Desoutter Mk.I
| Desoutter Mk I. | |
|---|---|
 Desoutter Mk.I of the Shuttleworth Collection |
|
| Type: | Light aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
Koolhoven |
| First flight: |
1930 (Desoutter Mk.I) |
| Commissioning: |
1930 |
| Production time: |
1930 to 1931 |
| Number of pieces: |
41 (Desoutter) |
The Desoutter Mk.I was a British sport aircraft that was produced by the Desoutter Aircraft Company at the Croydon Aerodrome in Surrey . The aircraft is a licensed replica of the Koolhoven FK41 by the Dutch designer Sytse Frederick Willem Koolhoven . Based on the Mk.I the advanced emerged Desoutter Mk.II . The aircraft caused quite a stir with record and transfer planes to South Africa and Australia . A machine of this type successfully took part in the MacRobertson Air Race . In Australia and New Zealand , the Desoutter was at the beginning of commercial aviation.
history
The company Desoutter Aircraft Company was created by Marcel Desoutter , a British aviation pioneer, at the end of the 1920s for the purpose of planting the Koolhoven FK41 founded. Before and during the First World War , Koolhoven had worked at Armstrong-Whitworth and the British Aerial Transport Company , among others , and therefore had diverse relationships with the British aviation industry. The FK41 he had developed caused quite a stir when it appeared because of its modern design. After Desoutter succeeded in acquiring the license, he set up production at Croydon Airport on the site of the former ADC Aircraft factory .
The second FK41 produced in the Netherlands was flown to Croydon with the registration G-AAGC and modified there by Desoutter . The company exhibited the aircraft as Desoutter Dolphin at the Olympia Aero Show in July 1929 . The aircraft was later sold to South Africa with the registration number ZS-ADX , where it was used by the South African Air Force.
The following aircraft were only called Desoutter , later to distinguish them from the successor as Desoutter Mk.I , the name Dolphin was given up. The largest customer was National Flying Services , which ordered and accepted a series of 19 aircraft. The aircraft were painted black and orange and soon became a common sight on the airfields of British aviation clubs. They were primarily used for training flights, but also for leisure and taxi flights. Desoutter was also able to export the aircraft. The first foreign buyer came from New Zealand . The aircraft was transferred to Australia by air. The machine started on February 9, 1930 in Croydon and reached Sydney on March 13, 1930. There the machine was loaded onto a ship and transported to New Zealand.
The Mk.II , which appeared in 1930, differed from its predecessor in that it had a Gipsy Mk.III engine, modified ailerons and a modified stern. In addition, wheel brakes were now available.
construction
The machine is a stripped shoulder wing . The hull consisted of frames and stringers made of wood and was planked with plywood, only the engine casing was made of sheet metal. The wings and rudder were also a wooden structure covered with fabric. The suspended, but initially unbraked landing gear was braced against the fuselage and surfaces. A grinding spur was used at the rear. The wheels could be exchanged for snow runners. Some aircraft were also equipped with floats for use as seaplanes.
The crew and passengers sat one behind the other in the narrow fuselage. Access was through two doors on the left and right of the fuselage. The Mk.I version had only one door on the right side, while the Mk.II version was at least partially equipped with two doors.
Compared to other sport and leisure aircraft of the time, the construction was characterized by the modern design as a monoplane and the closed cabin.
Versions
The aircraft was produced in two variants, but was given four different names. Koolhoven made a total of six of the FK41 produced in the Netherlands . The Dolphin was a slightly modified FK41 produced by Koolhoven and remained a one-off. The Mk.I, which was built in 28 units, was also based on the almost unchanged FK41 . The Mk.II had major changes, which led to a changed type designation at Desoutter, and was built thirteen times. A total of 47 aircraft of this type were created.
The prototype of the FK41 developed at Koolhoven had a five- cylinder radial engine from Siemens with an output of 50 hp. The production samples G-AAGC and G-AALI also manufactured by Koolhoven were given a Cirrus Hermes I with an output of 105 hp. This engine and the 115 hp Cirrus Hermes II were then used in the series production of the Mk.I , before the Gipsy III was used in the Mk.II.
use
In addition to the National Flying Services , Desoutter mainly found private customers who used the aircraft as a sport and touring aircraft. Despite the small number of units and although it was only a light sport aircraft, the machine has achieved great importance in the aviation history of individual countries.
New Zealand
The Desoutter achieved notoriety there because it was involved in the first catastrophe of New Zealand's young aviation industry. The aircraft with the registration ZK-ACA, which the Dominion Airlines , was still used for flights between Hastings and Gisborne after the severe earthquake in the Wairoa District . On February 8, 1931, the plane crashed after the third flight that day, all three people on board were killed.
