| D.I | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Racing aircraft Type of aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Avions Ponnier |
| Designer | Alfred Pagny |
| First flight | early 1912 |
| Developed into | Ponnier D.III |
TheHanriot D.I was a Frenchmonoplaneracing aircraft, designed inFrance in 1912 and strongly influenced by Nieuport practice. Examples were built and raced both in France and theUK during 1912.
During 1911 René Hanriot hired Alfred Pagny, previously atNieuport, as a designer. Pagny's designs reflected Nieuport practice, particularly with the replacement of Hanriot's graceful boat-like shellfuselages with flat sided, deep chested ones.[1] His first such monoplane design for Hanriot was the D.I, often known as theHanriot-Pagny monoplane though since Hanriot sold his aircraft interests to another of his designers, Louis Alfred Ponnier, later in 1911 this aircraft is alternatively known as thePonnier D.I.[2]
The Hanriot D.I was a single seat, Nieuport stylemid wing monoplane, with slightly tapered, straight edged wings.Landing wires on each side met over the fuselage at a short pyramidal four strut pylon like that on theNieuport IV. The single, opencockpit was under the pylon. Like the Nieuport, it had a braced, broadchord tailplane, with a strongly sweptleading edge, mounted on top of the rectangular section fuselage and a deep, broadchordrudder with nofin moving between theelevators. The undercarriage used the standard Hanriot box with two longitudinal skids forming the lower edge of a cross-braced box, with four legs, a cross bar and an axle forming the other sides. The skids were upturned at the front to avoid nose-overs and the rear of the skid ran on the ground on landing, slowing the aircraft and preventing the tail from hitting the ground.[2][3]
The D.I was powered either by a 50 hp (37 kW)Gnomerotary engine, partially enclosed in an oil deflecting cowling, open at the bottom[2][3] or a 6-cylinderAnzani staticradial engine of the same power.[4]
A D.I performed atRheims in both 1912 and 1913.[2] In August and September 1912 one appeared in theUK, first atBrooklands and then racing atHendon.[5] In February 1913 a Hanriot, very similar to the D.I but fitted with an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome engine made a flight across theAlps.[6]
At least one D.I was built early in 1912 in the UK by the recently founded Hanriot (England) Ltd company.[7]
The Hanriot D.I formed the basis of the much more powerful but otherwise similarPonnier D.III 1913Gordon Bennett Trophy racer.
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Data from Opdycke, p.208[2]
General characteristics
Performance
