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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0169.PDF
FLIGHT, FEBRUARY 22, 1934 SPEED WITH SAFETY Built for Imperial Airways, Ltd. and Quantas Empire Airways to comply with the conditions of the Australian Government tender for the Empire Air Route extension from Singapore to Darwin and Cootamundra, the new De Havilland Express Four- engined Air Liner provides exceptionally fast and safe air travel TO design and build a four-engined aeroplane and toobtain for it a certificate of airworthiness all in aperiod of four months is no mean feat, in fact,we venture to suggest that it must be quite unique ; yet this is what the de Havilland Aircraft Co.,Ltd., have done in their works at Stag Lane, and their " Express Air Liner," the first details of which we givein the following pages, is the result of wonderful keenness and co-operation by all departments of this company. On September 28 last year we gave in FLIGHT the detailsof the conditions of tender issued by the Australian Government for the Singapore-Darwin-Cootamundra sectionof the England-Australia air mail service. It will also be remembered that some little time before that we pub-lished the result of a talk with Mr. Hudson Fysh, Managing Director, Queensland & Northern Territory Air Services,Ltd. Mr. Hudson Fysh was at that time in England con- cluding arrangements with Imperial Airways for collabora-tion between them and his firm for this tender. At the same time the de Havilland Aircraft companysubmitted a proposal for a four-engined airliner with a high performance and a wide margin of safety in theevent of engine failure. It was seen that the proposed type was not only capable of conforming to the Australianrequirements but that it would exceed the minimum per- formance needs handsomely. A contract was thereforeplaced by Imperial Airways on behalf of the newly formed firm, Quantas Empire Airways, for one of these aero-planes to be built and used as a basis for their tender to the Australian Government. A condition of the tender was that the aeroplane submitted had to possess a certificateof airworthiness on the closing date for the tenders, which was January 31, 1934. The task, however, though great,proved not to be beyond the resources of the factory, and the C. of A was obtained on January 30. It will beremembered that we published some of the first flying pictures of this machine on January 18. Not only hadevery detail of the machine to be designed and manufac- tured in this period, but the " Gipsy Six " engine, whichwas then only in its early stages of development, had to be brought through its teething troubles and to obtain itsAir Ministry Type Test ; moreover, four engines had to be completed for installation in the new machine. Everything went according to programme. The machinewas first flown by the firm's test pilot, Capt. H. S. Broad, on January 14, and during the following week theD.H.86, as she is officially known, passed through the Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Martlesham forairworthiness and handling trials. It will be seen from the artist's impression that the cabinspace is particularly large, naturally, therefore, permitting a variety of arrangements. As shown, accommodation isprovided for ten passengers, with a lavatory and luggage compartment, and when Rumbold's have finished theupholstery itj will be a very comfortable job. It is prob- able, however, that for the England-Australia service,should the tender be accepted, the lavatory will be brought forward and a large mail compartment built behind it,thus decreasing the passenger accommodation by two. This sketch also shows the deep long windows which are built This three-quarter front view gives a good idea how neatly the engines are faired into the bottom wing, while the top view shows the general cleanliness and tapered wings. (FLIGHT Photos.) 169 B2
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