Australia
In Australia, the Desoutter was one of the first aircraft used for commercial flights. The Australians H. Jenkins and H. Jeffrey acquired the EI-AAD , a Desoutter Mk.II , from the Irish Iona National Air Taxis at the end of 1930 and transported the machine, now registered as G-ABOM , from Heston to Sydney by air. The two started in England on December 29, 1931 and reached Sydney in February 1932. There the machine was first sold to L. MacKenzie Johnson , later to Tasmanian Aerial Services , and was given the VH-UEE registration and the name Miss Flinders . Tasmanian Aerial Services opened a regular air service between Launceston and Whitemark on Flinders Island . Much of the 108- mile route led over the water of the Bass Strait . Tasmanian Aerial Services was in competition with the regular shipping line operated by William Holyman & Sons . The use of the Desoutter on the route between Tasmania and Flinders Island prompted Holyman to found its own airline, Holymans Airways , which became the forerunner of the Australian National Airways founded at the end of the year . The Miss Flinders was preserved and is on display in the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston.
Three more Desoutter Mk.IIs were purchased from Hart Aviation Services in Melbourne. One of the planes was lost on Bass Strait on Deal Island .
Denmark
The Danish airline Det Danske Luftfartselskab bought the penultimate Mk.II in 1931. The machine was given the OY-DOD registration . The Danish Lieutenant Michael Hansen bought the aircraft in 1934, but had to sell it on to Nordisk Luftrafik the following year . In 1938 the machine went to Nordjysk Aero Service , but Hansen managed to buy back the aircraft in the same year. With the machine he took a flight from Europe to Cape Town .
However, the aircraft gained fame through its participation in the MacRobertson Air Race in 1934. Hansen and his co-pilot Jensen completed the route from Mildenhall , England to Melbourne , Australia, in 129 hours and 47 minutes. Although contemporary voices described participation in the competition with this aircraft as an invitation to suicide, Hansen and Jensen were able to take 7th place in the handicap classification, while other aircraft that were considered favorites had to give up the race. The use of the aircraft was sponsored by the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende .
Finland
During the Winter War in Finland, the Danish Red Cross began collecting money to buy an air ambulance. In October 1941, the money raised was used to buy the OY-DOD and donate it to Finland. On October 28, 1941 Michael Hansen transferred the plane to Helsinki. There the machine received the markings of the Finnish Air Force, and red cross symbols were also painted on it. During the war, the Desoutter was used as an ambulance and liaison aircraft until November 14, 1944. After the end of the war, the machine came into the hands of various private owners, received the registration number OH-TJA and was destroyed on December 4, 1947 near Tampere .
Other customers
The Desoutter found civilian customers in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, Finland, Hungary, India, New Zealand and the Dutch East Indies. The aircraft was used militarily in Finland, South Africa and Great Britain.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Desoutter Mk.I | Desoutter Mk.II |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 1 | 1 |
| Passengers | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| length | 8.23 m | 7.9 m |
| span | 10.98 m | 10.9 m |
| height | 2.14 m | 2.15 m |
| Empty mass | 498 kg | 536 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 861 kg | 863 kg |
| Cruising speed | 156 km / h | 161 km / h |
| Top speed | 185 km / h | 201 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5486 m | 5200 m |
| Climb performance | 3.55 m / s | 5.08 m / s |
| Range | 600 km | 800 km |
| Engine | Cirrus Hermes I / II, vertical air-cooled four-cylinder in-line engine, 105/115 hp | de Havilland Gipsy III, hanging air-cooled four-cylinder in-line engine, 120 hp |
See also
literature
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985) . Orbis Publishing.
- AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2 . Putnam, London 1973, ISBN 0-370-10010-7 .
- Kalevi Keskinen, Kari Stenman: Koulukoneet - Suomen ilmavoimien historia 22 . Itä-Uudenmaan paino, Loviisa, 2003, ISBN 951-98751-5-8 .
- Ismo Tervonen: Veljekset Karhumäki Suomen ilmailun pioneereina 1924–1956 . Apali Oy, ISBN 952-5026-25-6 .
- Timo Heinonen: Thulinista Hornetiin - Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseon julkaisuja 3 . 1992, ISBN 951-95688-2-4 .
- Ove Hermansen: Since Hansen fløj til Melbourne i '34 - 75-året for dansk deltagelse i verdens disrupted flykapløb from England to Australia . Copenhagen 2009.
- Peter Korell: England-Australia - The longest air race in the world . In: Flieger-Revue extra. Edition 6, Müller Buch und Zeitschriften Verlag, 2004.
Web links
- Presentation of the Mk.II in Flight magazine , 1930 issue
- Koolhoven Aeroplanes Foundation (English)
- History and pictures of the VH-UEE (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ see Korell
- ↑ see Koolhoven Airplanes Foundation
- ↑ Data from Jackson