Avro Duigan 1911

When Duigan Biplane ( Duigan biplane ) is a two-seat biplane aircraft of the British manufacturer Avro.

Development

John R. Duigan was a wealthy Australian aircraft pioneer, who's had a plane to the pattern of the Farman biplane in 1910 and this machine introduced in May 1911 in Melbourne to the public for the first time.

After several incidents during several flights Duigan, decided to attend the flight school Avro at Brooklands, and ordered at the same time Avro aircraft, which was built according to Duigan's specifications.

The machine was constructed similar to the Avro Type D, ie, a two-seater with dual controls, but with rectangular executed and with a tubular steel frame reinforced elevator and rudders. In the bottom area under the seats celluloid windows were installed to allow passengers the downward view. In the manufacture of the machine selected woods were used.

As was the common practice, the aircraft was divided into several sections, which allowed for easy disassembly for the purpose of transport.

The chassis gave way completely deviated from the previous Avro practice. It was modeled on the machines of Nieuport uses a leaf-sprung axle and a centrally mounted skis. Moreover, in the area of ​​the chassis several wires were stretched, pressed with which the grass has grown too high when landing down and so a rollover could be prevented. This type of landing gear proved so successful that it was used for a long period at the Avro aircraft in a slightly modified and improved version.

In December 1911 Duigan began first flight tests with his new machine. Although he tested various propellers, however he failed to lift the aircraft.

So Duigan brought his plane in March 1912 for rectification in the Avro plant after Brooklands back to where the Alveston engine against a 26.1 kW ( 35.5 hp) strong engine ENV type D was replaced. While this brought the machine finally in the air, but only one fly in good weather was possible due to low engine power.

So Duigan put itself at hand, made ​​its own propeller and carried out performance-enhancing measures on the engine. He was finally able to reach heights of up to about 100 m, which he increased to about 200 m after the final acquisition of his pilot's license in late April with the aircraft in April 1912.

Use

The machine took with Duigan in his Australian homeland; there he built it for - this replica crashed way directly in his first start off - and sold in June 1912, the copy made ​​by Avro at the Lakes Flying Company in Windermere / England. There, the aircraft was converted to a seaplane with central float and was named Sea Bird ( seabird - aquatic bird ).

The new owner took on the aircraft changes related to structural ago, built a a 37.3 kW ( 50.7 hp) Gnome engine, removed the dual controls and could be the performance of the machine considerably improve. Also the central float was soon replaced by a set of twin floats. It is known that with the Sea Bird in the years 1912 and 1913 a large number has been carried out on pleasure flights with holiday guests.

The end of 1912 were carried out with the aircraft experiments with a amphibious landing gear, but set after an accident on 18 December 1912.

In January 1915, the Lakes Flying Company was taken over by the Northern Aircraft Company, and the " Sea Bird " has now been renamed to "Avro Biplane Tractor ". Now was again the conversion to dual control, and this marked the end of this airplane. As a student pilot on June 5, 1915 rose with the modified machine, he was not thinking of the modified gravity, which was now too far behind. He wanted to make with the engine shut off a water landing glide, nose pressed to late forward, and the machine crashed with the tail from moving forward about 100 meters above sea level in the lake. The pilot was fortunately unhurt, but the aircraft was destroyed.

Construction

The Duigan Biplane was a zweistieliger biplane with equal length upper and lower wings, the fuselage was constructed in fabric-covered wood.

The chassis consisted of a two-wheeled sprung main gear with an attached in the middle of the skid and a sprung tail skid (as Sea Bird first with a central float, later with twin floats - equipped - for a short time with an amphibious landing gear ).

Specifications

A E.N.V. -Type -D engine with 26.1 kW ( 35.5 hp)