De Havilland 184429 225983650 2008-07-16T09:25:29Z Arpingstone 7095 Pic added of Hornet Moth {{lowercase|de Havilland}} {{Infobox Defunct Company |company_name = de Havilland Aircraft Company |company_logo = [[Image:De Havilland.png|150px|de Havilland logo]] |slogan = |fate = incorporated into [[Hawker Siddeley]] |successor = <!--company merged into etc.--> |foundation = 1920 |defunct = 1964 |location = [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]] |industry = [[aerospace]] |key_people = [[Geoffrey de Havilland]], founder and aircraft designer |products = civil and military aircraft, aero-engines, guided weapons |num_employees = <!--peak number of employees--> |parent = [[Hawker Siddeley]] (from 1959) |subsid = [[de Havilland Canada]] (1928)<br/>[[de Havilland Australia]] (1927)<br> [[Airspeed Ltd.]] (1940-1951) }} {{otheruse|de Havilland (disambiguation)}} Not to be confused with ''[http://www.dehavilland.co.uk Dehavilland]'', a political information service based in the [[United Kingdom]] The '''de Havilland Aircraft Company''' (less commonly spelled de Haviland) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when [[Airco]], of which [[Geoffrey de Havilland]] had been chief designer and owner, was sold to [[Birmingham Small Arms Company|BSA]]. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at [[Stag Lane Aerodrome]] in [[Edgware]], [[England]]. The company later moved to [[Hatfield Aerodrome|Hatfield]] in [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]]. De Havilland Aircraft Company was responsible for producing the first passenger jet and other innovative aircraft. ==History== Initially, de Havilland concentrated on single and two-seat [[biplanes]], essentially continuing the DH line of aircraft built by Airco, but powered by de Havilland's own [[List of aircraft engines#Piston engines#De Havilland|Gipsy engines]]. These included the [[De Havilland Gipsy Moth|Gipsy]] and [[De Havilland Tiger Moth|Tiger Moth]]s. These aircraft set many aviation records, many piloted by de Havilland himself. [[Amy Johnson]] flew solo from [[England]] to [[Australia]] in a Gipsy Moth in [[1930]]. The Moth line of aircraft continued with the more refined (and enclosed) [[de Havilland Hornet Moth|Hornet Moth]] and [[de Havilland Moth Minor|Moth Minor]], the latter being a low-wing [[monoplane]] constructed of wood. One of de Havilland's trademarks was that the name of the aircraft type was painted on using a particularly elegant Roman typeface, all in capital letters. When there was a strike at the plant, the artisans who painted the name on the planes used the same typeface to make the workers' protest signs. The [[de Havilland Dragon|DH 84 Dragon]] was the first aircraft purchased by [[Aer Lingus]], who later operated the [[de Havilland Dragon|DH 84B Dragon Express]] and the [[de Havilland Dragon Rapide|DH 89 Dragon Rapide]]. De Havilland continued to produce high-performance aircraft including the high-speed twin-piston-engine [[de Havilland DH.88|DH 88 Comet]] [[mail plane]], [[Grosvenor House|one of which]] became famous in its red livery as the winner of the [[MacRobertson Air Race]] from England to Australia. The high-performance designs and wooden construction methods culminated in perhaps the most famous de Havilland aircraft &mdash; the [[de Havilland Mosquito|Mosquito]], constructed primarily of wood because of the shortage of aluminium during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The company followed this with the even higher-performing [[de Havilland Hornet|Hornet]], which was one of the pioneers of the use of metal-wood and metal-metal [[Adhesive|bonding]] techniques. After the Second World War, de Havilland continued