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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0426.PDF
426 FLIGHT, 13 April 1956 THE DE HAVILLAND D.H.9 . . . angle of attack big enough for the slots to be effective at take-off and landing. Slots were fitted along the entire leading edge of upper and lower mainplanes, and the tests conducted with the D.H.9 proved the effectiveness of the device beyond all doubt. A later experimental use of a D.H.9 was made by Sir Alan Cobham in his early experiments in flight refuelling. The aircraft was a plain Puma-Nine, G-AACR, modified to act as the tanker aircraft: for this purpose a fuel hose and reel were installed in the rear cockpit. A seaplane version of the D.H.9 existed. It had simple wooden pontoon-type floats made by Short Brothers. The D.H.9 float- plane was used in Bolivia. The final derivative of the D.H.9 was the D.H.9J, of which about 12 were made. All the D.H.9s of the de Havilland Reserve School were converted into D.H.9Js by fitting them with Arm- strong Siddeley Jaguar radial engines: the initial letter of the engine's name provided the suffix in the aircraft's designation. The engines were by no means new, for they had been bought from Imperial Airways and some had flown for 4,000 hours as the power units of Armstrong Whitworth Argosies. Nevertheless, the Jaguar made a considerable difference to the D.H.9's perform- ance, and handling characteristics were also enhanced by the fitting of D.H. differential ailerons. Improved undercarriages were also fitted; springing was by means of rubber in compression in place of the rubber shock-cord of the original undercarriage. One of the D.H.9Js which went to Air Service Training, Ltd., G-AARS, was powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Serval IV radial and had Handley Page slots. The last D.H.9s in Britain were G-AACP and G-AADU, which were still flying in 1937; and perhaps the last of all was the machine which, in South Africa, was among the starters for the 200-mile Round-the-Reef air race of 1938. The aircraft had been bought for £10. It is therefore uncertain whether its engine had a strong sense of tradition or was merely old—in the same way as so many of its operational contemporaries of 20 years earlier had failed to reach their objectives, so did the South African veteran fail to complete the course. Twenty years earlier, in June 1918, Maj-Gen. Trenchard had reported from France that it was imperative that every effort be made to replace the D.H.9s with D.H.9As. Oddly enough, the D.H.9A owed less to the D.H.9 than the D.H.9 owed to the D.H.4. But its development must form the subject of a separate history. SPECIFICATION Powerplant.—D.H.9: 230 h.p. B.H.P. (Galloway Adriatic); 230 h.p.Siddeley Puma; 290 h.p. Siddeley Puma (high compression); 250 h.p. Fiat A-12; 430 h.p. Napier Lion; 400 h.p. Liberty 12-A. D.H.9B:360 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII. D.H.9C: 230 h.p. Siddeley Puma. D.H.9J: 350 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar Ilia or IV; 345 h.p.Armstrong Siddeley Serval IV. D.H.9R: 500 h.p. Napier Lion. Dimensions.—Span: 42ft 4Jin. Length: (B.H.P. and Puma) 30ft 6in,(Lion) 30ft 9iin, (Liberty) 30ft. Height: lift 2in (lift 7Jin with Lion engine). Chord: 5ft 6in. Gap: 5ft 6in. Stagger: 12in. Dihedral: 3 deg.Incidence: 3 deg. Span of tail: 14ft. Airscrew diameter: (Puma) 9ft 6iin, (Lion) 1 lft. Wing area: 434 sq ft. Manufacturers.