de Havilland DH.50

DH.50
	A DH.50J ofQantas.
Role	Transport biplane
Manufacturer	de Havilland
First flight	30 July 1923
Introduction	1923
Retired	1942
Primary users	Qantas; Imperial Airways
Number built	38

Thede Havilland DH.50was a 1920s British large single-enginedbiplanetransport built byde HavillandatStag Lane Aerodrome,Edgware,and licence-built inAustralia,Belgium,andCzechoslovakia.

History[edit]

In the early 1920s,Geoffrey de Havillandrealised thatwarsurplus aircraft would need replacing, so his company designed a four-passenger-cabin biplane, theDH.50,using experience gained with the earlierde Havilland DH.9.The first DH.50 (registered G-EBFN) flew in August 1923 and was used within a few days byAlan Cobhamto win a prize for reliability during trial flights betweenCopenhagenandGothenburg.Only 17 aircraft were built by de Havilland; the rest were produced under licence. The different aircraft had a wide variety ofenginefits.

In 1924, Cobham won theKing's Cup Raceair race in G-EBFN averaging 106 mph (171 km/h). Cobham made several long-range flights with the prototype until he replaced it with the second aircraft. The second aircraft (registered G-EBFO) was re-engined with theArmstrong Siddeley Jaguarengine and was designated theDH.50J.Cobham flew the aircraft on a 16,000 mi (25,750 km) flight fromCroydon AirporttoCape Townbetween November 1925 and February 1926. The aircraft was later fitted with twin floats (produced byShort BrothersatRochester) for a survey flight of Australia in 1926. On the outward flight from England to Australia, Cobham's engineer (A.B. Elliot) was shot and killed when they were overflying the desert betweenBaghdadandBasra.He was replaced by Sergeant Ward, aRoyal Air Forceengineer who was given permission to join the flight by his commanding officer. Also in 1926, a DH.50A floatplane was used in the first international flight made by theRoyal Australian Air Force.TheChief of the Air Staff,Group Captain Richard Williams,and two crew members undertook a three-month, 10,000 mi (16,093 km) round trip fromPoint Cook, Victoriato thePacific Islands.^[1]

Licence production[edit]

The aircraft was popular in Australia and de Havilland licensed its production there, leading to 16 aircraft being built.Qantasbuilt four DH.50As and three DH.50Js, Western Australian Airlines built three DH.50As, andLarkin Aircraft Supply Companybuilt one DH.50A.^[2]SABCAbuilt three Puma-engined DH.50As inBrussels,Belgium for use bySABENAon routes in theBelgian Congo.The last one survived until 1937.^[3]Aerobuilt seven inPrague,then in Czechoslovakia.^[4]The British-built QANTAS DH.50 (G-AUER/VH-UER) was modified in Longreach, Queensland, to suit theAustralian Inland Missionas an aerial ambulance. The aircraft was calledVictoryby theRev. J Flynnand was the first aircraft used by theRoyal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.

Variants[edit]

DH.50:Single-engined light transport biplane.

DH.50A:Powered by one 240 hp (179 kW)Siddeley Pumainline engine.
DH.50J:The Australian-built Qantas fleet were powered by one 450 hp (287 kW)Bristol JupiterMk IVradial engine.Other radial engines were fitted in other aircraft in the DH50J series.^[5]

Operators[edit]

Australia

Australian Aerial Services Ltd
Holdens Air Transport

Qantas
Rockhampton Aerial Services Ltd
Royal Australian Air Force^[2]
West Australian Airlines Ltd

Belgium

Sabena

Czechoslovakia

ČSA

Iraq

Iraq Petroleum Transport Company Ltd

New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force

United Kingdom

Air Taxis Ltd
Brooklands School of Flying Ltd
Imperial Airways Ltd
North Sea Aerial and General Transport Company Ltd
Northern Air Lines Ltd

Specifications (DH.50 with Puma engine)[edit]

Data fromDe Havilland Aircraft since 1909^[6]

General characteristics

Crew:1
Capacity:4 passengers
Length:29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)
Wingspan:42 ft 9 in (13.03 m)
Height:11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)
Wing area:434 sq ft (40.3 m²)
Empty weight:2,413 lb (1,095 kg)
Gross weight:4,200 lb (1,905 kg)
Powerplant:1 ×Siddeley Puma6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 230 hp (170 kW)
Propellers:2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed:109 mph (175 km/h, 95 kn)
Cruise speed:95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn)
Range:380 mi (610 km, 330 nmi)
Service ceiling:14,600 ft (4,500 m)
Rate of climb:605 ft/min (3.07 m/s)
Wing loading:8.99 lb/sq ft (43.9 kg/m²)
Power/mass:0.059 hp/lb (0.097 kW/kg)

