadron RAF operated two aircraft taken over from BOAC Specifications DH 91 editData from 14 British Civil Aircraft since 1919 15 General characteristicsCrew Four pilot copilot radio operator and steward Capacity 22 30 passengers Length 71 ft 7 in 21 83 m Wingspan 105 ft 0 in 32 01 m Height 22 ft 3 in 6 78 m Wing area 1 077 9 sq ft 100 14 m2 Airfoil RAF 34 mod 16 Empty weight 21 300 lb 9 662 kg Max takeoff weight 29 500 lb 13 381 kg Fuel capacity airliner 440 imp gal 528 US gal 2 000 L in two under belly tanks mailplane 1 320 imp gal 1 585 US gal 6 001 L in four main cabin fuel tanks Powerplant 4 de Havilland Gipsy Twelve V 12 air cooled inverted geared and supercharged piston engines 415 hp 309 kW each at 2450 rpm at 8 000 ft 2 400 m or 510 hp 380 kW at 2 600 rpm for take off Propellers 2 bladed de Havilland constant speed propellers Performance Maximum speed 225 mph 362 km h 196 kn Cruise speed 210 mph 340 km h 180 kn with 77 power at 11 000 ft 3 400 m 193 5 mph 311 4 km h with 65 power at 11 000 ft 3 400 m 200 mph 320 km h with 65 power at 15 000 ft 4 600 m dd Range 1 070 mi 1 720 km 930 nmi Service ceiling 18 700 ft 5 700 m Absolute ceiling 20 500 ft 6 200 m Rate of climb 1 018 ft min 5 17 m s Time to altitude 5 000 ft 1 500 m in 7 minutes 10 000 ft 3 000 m in 14 minutes 15 000 ft 4 600 m in 26 minutes Wing loading 27 4 lb sq ft 134 kg m2 Power mass 0 0719 hp lb 0 1182 kW kg See also editAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Bloch MB 160 Boeing 307 Stratoliner Fairey FC1 Focke Wulf Fw 200 Condor Junkers Ju 90 Potez 661 amp 662 Related lists List of aircraft of World War IIReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Havilland DH 91 Albatross Notes edit Moss states that Frobisher was actually destroyed by an arson attack by a disgruntled ex BOAC employee on 20 October 1940 4 Citations edit Bonnier Corporation September 1938 Cooling System for Plane Engines Uses Air Piped from Wings Popular Science Bonnier Corporation p 46 Archived from the original on 15 December 2021 Retrieved 2 November 2016 Mondey Dvaid 1982 Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd p 75 ISBN 1851526684 a b Moss Air Pictorial September 1964 p 292 Moss Air Pictorial September 1964 p 293 Moss Air Pictorial September 1964 p 294 a b c d e f g Jackson 1973 pp 472 Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AEVV Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AEVW Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AFDI Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AFDJ Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AFDK Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AFDL Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Civil Aviation Authority Registration Entry for G AFDM Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Grey C G Bridgman Leonard eds 1938 Jane s All the World s Aircraft 1938 London Sampson Low Marston amp company ltd pp 32c 34c Jackson 1973 p 153 Lednicer David The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage m selig ae illinois edu Archived from the original on 26 March 2019 Retrieved 16 April 2019 Bibliography edit Jackson A J 1987 De Havilland aircraft since 1909 Naval Institute Press ISBN 0870218964 Jackson A J 1973 British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2 2nd ed Putnam ISBN 0370100107 Kopenhagen Wolfgang ed 1987 Das grosse Flugzeug Typenbuch Transpress ISBN 3344001620 Moss Peter W September 1964 The de Havilland D H 91 Albatross Air Pictorial Vol 26 no 9 pp 292 294 Wixey Ken Spring 1994 Albatross Long legged Beauty Air Enthusiast No 53 pp 1 9 ISSN 0143 5450 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title De Havilland Albatross amp oldid 1215334388, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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