—The Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hendon,London, N.W. Other Contractors.—The Alliance Aeroplane Co., Ltd., CambridgeRoad, Hammersmith, London; F. W. Berwick and Co., Ltd., Park Royal, London, N.W.10; Cubitt, Ltd., Croydon; Mann, Egerton andCo., Ltd., Aircraft Works, Norwich; National Aircraft Factory No. 1, Waddon; National Aircraft Factory No. 2, Heaton Chapel, near Stock-port; Short Brothers, Rochester, Kent; The Vulcan Motor and Engineer- ing Co. (1906), Ltd., Crossens, Southport; Waring and Gillow, Ltd.,Cambridge Road, Hammersmith, London (production of some machines sub-contracted to Wells Aviation Co., Ltd., 30 Whitehead's Grove,Chelsea, London, S.W.8); G. and J. Weir, Ltd., Cathcart, Glasgow; Westland Aircraft Works, Yeovil, Somerset; Whitehead Aircraft Co.,Ltd., Old Drill Hall, Townshend Road, Richmond. Production and Allocation.—A total of 3,204 D.H.9s were built upto the end of 1918. By October 31st, 1918, 2,166 had been distributed to units of the R.A.F., as follows: 789 to squadrons with the B.E.F.in France; 144 to the Independent Force; 52 to squadrons of the 5th Group; 92 to the Middle East Brigade; 133 to units in the Mediterraneanarea; 956 to training units. Eighteen were supplied to Belgium in 1918, and America bought two without engines in July 1918.Of the 1,866 D.H.9s which were on charge with the R.A.F. on October 31st, 1918, 334 were with the B.E.F., 71 with the IndependentForce, four with the 5th Group, seven in Egypt and Palestine, .21 in Macedonia, 78 in the Mediterranean area, 135 en route to Easternstations, 184 at training units, 37 with squadrons mobilizing, 424 at various aerodromes, one at a coastal station, 24 at Aeroplane RepairDepots, 41 in Ireland with the 11th Group, 186 with contractors, and 319 in store. Costs.—Airframe without engine, instruments and guns, £1,473 5s;Siddeley Puma engine, £1,089. Armament.—One fixed Vickcrs machine-gun mounted on top of thefuselage immediately to port of the pilot's windscreen, firing forwards and synchronized by Constantinesco C.C. gear. One or twin double-yoked Lewis guns on a Scarff ring-mounting on the rear cockpit. There was a small bomb bay inside the fuselage, but bombs were more usuallycarried on external racks under the fuselage and lower mainplanes. The bomb load could consist of two 230-lb bombs, three or four 112-lbbombs, or an equivalent weight of smaller bombs. Service Use.—Western Front: R.A.F. Squadrons Nos. 27, 49, 98, 99,103, 104, 107, 108, 202, 206, 211 and 218; also used by Belgian Flying Corps. Macedonia: Nos. 17 and 47 Squadrons. Palestine: No. 144 Sqn.Mediterranean: Nos. 224, 225, 226 and 227 Sqns. Aegean: Nos. 220, 221, 222 and 223 Sqns. Sea Patrol: No. 212 Sqn., Great Yarmouth;No. 250 Sqn., Padstow; No. 273 Sqn., Covehithe and Westgate. Russia: No. 47 Sqn. at Ekaterinodar, No. 221 at Petrovsk. Training: Air Obser-vers' Schools at Eastchurch, Mansion and New Romney; School of Photography, Maps and Reconnaissance at Farnborough; Schools ofNavigation and Bomb Dropping at Stonehenge, Andover and Thetford. Also used by No. 10 Training Depot Squadron, Harling Road; No. 31Training Squadron, Wyton; and at Cranwcll and Shoreham. Serial Numbers.