De Havilland Hawk Moth

Last updated

DH.75 Hawk Moth
De Havilland DH.75 photo NACA Aircraft Circular No.91.jpg
General information
TypeCabin monoplane
Manufacturer de Havilland
Number built8
History
First flight7 December 1928

The de Havilland DH.75 Hawk Moth was a 1920s British four-seat cabin monoplane built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware, in London.

Contents

Design and development

The DH.75 Hawk Moth was the first of a family of high-wing monoplane Moths, and was designed as a light transport or air-taxi for export. The aircraft had a fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage and wooden wings. The Hawk Moth was first flown on 7 December 1928 from Stag Lane. [1] The first aircraft used a 200 hp (149 kW) de Havilland Ghost engine. This engine comprised two de Havilland Gipsys mounted on a common crankcase to form an air-cooled V-8. [1] With the Ghost, the aircraft was underpowered and a 310 hp (230 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah [2] 7-cylinder radial engine was fitted to it and all but one production aircraft. Changes were also made to the structure including increased span and chord wings and the aircraft was redesignated the DH.75A.

In December 1929 the first aircraft was demonstrated in Canada with both wheel and ski undercarriage. Following trials with the second aircraft on floats, the Canadian government ordered three aircraft for civil use. The first Canadian aircraft (actually the first Hawk Moth) did not have doors on the port side and could therefore not be used as a floatplane, so it was used by the Controller of Civil Aircraft. Further tests were carried out by de Havilland Canada in 1930, and the second and third aircraft were cleared to use floats. With restrictions on payload when fitted with floats the Canadian aircraft were used only on skis or wheels. In an attempt to compete with American-designed aircraft, the eighth aircraft was produced as the DH.75B with a 300 hp (224 kW) Wright Whirlwind engine. Production was stopped and two aircraft were not completed.

Operational service

With three aircraft operating in Canada, a further two were exported to Australia. One of the Australian aircraft, VH-UNW ex G-AAFX, was used by Amy Johnson to fly from Brisbane to Sydney in 1930 when her De Havilland Moth Jason was damaged. Major De Havilland later flew Miss Johnson to Perth in the aircraft, from where she returned to Britain by ship. VH-UNW was later sold to Hart Aircraft Service of Melbourne, who used it mainly for joy flights. [3]

In February 1934 it was sold to Tasmanian Airways as the City of Hobart to run between Brighton, Tasmania and Launceston, Tasmania. It made a forced landing at Brighton on 10 January 1935 after a piston-rod failure, with the engine being beyond repair. In mid-1936 the engine-less airframe was sold to G. H. "Harry" Purvis, who refitted it with a Wright Whirlwind engine and used it to conduct joy flights in New South Wales. It last flew for Connellan Airways of Alice Springs. It was withdrawn from service in 1949. [3]

Variants

DH.75
Prototype with de Havilland Ghost V8 engine; one built, later re-engined.
DH.75A
Production version with Armstrong Siddeley Lynx VIA radial piston engine; six built.
DH.75B
Final production aircraft fitted with a 300 hp (224 kW) Wright R-975 Whirlwind radial engine; one built. DH.75A VH-UNW retrofitted to this standard in 1936.

Operators

Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Specifications (D.H.75A (Landplane))

De Havilland DH.75 3-view drawing from NACA Aircraft Circular No.91 DH.75 Hawk Moth 3-view drawing NACA Aircraft Circular No.91.jpg
De Havilland DH.75 3-view drawing from NACA Aircraft Circular No.91

Data from De Havilland Aircraft since 1909 [4]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Jackson 1987, p.284.
  2. Lumsden, Alec (2003). British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, UK: Airlife Publishing. p. 75. ISBN   1-85310-294-6.
  3. 1 2 Launceston Examiner, 11 May 1934, 12 January 1935, 28 November 1936, http://www.australianflying.com.au/news/the-de-havilland-dh-75-hawk-moth-in-australia.
  4. Jackson 1987, p.288.

