Dufaux 4

Dufaux 4
Role	Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer	Armand and Henri Dufaux
Designer	Armand and Henri Dufaux
First flight	17 December 1909

Emile Taddéoli

and his Dufaux 4, 1910

The Dufaux 4 was an experimental aircraft built in Switzerland in 1909 and which was originally constructed as an unnamed biplane, the third aircraft constructed by the brothers Armand and Henri Dufaux. The aircraft was entirely conventional for the era - a two-bay biplane with unstaggered wings of equal span and a triangular-section fuselage. Construction began in mid-September 1909 and work proceeded rapidly, as the brothers hoped to claim a CHF 1,000 prize put up by the Automobile Club de Suisse for the first Swiss-built aircraft to fly a 1 km closed-circuit.

In early December, flight tests commenced at a field in

engine

was undamaged.

The brothers quickly rebuilt the machine in time to display it at an aviation meet at Colombier, but due to the inclement weather, did not attempt to fly it. By this time the brothers had started building the design, now dubbed the Dufaux 4, in series and were accepting orders for aircraft. In May, the aircraft was demonstrated for the Swiss military, but the brothers were informed that the aircraft was not suitable for military purposes.

The Dufaux 4 is perhaps best remembered for a successful aerial crossing of

St. Gingolph to Geneva

at an altitude of around 150 m (500 ft), taking 56 minutes and 5 seconds for the crossing, and collecting a prize of CHF 5,000 that had been put up by the Perrot-Duval Company for this feat.

An example is preserved at the

Swiss Transport Museum

.

Specifications

Data from ^[citation needed]

General characteristics

Crew: 1 pilot
Length: 9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 8.50 m (27 ft 11 in)
Height: 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 24.0 m² (258 sq ft)
Empty weight: 180 kg (397 lb)
Gross weight: 320 kg (705 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Anzani 3-cylinder fan engine , 19 kW (25 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 60 km/h (37 mph, 32 kn)
Service ceiling: 500 m (1,600 ft)

References

Media related to Dufaux 4 at Wikimedia Commons
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 347.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 892 Sheet 47.
"The Dufaux biplane". Flight: 835–36. 25 December 1909. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
"Lake Geneva traversed by Swiss machine". Flight: 719. 3 September 1910. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
Swiss Museum of Transport
Geneva aviation pioneers