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

^Stephens 2006,pp. 39–41.
^^a ^bWilson 1994,p. 216
^Stroud 1988,p. 43.
^Crook 1997,p. 21.
^Gunn 1985^{[page needed]}
^Jackson 1987,p. 190

Bibliography[edit]

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft.Orbis Publishing.(part work 1982–85)
Crook, John (1997).Air Transport the First Fifty Years.The Archive Photographs Series. Stroud: Chalford. p. 21.ISBN 0-7524-0790-2.
Grant, James Ritchie. "Anti-Clockwise: Australia the Wrong Way".Air Enthusiast,No. 82, July–August 1999, pp. 60–63.ISSN 0143-5450
Gunn, John (1985).The Defeat of Distance: Qantas 1919–1939.Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.ISBN 978-0702217074.
Jackson, A. J. (1973).British Civil Aircraft since 1919.Vol. 2. London: Putnam.ISBN 0-370-10010-7.
Jackson, A. J. (1987).De Havilland Aircraft since 1909(Second ed.). London: Putnam.ISBN 0-85177-802-X.
Kucera, Pavel (August 1990). "Czech fifties — Part 1".Aeroplane Monthly.Vol. 18, no. 8. pp. 490–493.ISSN 0143-7240.
Kucera, Pavel (September 1990). "Czech fifties — Part 2".Aeroplane Monthly.Vol. 18, no. 9. pp. 551–553.ISSN 0143-7240.
Prins, François (Spring 1994). "Pioneering Spirit: The QANTAS Story".Air Enthusiast.No. 53. pp. 24–32.ISSN 0143-5450.
Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001].The Royal Australian Air Force: A History.London: Oxford University Press. pp. 39–41.ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
Stroud, John (January 1988). "Wings of Peace".Aeroplane Monthly.Vol. 16, no. 1. pp. 41–46.ISSN 0143-7240.
Wilson, Stewart (1994).Military Aircraft of Australia.Weston Creek: Aerospace Publications. p. 216.ISBN 1875671080.
"A New De Havilland Commercial Aeroplane".Flight.Vol. XV, no. 32. 9 August 1923. pp. 473–477.Retrieved6 January2024.

External links[edit]

A photograph of the float-equipped DH.50S

[FOOTNOTEStephens200639–41-1] Stephens 2006,pp. 39–41.

[Wilson-2] Wilson 1994,p. 216

[FOOTNOTEStroud198843-3] Stroud 1988,p. 43.

[FOOTNOTECrook199721-4] Crook 1997,p. 21.

[5] Gunn 1985^{[page needed]}

[Jackson_DH_p190-6] Jackson 1987,p. 190

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Aero Vodochody/Aeroaircraft
1919-1938	Ae 01 Ae 02 Ae 03 Ae 04 Ae 10 A.8 A.10 A.11 A.12 A.14 A.15 A.17 A.18 A.19 A.20 A.21 A.22 A.23 A.24 A.25 A.26 A.27 A.29 A.30 A.32 A.34 A.35 A.38 A.42 A.46 A.100 A.101 A.102 A.104 A.125 A.130 A.134 A.200 A.204 A.230 A.300 A.304 A.330 A.430
1945-1992	Ae 45 Ae 50 Ae 145 Ae 245 Ae 345 HC-2 HC-3 L-29 L-39 L-59 L-60
1993-present	L-39NG L-159 Ae 270
Under licence	DH.50A C-3 C-103 D-44 MB.200

v t e Australian Defence Forceaircraft serial-number prefixes
Italicsindicate prefixes not used.
RAAF Series One 1921–34	A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12
RAAF Series Two 1935–63	A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 A16 A17 A18 A19 A20 A21 A22 A23 A24 A25 A26 A27 A28 A29 A30 A30 A31 A32 A33 A34 A35 A36 A37 A37 A37 A38 A39 A40 A41 A42 A43 A44 A44 A45 A46 A47 A48 A49 A50 A51 A52 A53 A54 A55 A56 A57 A58 A59 A60 A61 A62 A63 A64 A65 A66 A67 A68 (I) A68 (II) A69 A70 A71 A72 A73 A74 A75 A76 A77 A78 A79 A80 A81 A82 A83 A84 A85 A86 A87 A88 A89 A90 A91 A92 A93 A94 A95 A96 A97 A98 A99 A100
RAN Series¹	N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8 N9 N10 N11 N12 N13 N14 N15 N16
RAAF Series Three Tri-Service series 1964–present	A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 A16 A17/N17 A18 A19 A20 A21 A22/N22 A23 N24 A25 A26 A27 N28 N29 A30 A31 A32 A33 A34 A35 A36 A37 A38 A39 A40/N40 A41 N42 A43 A44 A45 A46 A47 N48 N49 A51 N52 A53 A54 A55 A56 A69
Lists	Aircraft of the RAAF Aircraft of the RAN Aircraft of the Australian Army
¹Prior to adoption of Tri-Service prefixes.