De Havilland Gipsy

The de Havilland Gipsy was an aircraft engine manufacturer of the British de Havilland Aircraft Company in the 1920s. It was used in many light aircraft of the interwar period.

The Gipsy was an air-cooled 4- cylinder in-line engine and was created in 1927 to plans by Frank Halfords. It was the first built by de Havilland engine.

History

1925 Geoffrey de Havilland needed an inexpensive drive for the light sport aircraft developed by him. Frank Halford then proposed to construct a four-cylinder engine by combined components of a proven eight-cylinder engine from Renault with parts of vehicle engines. The result was a 60 horsepower motor, as the A.D.C. Cirrus went into production.

The sales success of the Moth led in 1927 to supply problems of the engine manufacturer. Geoffrey de Havilland therefore made ​​the decision to build its own engine production He entrusted again Frank Halford with the development of the engine, which is largely based on the Cirrus engine.

The prototype still had an output of 135 hp. This drive was first used in a DH71 Tiger Moth to use. In the production version of the Gipsy I, however, was content with 98 hp (73 kW). Later, the more powerful version Gipsy II was 120 hp (90 kW). The Moth aircraft in which both engine versions were used, were referred from now on as DH60G Gipsy Moth.

One problem, however, proved the upward cylinder. A new version, in which the cylinders were arranged on the bottom, was named III gypsy. On this basis, Halford developed the Gipsy Major and the Minor Gipsy. Later followed a variant with six cylinders, the Gipsy Six. In the next few years de Havilland offered his engines to other aircraft manufacturers, which they found a larger distribution.

Variants

  • Gipsy I - original version with 98 hp (73 kW) and stationary cylinders
  • Gipsy II - piston stroke 140 mm enlarged, 120 hp ( 90 kW) at a speed of 2300 rpm
  • Gipsy III - Gipsy II with hanging cylinders
  • Gipsy IV - smaller version of the Gipsy III with 82 hp (61 kW)

Use (selection)

  • De Havilland Gipsy Moth
  • De Havilland Tiger Moth
  • Airspeed Ferry
  • Bartel BM -4
  • Blackburn Bluebird
  • Blackburn Segrave
  • Miles Hawk
  • PZL.19
  • RWD -4
  • Saro Windhover
  • Spartan Arrow

Specifications ( Gipsy I)

  • Type: Air-cooled 4- cylinder in-line engine
  • Bore: 114 mm
  • Stroke: 128 mm
  • Capacity: 5.23 l
  • Power: 73 kW (98 hp) at an engine speed of 2,100 rpm
  • Compression ratio: 5.0:1
De Havilland DH.60 Moth De Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth
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