de Havilland Humming Bird

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Humming_Bird

The de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird is a British light aircraft of the 1920s.

In response to the Daily Mail Light Aeroplane Competition of 1923 de Havilland
built two DH.53s which were named Humming Bird and Sylvia II. The DH.53 was a
low-wing single-seat monoplane powered by a Douglas 750 cc motorcycle engine. At
Lympne, in October 1923, the DH.53s did not win any prizes but gave an
impressive performance for a light aircraft. The Air Ministry became interested
in the design and ordered eight in 1924 as communications and training aircraft
for the Royal Air Force.

Early in 1924 twelve aircraft were built at Stag Lane Aerodrome and were named
Humming Bird after the first prototype. Eight aircraft were for the Air Ministry
order, three were for export to Australia, and one was exported to Aero in
Prague. One further aircraft was later built for an order from Russia.

The production aircraft were powered by a 26 hp (19 kW) Blackburne Tomtit
two-cylinder engine.

Role
Ultralight monoplane

Manufacturer
de Havilland

First flight
2 October 1923

Primary user
Royal Air Force

Produced
1923-1924

Number built
15

The first six aircraft for the Royal Air Force all made their public debut at
the 1925 display at RAF Hendon, where they were raced against each other. The
last two aircraft would later be used for "parasite aircraft" trials being
launched from below an airship - the R.33. The aircraft were retired in 1927 and
all eight were sold as civil aircraft.

Specifications

General characteristics
Crew: one
Length: 19 ft 8 in (6 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 1 in (9.17 m)
Height: 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
Wing area: 125 ft² (11.6 m²)
Empty weight: 326 lb (148 kg)
Loaded weight: 565 lb (257 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Blackburne Tomtit inverted vee, two cylinder engine, 26 hp (19
kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 63 kn (73 mph, 118 km/h)
Cruise speed: 52 kn (60 mph, 97 km/h)
Range: 130 nmi (150 mi, 242 km)
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,570 m)
Rate of climb: 225 ft/min (1.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 4.52 lb/ft² (22.2 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.046 hp/lb (62 W/kg)




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