De Havilland DH.34
| De Havilland DH.34 | |
|---|---|
|
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| Type: | Airliner |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 26, 1922 |
| Number of pieces: |
12 |
The De Havilland DH.34 was a single-engine airliner designed as a biplane by the British manufacturer de Havilland Aircraft Company from the 1920s. The twelve aircraft built were only used for a few years by Imperial Airways and its predecessor companies.
draft
After the DH.18 had proven to be not economical enough, Geoffrey de Havilland began developing the DH.29 Doncaster monoplane designed for ten passengers in 1921. At the same time, work began on the DH.32, a further development of the DH.18 with more economical Rolls-Royce Eagle engines. Since both designs proved to be inadequate, the development work was terminated and replaced by the double-decker DH.34. The new design took over the hull of the Doncaster and could carry ten passengers.
The DH.34 had a plywood-clad fuselage and fabric-covered wooden wings. The cockpit , designed for two pilots, was located in front of the wings and the passenger cabin. It was powered by a Napier Lion piston engine that could be started with a flywheel starter.
After the airline Daimler Hire ordered two models, the prototype made its maiden flight on March 26, 1922 . After a serious accident in 1923, the 34A was created with a larger wingspan.
commitment
The DH.34 began its service at Daimler on April 2, 1922 on the route between London and Paris . Of the six DH.34s used by Daimler, four were owned by the Air Council . Instone Air Line also used four rented models. The Soviet airline Dobroljot purchased another copy.
After the establishment of Imperial Airways on April 1, 1924 , a merger of Daimler, Instone, Handley Page Transport and British Marine Air Navigation , seven DH.34s were owned by the new company. The last four aircraft were decommissioned and scrapped in 1926.
The DH.34 was mainly used in traffic across the English Channel . The prototype was in the air for 8,000 hours in the first nine months alone, the second model covered 160,000 kilometers without any interim overhaul. In the first four years six DH.34s were lost in accidents, some of which were very serious.
Versions
- DH.34
- Original version, eleven planes
- DH.34B
- improved version with extended upper wings
Users
Technical data (DH.34)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 10 |
| length | 11.89 m |
| span | 15.65 m |
| height | 3.66 m |
| Wing area | 54.8 m² |
| Empty weight | 2,075 kg |
| Takeoff weight | 3,266 kg |
| Cruising speed | 169 km / h |
| Top speed | 206 km / h |
| Range | 587 km |
| Engines | a 12-cylinder Y-engine Napier Lion with 336 kW |
See also
Web links
- Image and information on imperial-airways.co.uk
- www.johnjohn.co.uk more pictures