with leading-edge designs in both the military and civil field, but several public disasters doomed the company as an independent entity. The experimental, tailless, jet-powered [[de Havilland DH 108 Swallow]] crashed in the Thames Estuary, killing [[Geoffrey de Havilland Jr]], son of the company's founder. The [[de Havilland Comet]] was put into service in 1952 as the eagerly-anticipated first commercial jet airliner, twice as fast as previous alternatives and a source of British national pride. The Comet suffered three tragic and high-profile crashes in two years. Less well known, but equally disastrous, was the explosion of the [[de Havilland Sea Vixen|DH 110]] prototype during the 1952 [[Farnborough Airshow]], which also killed members of the public. [[Hawker Siddeley]] bought de Havilland in 1960 but kept it as a separate company until 1963. In that year it became the de Havilland Division of Hawker Siddeley Aviation<ref>[http://rafmuseum.org.uk/london/exhibitions/dehavilland/post_war.cfm RAF Museum website de Havilland History page] Access date: [[12 August]] [[2007]]</ref> and all types in production or development changed their designations from "DH' to "HS" (see [[Hawker Siddeley Trident]], [[BAe 146]] and [[BAe 125]]). The famous "DH" and the de Havilland name live on, with several hundred Moths of various types and substantial numbers of many of the company's other designs still flying all over the world.<ref>[http://www.landings.com Landings.com] Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK & US Civil Aircraft Register databases. Access date: [[12 August]] [[2007]]</ref> ==Loss of competitive advantage== Following the structural problems of the company's jets in 1954, all remaining Comets were withdrawn from service, with De Havilland launching a major effort to build a new version that would be both larger and stronger. This one, the Comet 4, enabled De Havilland to return to the skies in 1958. By then, the United States had its Boeing 707 jetliner along with the Douglas DC-8, both of which were faster and less costly to operate. Order for the Comet dried up. De Havilland also pushed into the new field of long-range missiles, developing the liquid-fueled Blue Streak. It did not enter military service but became the first stage of Europa, a launch vehicle for use in space flight. In flight tests, the Blue Streak performed well—but the upper stages, built in France and Germany, repeatedly failed. In 1973, the Europa program was canceled, with Blue Streak dying as well. The last of them wound up in the hands of a farmer who used its commodious fuel tanks to house his chickens. De Havilland returned to the airline world in 1962 with a three-engine jetliner, the Trident. However, he designed it to fit the needs of one airline and one man: Lt-Col W. [[Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside|Sholto Douglas]] later Lord Sholto Douglas, chairman of British European Airways. Other airlines found it unattractive and turned to a rival tri-jet: the Boeing 727. De Havilland built only 117 Tridents, while Boeing went on to sell over 1,800 727s. {{BAE Systems evolution}} ==de Havilland aircraft== [[Image:dh.dove.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|de Havilland Dove.|right]] [[Image:dh.foxmoth.