Deperdussin 1910 monoplane
1910 Monoplane | |
---|---|
Deperdussin monoplane belonging to the Shuttleworth Collection. | |
Role | Sports aircraft |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Aéroplanes Deperdussin
|
Designer | Louis Béchereau |
First flight | 1910 |
The 1910 Deperdussin monoplane was the first aircraft to be built in significant quantities by
Background
Aéroplanes Deperdussin was established in 1909 by the silk broker
Design and development
The 1910 Deperdussin monoplane was a
The wings were mounted below the upper
In later examples, such as that in the Shuttleworth Collection, the horizontal tail surface was shorter, the leading edges being swept at about 45°. A distinctive feature of the type was that the trailing edge of the rudder and elevator was braced by wires leading to the control horns. The controls consisted of a wheel mounted on an inverted U-shaped yoke, the uprights of which were outside the fuselage structure. Fore and aft movement of the entire yoke operated the elevator and the wheel operated the wing warping. The rudder was controlled by pedals. The undercarriage consisted of a pair of trapezoidal frames, each braced by a diagonal member extended forwards to form a short upcurved skid to protect the propeller in the case of nose-overs, with a pair of wheels carried on a sprung cross axle between the two frames.[4]
Variants and nomenclature
The example shown at the 1910 Paris Aero Salon had a length and wingspan of 9 metres (29 ft 6 in), a wing area of 15 square metres (160 sq ft) and was powered by a 4-cylinder water-cooled Clerget engine driving a six-bladed propeller.[3]
Although Deperdussin did produce a catalogue in 1911 which lists Types A, B, C, D and E,[5] this system of nomenclature was not generally used at the time: an example of contemporary nomenclature is provided by the report in Flight on the 1911 Paris Aero Salon. Deperdussin exhibited four aircraft: these are described as the "School Type", the "Military single seater", the "Military two-seater" and the "Military three-seater" .[6] The "School Type" was powered by a 25 hp (19 kW) Anzani three-cylinder semi-radial engine, was 7.45 m long with a wingspan of 8.5 m. The "Military single seater" is powered by a 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome Omega and is slightly longer at 7.5 m. The "Military two-seater" was powered by a 70 hp (52 kW) Gnome Gamma and was 8 metres (26 ft 3 in) long with a wingspan of 10 metres (32 ft 10 in). The three-seater is described as being a different type.
Neither the Shuttleworth Collection nor the RAAF Museum use any type designation for the aircraft in their collections.
Operational history
- On February 13 Busson set a new speed record for an aircraft carrying a passenger at Reims, flying 100 km (62 mi) in 1 h 1 min 32 s, a speed of 98.74 km/h (61.35 mph), bettering the previous record over the distance by more than 15 minutes. The aircraft was described as a "Military type 2/3 seater" [7]
- On 10 March Busson set two more records over a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) circuit, carrying 3 passengers 50 km (31 mi) in 31 min 31.2 s, a speed of over 95 km/h (59 mph) and four passengers 25 km (16 mi) in 17 min 28.2 s.[8]
- Rene Vidart won third place in the 1911 Circuit of Europe air race.[9] Seven Deperdussins were entered in the race.
- James Valentine won third place in the Daily Mail 1911 Circuit of Britain race.[10] Although Valentine did not succeed in completing the course inside the stipulated time limit, the simple fact of his finishing the course provided good publicity for Deperdussin.
- Second and third places in the Belgian National Circuit race, flown by Lanser and Hessel[11]
Deperdussin, like most contemporary French aircraft manufacturers, also ran their own flying schools, at Étampes, Pau, and Bétheny in France and at Brooklands in England, and many early aviators learned to fly on Deperdussin aircraft.
Two examples were bought by the Australian government and formed part of the equipment of the Central Flying School at Point Cook, together with two
Survivors
- The Shuttleworth Collection based at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire, UK has a 1910 airworthy example (G-AANH) powered by an Anzani Y-Type 30 hp 3-cylinder radial engine. The example is believed to be the 43rd Deperdussin produced and the world's second oldest airworthy type. It is flown at home airshows during the summer months subject to weather and serviceability.[13]
- Norsk Teknisk Museum, Oslo[14]
- RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Australia (Replica)[15]
- Australian War Memorial[16]
Specifications
Data from Flight: 19 August 1911, p.714.[17]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 7.24 m (23 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 8.76 m (28 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 14 m2 (150 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 280 kg (617 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Anzani 3-cyl. Fan 40-45 hp3 cylinder air-cooled semi-radial, 37 kW (50 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed, 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) diameter
Performance
- Maximum speed: 90 km/h (56 mph, 49 kn)
Notes
- ^ "Doings at Issy". Flight: 891–2. 29 October 1910.
- ^ "The Deperdussin Monoplane". Flight: 713. 19 August 1911.
- ^ a b "Silhouettes from the Paris Show: The Deperdussin Monoplane". Flight: 1050. 24 December 1910.
- ^ "The Deperdussin Monoplane". Flight: 715. 19 August 1911.
- ^ "Deperdussin". Marelibri. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "A Tabular Description of the Aeroplanes Exhibited at the Third Paris Aero Salon". Flight: 1111. 23 December 1911.
- ^ "Les Records du Mode avec Passenger". l'Aérophile (in French): 102. 1 March 1911.
- ^ "Les Records avec 3 et 4 Passengers". l'Aérophile (in French): 133. 15 March 1911.
- ^ "Finish Of Aviation Circuit". News. The Times. No. 39632. London. 8 July 1911. col D, p. 12.
- ^ "Table of Competitors' Times, Distances &c". Flight. 26 July 1911.
- ^ "The Belgian National Circuit". Flight: 764. 2 September 1911.
- ^ "National Heritage Places - Point Cook Air Base". Australian Government. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ The Shuttleworth Collection - 1910 Deperdussin Archived 2017-06-14 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 07 June 2017
- ^ Teknisk Museum
- ^ RAAF Museum, Point Cook
- ^ "Deperdussin taxi-type single seat training monoplane : Central Flying School". www.awm.gov.au.
- ^ The Deperdussin Monoplane
References
- Hallion, Richard P. (2003). Taking Flight. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195160352.
- ISBN 978-0764307522.