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de Havilland DH.91 Albatross

1938 WORLD WAR 2

De Havilland DH. 91 The Story of the Albatross

In the mid-1930s, the British Department of Aviation published Specification 36/35 requiring the use of transport/mail aircraft suitable for transatlantic crossings. De Havilland's concerns return with its DH. The 91 was designed by aircraft engineer A. E. Hagg (1888-1985). Department of Health.

The 91 had a relatively short lifespan, as its production and exposure were eventually curtailed by the outbreak of World War II (1939-1945). So the total includes only seven viable airframes - including two airworthy prototypes.

The aircraft features most of the traditional layout, including a stepped cockpit facing the nose, a low-set monoplane and a biplane tail. The fuselage is relatively deep and dotted with rectangular windows, while being highly streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency. Each main-wing aircraft has a pair of engine nacelles, which are similarly streamlined, enclosing their mechanical components as tightly as possible to improve the aircraft's aerodynamics.

This type of component embracing advantage is achieved through an all-new cooling system that is integrated into the design of each unit. The structure also included a unique sandwich (plywood-balsa) wood component for the entire fuselage - a structural technique that was later brought to the war-winning de Havilland WWII fighter-bomber Mosquito (this aircraft is detailed in different from above). side? ?).

After DH is done. 91 will send a crew of four, including two pilots, a radio operator and a flight attendant. Up to 22 seated passengers can be carried if the fuselage can accommodate them. The overall length reaches 71.5 feet, with a wingspan of 105 feet and a height of 22.2 feet. The curb weight is 21,230 pounds, and the MTOW is about 30,000 pounds.

Power is provided by four de Havilland "Gypsy Twelve" 12-cylinder air-cooled V-piston engines, each producing 525 horsepower.

Performance continues to include a top speed of 225 mph, a cruising speed of nearly 210 mph, a range of up to 1,040 miles and a service ceiling of up to 18,000 feet. The climb rate is 700 feet per minute.

First flight of the DH. A prototype of the 91 appeared on May 20, 1937, followed by a second airworthy form and test flight. The second example cracked completely under load during testing, forcing some of the fuselage reinforcement. Imperial became the series' launch customer and stockpiled prototypes and five additional production models (seven airframes in total).

The first prototype, received in October 1938, was rebuilt to comfortably seat 22 passengers, while two prototypes remained in their original mail-in form. The fleet is used to connect sites within the UK with parts of France, Belgium and Switzerland during early operational service.

In accordance with the custom of the time, this small group of aircraft was named Naval Ships. Her fleet consists of "Faraday", "Franklin", "Frobisher", "Falcon", "Fortuna", "Fingal" and "Fiona".

The outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939 changed the way air operations were conducted in Europe. There was an urgent need for all capable aircraft, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) looked into DH. 91 classification quality. Thus, in September 1940, the 271st Squadron accepted the military service of two postmen (Faraday and Franklin) and flew between Great Britain and Iceland.

However, both suffered accidents during landing operations close to Reykjavik, ending their days of wartime flying until 1942. The remaining five passenger tugs were in service with British Airways (born after the reorganization of Imperial Air Lines), which continued to serve in connection with Ireland and Portugal via Bristol, although one (Frobisher) was killed in a German air raid and the other One (Fingal) was killed in a German air raid.

Destroyed by a landing accident in 1940. In 1943, near Shannon Airport, Ireland, another (Fortuna) specimen crashed after its now weakened wooden structure abandoned the ghost.

The remaining two aircraft - the Falcon and the Fiona - were voluntarily destroyed in September 1943, without further emphasising these airframes. This ended a brief reign of de Havilland DH. 91.