De Havilland Hornet Moth

Infobox Aircraft
name = DH.87 Hornet Moth
type = Trainer and Tourer
manufacturer = de Havilland



caption = 1936 de Havilland DH87B Hornet Moth
designer =
first flight = 9 May 1934
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = Great Britain
more users =
produced = 1935-1938
number built = 164
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The de Havilland DH.87 Hornet Moth was a single-engined cabin biplane designed by the de Havilland Aircraft Company in 1934 as a potential replacement for its highly successful de Havilland Tiger Moth trainer. Although its side-by-side two-seat cabin made it closer in configuration to the modern aircraft that military trainee pilots would later fly, there was no interest from the RAF and the aircraft was put into production for private buyers.

Design and development

The prototype first flew at Hatfield on 9 May 1934 and, with two other pre-production aircraft, embarked on an extensive test program that resulted in the first production aircraft (designated DH.87As) completed in August 1935 having wings of greater outboard taper. These were found to cause problems, especially when landing in three-point attitude: there was a tendency for the tips to stall, causing embarrassment to the pilot and often damage to the aeroplane. From early 1936 de Havilland offered owners of the DH.87A replacement wings of the new squarer shape at a reduced price in exchange for the original wings, while new aircraft built with the square wings (which reduced overall span by 8 inches / 20 cm) were designated DH.87Bs (from about Builder's Number 68). The alterations slightly increased overall weight at some penalty to performance.

Production was 164 aircraft, of which 84 were placed on the British Register. Many were impressed for military service during World War II, mostly being used by the RAF as liaison aircraft.

Small numbers survived the war but with time became highly prized by vintage aircraft enthusiasts and a small number are still flying nearly seventy years after production ceased.

Variants

* DH.87 Hornet Moth : prototypes
* DH.87A Hornet Moth : production model
* DH.87B Hornet Moth : production model with wing modification

Operators

;UK
*Royal Air Force
**No. 24 Squadron RAF
**No. 116 Squadron RAF
**No. 510 Squadron RAF
**No. 526 Squadron RAF
**No. 527 Squadron RAF
**No. 528 Squadron RAF
**No. 529 Squadron RAF

Specifications (DH.87B)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=De Havilland Aircraft since 1909 Jackson 1987, p.355.]
crew=1, pilot
capacity=1, passenger or trainee
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 24 ft 11½ in
length alt= 7.61 m
span main= 31 ft 11 in
span alt= 9.73 m
height main= 6 ft 7 in
height alt= 2.01 m
area main= 244.5 ft²
area alt= 22.7 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 1,241 lb
empty weight alt= 564 kg
loaded weight main= 1,950 lb
loaded weight alt= 886 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= de Havilland Gipsy Major 1
type of prop=4 cylinder air-cooled inverted straight engine
number of props=1
power main= 130 hp
power alt= 97 kW
power original=
max speed main= 124 mph
max speed alt= 108 knots, 200 km/h
cruise speed main= 105 mph
cruise speed alt= 91 knots, 169 km/h
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 620 miles
range alt= 539 NM, 998 km
ceiling main= 14,800 ft
ceiling alt= 4,500 m
climb rate main= 690 ft/min
climb rate alt= 3.51 m/s
loading main=7.97 lb/ft²
loading alt=39.0 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=0.067 hp/lb
power/mass alt=0.11 kW/kg
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

In fiction

A Hornet Moth appears in Ken Follett's 2002 suspense novel "Hornet Flight".

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Jackson, A.J. "De Havilland Aircraft since 1909". London: Putnam, Third edition, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-802-X.

External links

* [http://www.dhmothclub.co.uk/ The de Havilland Moth Club]