British Aircraft Double Eagle
| British Aircraft Double Eagle | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Light aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1936 |
| Commissioning: |
1936 |
| Production time: |
1936 |
| Number of pieces: |
3 |
The British Aircraft Double Eagle , also known as the BA 4 Double Eagle , was a light aircraft produced by the British manufacturer British Aircraft Manufacturing and the fourth aircraft type built by the company. The Double Eagle is the manufacturer's only twin-engine machine. Only three pieces were built.
history
Terminal had with the 1927 out brought 25 Klemm Kl developed a light sport aircraft, which sold well on foreign markets. Since the aircraft in the United Kingdom found numerous customers, responsible for the UK retailer Major decided EF Stephen building a business for the licensed production of this type. The British Klemm Airplane Company developed the British Klemm Swallow from the Klemm Kl 25 . The company's first in-house design was the British Klemm Eagle developed by G. Handasyde . The aircraft, similar to the Klemm Kl 32 , but equipped with a retractable landing gear , had its first flight at the beginning of 1934. The aircraft was primarily aimed at the sport and record-breaking aircraft market. Since the Eagle was selling quite well, the company, now renamed British Aircraft Manufacturing, decided to develop further versions for the travel and training aircraft market. With the Double Eagle , the company aimed at the market for larger travel and record-breaking aircraft, while the smaller and lighter Cupid was primarily developed for the training aircraft market. In order to be competitive in the air races, which were very popular at the time, the machine was designed as a twin-engine aircraft with retractable landing gear. With a capacity of five passengers, the Double Eagle was only slightly smaller than the Airspeed AS.6 Envoy, which appeared in 1934, and under the conditions at that time could have been used as a smaller commercial aircraft.
construction
The Double Eagle , like all aircraft built by British Aircraft Manufacturing, was a wooden structure. The aircraft was designed as a cantilever low wing . The main landing gear was retractable and retracted back into the cowling of the engines. The engine used was a de Havilland Gipsy Major with an output of 130 hp (approx. 97 kW), an in- line engine with hanging cylinders. The cabin could accommodate five passengers in addition to the pilot.
commitment
The first flight took place in 1936. The first machine built, G-AEIN, took part in the Schlesinger Race from Portsmouth to Johannesburg under Tommy Rose in the same year . instead of. In Cairo, however, the aircraft was badly damaged when the mechanism for retracting the landing gear failed and had to give up the race. The second machine was equipped with two de Havilland Gipsy Six engines with an output of approx. 200 HP (approx. 147 kW). The aircraft was drafted by the Royal Air Force in 1941 and was used as a training aircraft. The third machine was sold to South Africa and joined the South African Air Force there in 1940. None of the machines built have survived.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| Passengers | 5 |
| length | 9.1 m |
| span | 12.5 m |
| Empty mass | 907 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1588 kg |
| Top speed | 265 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 232 km / h |
| Engines | 2 × de Havilland Gipsy Major , hanging air-cooled four-cylinder in-line engine, 130 hp |
literature
- AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1 . London 1973, Putnam, ISBN 0-370-10006-9 (English).
Web links
- Flight Issue 8 October 1936 (English)
- Flight issue November 12, 1936 (English)