—A.7559 converted from D.H.4 by Aircraft Manu-facturing Co.; B.7581-B.7680 built by Westland Aircraft Works; B.9331- B.9430 by Vulcan Motor and Engineering Co.; C.1151-C.145O, G. andJ. Weir; C.2151-C.2230, Berwick and Co.; C.6051-C.6121 and C.6123- C.6349, Aircraft Manufacturing Co.; D.451-D.950, Cubitt; D.1001-D.1500, National Aircraft Factory No. 2; D. 1651-D. 1750, Mann, Egerton and Co.; D.2776-D.2875, Short Brothers (Fiat engine speci-fied); D.2876-D.3274, Aircraft Manufacturing Co.; D.5551-D.585O, Waring and Gillow (50 machines built under suo-contract by WellsAviation Co.); D.72O1-D.73OO, Westland Aircraft Works; D.7301- D.7400, Berwick; D.9800-D.9899, G. and J. Weir; E.601-E.700, White-head Aircraft; E.5435-E.5436, Aircraft Mfg. Co.; E.8857-E.9056, Aircraft Mfg. Co.; F.1-F.300, National Aircraft Factory No. 1 (only241 machines of this batch were completed); F.1101-F.1300, Waring and Gillow; F.1767-F.1866, Westland. Others: Between and aboutH.5546 and H.5738, of which some at least were built by the Alliance Aeroplane Co.; between and about H.9133 and H.9340. Notes on Individual Machines.—Used by No. 49 Sqn.: C.2202,C.6114, D.3052, E.623. Used by No. 98 Sqn.: C.2221, C.6079, C.6106, C 6108, C.6119, D.3060, D.3169. Used by No. 99 Sqn.: C.6202, C.6210.Used b\< No. 211 Sqn.: B.7603, C.6270, D.2782, D.3233. Used by No. 186 Development Sqn. at Gospon in 1919: D.3010, D.3015, D.5806,E.8888. Claimed by Germans as shot down (up to end of September 1918):B.9334, B.9347, C.2152, C.2179, C.2182, C.6103, C.6163, C.6196, D.489, D.501, D.759, D.868, D.902, D.1029, D.1032, D.1046, D.1048,D.1135, D.1719, D.1728, D.1729, D.2831, D.2900, D.2917, D.2918, D.2931, D.3039, D.3088, D.3106, D.3213, D.3218, D.3254, D.3264,D.5571, D.5647, D.5729, D.5842, D.7234. Other machines: B.9395, "The Mackenzie Tooloombah"; C.6052,Fiat engine; C.6078, Napier Lion engine; D.3O17, to Australia, became G-AUMB; D.3117, "Z" Force, Somaliland 1919-20, converted intoambulance; D.5816, "Faridkot"; F.1181, presented to Canada, February 1919; F.1222, "Australia No. 26, Queensland No. 2, The Banchory";F.1227, "Australia No. 27, Victoria No. 2, The Murroa"; F.1255, pre- sented to Canada, February 1919; H.5559, used at Cranwell; H.5648,"Voortrekker"; H.9133, H.9243 and H.9274, sold to Estonia. WEIGHTS AND PERFORMANCE Aircraft D.H.9 D.H.9C D.H.9J D.H.9R Engine) Galloway-built B.H.P. Siddeleybuilt B.H.P. Siddeley-built B.H.P. with two230-lb bomb* 130 h.p.Siddeley Puma IM h.p.Siddeley Puma Fiat Lion 230 h.p. Siddeley Puma Jaguar Lion Weight empty (Ib) Military load (Ib) Fuel and oil (Ib) Weight loaded (ib) Maximum speed (m.p.h.) at: 10.000ft 15,000ft Climb (min and sec) to: 6,500ft 10,000ft 15,000ft Service ceiling (ft) Endurance (hr) ... . . 2,193 545 545 3.283 110.5 102 19 55 16,000 4* 545 3,280 114 106 8 40 15 20 30 05 18,000 2,203 931 535 3,669 111.5 97.5 11 00 20 05 45 00 15,500 4i 2,230545 5503,325 109.5 102.5 10 20 18 50 42 00 15,500 4i 2,232545 5503,327 116 106 7 5013 55 28 00 17,500 2,460 545 595 3,600 117.5 107.5 9 00 16 00 32 20 17,500 2,544 545 568 3.667 138 134 7 10 13 05 23,000 3* 2,400 855 615 3,870 110 at groundlevel 2.200545 550 3.295 135 129 9 00 3,219 150 at ground level
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