The de Havilland DH.81 Swallow Moth was aimed at the low-cost sporting aircraft market during the Great Depression. It was a single-engined two-seat low-wing monoplane; only one was built.
The DH. 81 Swallow Moth was a low-wing cantilever monoplane.[1] This arrangement and its plywood-covered fuselage and closely cowled 80 hp (60 kW) inline Gipsy IV engine gave it a very clean aerodynamic look. The wings carried ailerons that were horn-balanced at the wingtips and the empennage was of characteristic de Havilland form, with a balanced rudder. There was separate tandem seating for two, initially open, but later enclosed with a one-piece hinged cabin top. With this enclosure the aircraft was called the DH.81A and the top speed increased by 12 mph (19 km/h). The main undercarriage was simple, the legs reaching to mid-fuselage in front of the leading edge of the wing, with bracing struts fore and aft to the keel; the later Leopard Moth used a similar arrangement. A small tailskid completed the undercarriage.[1]
The Swallow Moth was first flown at Stag Lane Aerodrome by Geoffrey de Havilland on 21 August 1931.[2] Some alteration to the fin followed and the flight testing continued until February 1932. During this time the class B markingE-7 was allocated, but the Swallow Moth never reached the civil register. Its design influenced later de Havilland aircraft, particularly the 1938 Moth Minor.[3]
Variantsedit
DH.81
Original configuration with a two-seat open cockpit.
DH.81A
Prototype modified with an enclosed cabin and flown from November 1932.
Jackson, A. J. (1978). de Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam. ISBN0-370-30022-X.
January 01, 1970
havilland, swallow, moth, havilland, swallow, moth, aimed, cost, sporting, aircraft, market, during, great, depression, single, engined, seat, wing, monoplane, only, built, swallow, moth, drawing, configuration, role, sports, aircraft, national, origin, united. The de Havilland DH 81 Swallow Moth was aimed at the low cost sporting aircraft market during the Great Depression It was a single engined two seat low wing monoplane only one was built DH 81 Swallow Moth Drawing of DH 81A configuration Role sports aircraft National origin United Kingdom Manufacturer de Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd First flight 21 August 1931 Retired 3 February 1932 Number built 1 Contents 1 Development 2 Variants 3 Specifications 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 BibliographyDevelopment editThe DH 81 Swallow Moth was a low wing cantilever monoplane 1 This arrangement and its plywood covered fuselage and closely cowled 80 hp 60 kW inline Gipsy IV engine gave it a very clean aerodynamic look The wings carried ailerons that were horn balanced at the wingtips and the empennage was of characteristic de Havilland form with a balanced rudder There was separate tandem seating for two initially open but later enclosed with a one piece hinged cabin top With this enclosure the aircraft was called the DH 81A and the top speed increased by 12 mph 19 km h The main undercarriage was simple the legs reaching to mid fuselage in front of the leading edge of the wing with bracing struts fore and aft to the keel the later Leopard Moth used a similar arrangement A small tailskid completed the undercarriage 1 The Swallow Moth was first flown at Stag Lane Aerodrome by Geoffrey de Havilland on 21 August 1931 2 Some alteration to the fin followed and the flight testing continued until February 1932 During this time the class B marking E 7 was allocated but the Swallow Moth never reached the civil register Its design influenced later de Havilland aircraft particularly the 1938 Moth Minor 3 Variants editDH 81 Original configuration with a two seat open cockpit DH 81A Prototype modified with an enclosed cabin and flown from November 1932 Specifications editData from de Havilland Aircraft since 1909 3 General characteristicsCrew one Capacity one Length 23 ft 6 in 7 16 m Wingspan 35 ft 6 in 10 82 m Height 8 ft 4 in 2 56 m Wing area 149 sq ft 13 85 m2 Gross weight 1 330 lb 603 kg Powerplant 1 de Havilland Gipsy IV four cylinder inverted inline air cooled engine 80 hp 60 kW Performance Maximum speed 117 mph 188 km h 102 kn References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Havilland DH 81 Notes edit a b Jackson 1978 pp 301 302 Jackson 1978 p 301 a b Jackson 1978 p 302 Bibliography edit Jackson A J 1978 de Havilland Aircraft since 1909 London Putnam ISBN 0 370 30022 X Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title De Havilland Swallow Moth amp oldid 1018225113, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