Related Research Articles

de Havilland 1920–1963 aircraft manufacturer

The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in Hertfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro 618 Ten</span>

The Avro 618 Ten or X was a passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. It was a licensed version by Avro of the Fokker F.VIIB/3m.

de Havilland Puss Moth Light utility aircraft built between 1929 and 1933

The de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth is a British three-seater high-wing monoplane aeroplane designed and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company between 1929 and 1933. It flew at a speed approaching 124 mph (200 km/h), making it one of the highest-performance private aircraft of its era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cierva C.30</span> 1933 autogyro family by Cierva

The Cierva C.30 is an autogyro designed by Juan de la Cierva and built under licence from the Cierva Autogiro Company by A V Roe & Co Ltd (Avro), Lioré-et-Olivier and Focke-Wulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar</span> 1920s British piston aircraft engine

The Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar is an aircraft engine developed by Armstrong Siddeley. The Jaguar was a petrol-fuelled air-cooled 14-cylinder two-row radial engine design. The Jaguar III was first used in 1923, followed in 1925 by the Jaguar IV and in 1927 by the Jaguar VI. In 1925 the Jaguar became the first production aero engine incorporating a geared supercharger.

de Havilland DH.60 Moth 1925 utility aircraft family

The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Tutor</span> 1929 trainer aircraft family

The Avro Type 621 Tutor is a two-seat British radial-engined biplane from the interwar period. It was a simple but rugged basic trainer that was used by the Royal Air Force as well as many other air arms worldwide.

de Havilland Fox Moth Light transport biplane developed by de Havilland in the UK in the early 1930s

The DH.83 Fox Moth is a small biplane passenger aircraft from the 1930s powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy Major I inline inverted engine, manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airco DH.9</span> 1917 bomber aircraft family by Airco

The Airco DH.9 – also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 – is a British single-engined biplane bomber that was developed and deployed during the First World War.

de Havilland Giant Moth Early British transport aircraft

The de Havilland DH.61 Giant Moth was a 1920s British large single-engined biplane transport built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware. Intended primarily for use in Australia, a number were also shipped to Canada.

de Havilland Moth Minor

The de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor was a 1930s British two-seat tourer/trainer aircraft built by de Havilland at Hatfield Aerodrome, England. With the start of the second world war production of the Moth Minor was moved to de Havilland Australia at Bankstown Aerodrome, Australia.

de Havilland DH.50

The de Havilland DH.50 was a 1920s British large single-engined biplane transport built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware, and licence-built in Australia, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Avian</span> British biplane aircraft type

The Avro Avian is a series of British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and its descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Bluebird</span>

The Blackburn L.1 Bluebird was a British single-engine biplane light trainer/tourer with side-by-side seating, built in small numbers by Blackburn Aircraft in the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armstrong Siddeley Genet</span> 1920s British piston aircraft engine

The Armstrong Siddeley Genet is a five-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft use built in the UK, first run in 1926. It developed 80 hp at 2,200 rpm in its final form and was a popular light aircraft powerplant. Following the company tradition with a slight deviation the engine was named after the Genet, a catlike animal of the same order but different family.

de Havilland DH.51

The de Havilland DH.51 is a 1920s British three-seat touring biplane built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Vickers Vista</span> Type of aircraft

The Canadian Vickers Vista was a Canadian-designed single-seat flying boat.

de Havilland Hyena Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.56 Hyena was a prototype British army cooperation aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined biplane, the Hyena was designed against an RAF requirement, but was unsuccessful with only two being built, the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas being preferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Havilland Dormouse</span> Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.42 Dormouse and its two variants the de Havilland DH.42A Dingo I and II were two-seat single-engined biplanes designed for fighter-reconnaissance and army cooperation roles. They did not achieve production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Air Museum</span> Aerospace museum in Sunshine Coast, Queensland

The Queensland Air Museum is a not-for-profit all-volunteer aviation museum located near the Caloundra Airport in Queensland, Australia. Its mission is to collect and preserve all aspects of aviation heritage with an emphasis on Australia and Queensland. The museum has the largest and most diverse collection of historic aircraft in Australia and it also has a large collection of aircraft engines, equipment, artefacts, photographs, uniforms and books.

References