1/20/2024 0 Comments Mailplane 3![]() Robert John Waight was the pilot for the first flight. The Albatross mailplanes were built first, and the initial prototype flew for the first time on. ![]() This view of ‘Frobisher’ shows the additional windows incorporated into the airliner version of the Albatross. The mailplane had two 9 gal (7.5 L) oil tanks per engine the airliner had just one oil tank per engine. The mailplane Albatross had four 330 gal (1,250 L) fuel tanks mounted in the cabin, while the airliner had one 270 gal (1,022 L) and one 170 gal (644 L) fuel tank mounted under the cabin floor. The mailplane utilized split flaps, while the airliner used slotted flaps. The mailplane had four cabin windows on each side of its fuselage, compared to six for the airliner version. The mailplane was designed to carry 1,000 lb (454 kg) of mail 2,500 mi (4,023 km) against a 40 mph (64 km/h) headwind, while the airliner was designed to carry 22 passengers and four crew 1,000 mi (1,609 km). The basic structure of the mailplane and airliner versions of the Albatross were the same, but the aircraft did have their differences. Each engine turned a two-blade, constant-speed, 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) diameter de Havilland propeller via a. The opening of the exit flap controlled the engine temperature. The air was forced through the cylinders’ cooling fins and into the Vee of the engine, where an exit flap on the bottom of the cowling allowed the air to escape. The cooling air flowed forward along the outer side of the cylinders, from the back of the engine to the front. The ducts were located in the propeller’s slipstream on both sides of each engine nacelle. Cooling air was brought in via pressure-ducts in the wing’s leading edge. Each engine was housed in a very tight-fitting, streamlined cowling. The Gipsy Twelve produced 525 hp (391 kW) at 2,600 rpm for takeoff power, 425 hp (317 kW) at 2,400 rpm for maximum climbing power, and 320 hp (239 kW) at 2,200 rpm for maximum economical cruse power. The engine had a 4.65 in (118 mm) bore, a 5.51 in (140 mm) stroke, and a total displacement of 1,121 cu in (18.4 L). The Gipsy Twelve was an air-cooled, supercharged, inverted, V-12 engine. This mailplane version would later be named ‘Faraday.’įour de Havilland Gipsy Twelve (King I) engines powered the Albatross. Note its original tail and how close the vertical stabilizers are to the fuselage. The main wheels retracted inward and were fully enclosed in the wing’s center section. The aircraft used a conventional taildragger landing gear arrangement. Due to control issues, the tails were redesigned and positioned at the ends of the horizontal stabilizer. ![]() Originally, the vertical stabilizers were positioned near the fuselage, about a third of the way along the horizontal stabilizer. The aircraft’s control surfaces were fabric-covered. The thin wing was virtually sealed and would provide some level of buoyancy in the event of a water landing. The wing of the Albatross was constructed as one piece from a spruce structure covered with two layers of diagonal spruce planking. Cabin construction allowed for pressurization, but such a system was never designed for the aircraft. ![]() The wood layers were cemented together and formed under pressure. The long, circular fuselage had a steady taper toward the tail and was made of balsa wood sandwiched between thin layers of either cedar or birch, depending on location. Hagg, the Albatross was an exceptionally clean, four-engine monoplane constructed almost entirely of wood. The flagship of Imperial Airways F class: the de Havilland DH.91 Albatross ‘Frobisher.’ Its clean lines can be seen in the image above.ĭesigned by Arthur E. ![]()
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