De Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird
| DH.53 Humming Bird | |
|---|---|
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| Type: | Light aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
October 2, 1923 |
| Production time: |
1923-1924 |
| Number of pieces: |
15th |
The de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird was a British light aircraft that was built in the 1920s.
history
The aircraft was initially built in two copies as part of the Daily Mail light airplane trials held in Lympne in October 1923 , a competition to promote light aircraft construction. The single-seat low- wing aircraft was powered by a Douglas 750cc motorcycle engine, which was replaced with a more reliable, 26 hp Blackburne Tomtit engine before the flight back home from the flight event . As a result, this machine took part in other racing events together with the second aircraft, which was owned by a group of RAF officers. The second machine had previously been converted to a 26 kW ABC Scorpion engine, which, however, proved to be unreliable. Although the aircraft could not win a prize at the events, the British Aviation Department ordered eight copies for use as a training aircraft with the Royal Air Force due to the proven economic efficiency of the aircraft . A total of 15 aircraft were built, three of which were exported to Australia and one each to Russia and Czechoslovakia.
The RAF's last two Humming Birds were used for take-off and landing attempts on the airship R-33.
Six of the eight RAF machines received civilian license plates after they were retired in 1927 and flew for several years. One specimen remained with the Shuttleworth Collection in Old Warden, but is no longer airworthy.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| span | 9.17 m |
| length | 5.99 m |
| height | 2.21 m |
| Wing area | 11.61 m² |
| Empty mass | 148 kg |
| Takeoff mass | maximum 256 kg |
| drive | a two-cylinder V-engine Blackburne Tomtit |
| power | 19 kw (26 hp) |
| Top speed | 117 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 97 km / h |
| Summit height | 4570 m |
| Range | 241 km |
| crew | 1 |
literature
- Peter Alles-Fernandez (Ed.): Aircraft from A to Z. Volume 2: Consolidated PBY – Koolhoven FK 55 . Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1988, ISBN 3-7637-5905-0 , p. 70 .
Web links
- De Havilland DH53 Humming Bird on www.aviastar.org (English)