| DH.50 | |
|---|---|
 A DH.50J ofQantas. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Transport biplane |
| Manufacturer | de Havilland |
| Primary users | Qantas |
| Number built | 38 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1923 |
| First flight | 30 July 1923 |
| Retired | 1942 |
Thede Havilland DH.50 was a 1920s British large single-enginedbiplane transport built byde Havilland atStag Lane Aerodrome,Edgware, and licence-built inAustralia,Belgium, andCzechoslovakia.
In the early 1920s,Geoffrey de Havilland realised thatwar surplus aircraft would need replacing, so his company designed a four-passenger-cabin biplane, theDH.50, using experience gained with the earlierde Havilland DH.9. The first DH.50 (registered G-EBFN) flew in August 1923 and was used within a few days byAlan Cobham to win a prize for reliability during trial flights betweenCopenhagen andGothenburg. Only 17 aircraft were built by de Havilland; the rest were produced under licence. The different aircraft had a wide variety ofengine fits.
In 1924, Cobham won theKing's Cup Race air race in G-EBFN averaging 106 mph (171 km/h). Cobham made several long-range flights with the prototype until he replaced it with the second aircraft. The second aircraft (registered G-EBFO) was re-engined with theArmstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine and was designated theDH.50J. Cobham flew the aircraft on a 16,000 mi (25,750 km) flight fromCroydon Airport toCape Town between November 1925 and February 1926. The aircraft was later fitted with twin floats (produced byShort Brothers atRochester) for a survey flight of Australia in 1926. On the outward flight from England to Australia, Cobham's engineer (A.B. Elliot) was shot and killed when they were overflying the desert betweenBaghdad andBasra. He was replaced by Sergeant Ward, aRoyal Air Force engineer who was given permission to join the flight by his commanding officer. Also in 1926, a DH.50A floatplane was used in the first international flight made by theRoyal Australian Air Force. TheChief of the Air Staff,Group CaptainRichard Williams, and two crew members undertook a three-month, 10,000 mi (16,093 km) round trip fromPoint Cook, Victoria to thePacific Islands.[1]
The aircraft was popular in Australia and de Havilland licensed its production there, leading to 16 aircraft being built.Qantas built four DH.50As and three DH.50Js, Western Australian Airlines built three DH.50As, andLarkin Aircraft Supply Company built one DH.50A.[2]SABCA built three Puma-engined DH.50As inBrussels, Belgium for use bySABENA on routes in theBelgian Congo. The last one survived until 1937.[3]Aero built seven inPrague, then in Czechoslovakia.[4] The British-built QANTAS DH.50 (G-AUER/VH-UER) was modified in Longreach, Queensland, to suit theAustralian Inland Mission as an aerial ambulance. The aircraft was calledVictory by theRev. J Flynn and was the first aircraft used by theRoyal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. One of the Australian produced machines stalled, leading to a crash[5] and death of pilot Robert McConachy (who was also an aeroplane designer) in 1940.
Data from De Havilland Aircraft since 1909[7]
General characteristics
Performance
Related lists