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|de Havilland DH 83 Fox Moth.]] [[Image:De Havilland Mosquito B.35.JPG|thumb||right|de Havilland Mosquito B 35 (reconfigured to a FB Mk.VI, on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum).]] [[Image:hornet moth dh87b g-admt arp.jpg|thumb|right|1936 [[de Havilland Hornet Moth|de Havilland DH87B Hornet Moth]] taking off at [[Kemble Airport|Kemble Air Day]], [[Wiltshire]], in 2008]] {{main|List of de Havilland aircraft}} *Biplanes **[[De Havilland Biplane No. 1]] **[[De Havilland Biplane No. 2]] **[[Airco DH.1]] **[[Airco DH.2]] **[[Airco DH.3]] **[[Airco DH.4]] **[[Airco DH 5]] **[[Airco DH.6]] **[[Airco DH.9]] **[[Airco DH.9A]] **[[Airco DH.10]] Amiens **[[de Havilland Oxford|DH.11 Oxford]] **[[de Havilland Okapi|DH.14 Okapi]] **[[de Havilland DH.16|DH.16]] **[[De Havilland DH.18|DH.18]] **[[de Havilland Doncaster|DH.29 Doncaster]] **[[de Havilland DH.34|DH.34]] **[[De Havilland DH.37|DH.37]] **[[de Havilland DH.50|DH.50]] **[[de Havilland DH.51|DH.51]] **[[de Havilland DH.60 Moth|DH.60 Moth]] **[[de Havilland Giant Moth|DH 61 Giant Moth]] **[[de Havilland Hound|DH.65 Hound]] **[[de Havilland Hercules|DH.66 Hercules ]] **[[de Havilland Dragon|DH 84 Dragon/DH 84B Dragon Express]] **[[de Havilland Tiger Moth|DH 82 Tiger Moth]] **[[de Havilland Fox Moth|DH 83 Fox Moth]] **[[de Havilland Express|DH 86 Express]] **[[de Havilland Hornet Moth|DH 87 Hornet Moth]] **[[de Havilland Dragon Rapide|DH 89 Dragon Rapide]] **[[de Havilland Dragonfly|DH 90 Dragonfly]] *Civil and military piston-engineed monoplanes **[[de Havilland Humming Bird|DH 53 Humming Bird]] **[[de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth|DH.71 Tiger Moth]] **[[de Havilland Hawk Moth|DH.75 Hawk Moth]] **[[de Havilland Puss Moth|DH 80/DH 80A Puss Moth]] **[[de Havilland Swallow Moth|DH 81 Swallow Moth]] **[[de Havilland Leopard Moth|DH 85 Leopard Moth]] **[[de Havilland DH.88|DH 88 Comet]] **[[de Havilland Albatross|DH 91 Albatross]] **[[de Havilland Dolphin|DH 92 Dolphin]] **[[de Havilland Don|DH 93 Don]] **[[de Havilland Moth Minor|DH 94 Moth Minor]] **[[de Havilland Flamingo|DH 95 Flamingo]] **[[de Havilland Mosquito|DH 98 Mosquito]] A highly successful wooden plane of WWII **[[de Havilland Hornet|DH 103 Hornet]] **[[de Havilland Dove|DH 104 Dove]] **[[de Havilland Heron|DH 114 Heron]] *Civil and military jet transports **[[de Havilland Comet|DH 106 Comet]] **[[Hawker Siddeley Trident|DH 121 Trident]] later the HS Trident **[[BAe 125|DH 125]] later the HS 125 **[[BAe 146|DH 146]] later the BAe 146 *Military jets **[[de Havilland Vampire|DH 100 Vampire & Sea Vampire]] (1945) **[[de Havilland Venom|DH 112 Venom & Sea Venom]] (1952) **[[de Havilland Sea Vixen|DH 110 Sea Vixen]] (1959) *Experimental aircraft **[[de Havilland DH 108]] (1946) Examples are on display at the [[de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre]]. ==de Havilland Weapon Systems== * Missiles ** [[de Havilland Firestreak|Firestreak]] air-to-air missile ** [[Blue Streak missile|Bluestreak]] ballistic missile * Spacecraft ** [[Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle]] ==de Havilland Canada== [[Image:dehav.dash8.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|Bombardier (de Havilland Canada) Dash 8 of British European Airlines.]] [[Image:C-FGYN_Adlair_Aviation_de_Havilland_Beaver_(DHC2)_01.jpg.jpg|thumb|right|''C-FGYN'' Adlair Aviation Ltd. de Havilland Beaver (DHC2) Mk I on floats]] [[Image:Flybe.dash8.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|[[DHC-8]] at [[Bristol International Airport|Bristol Airport]].]] [[de Havilland Canada]] was formed in [[1928]] to build Moth aircraft for the [[trainer (aircraft)|training]] of Canadian airmen and continued after the war to build its own designs suited to the harsh Canadian operating environment. These are listed below. The DHC-2 through DHC-7 aircraft were all [[STOL]] designs. de Havilland (Canada) was eventually incorporated into the [[Bombardier]] group of companies and the Dash Eight remains in production with a particular emphasis being placed on its quiet operation in comparison to other aircraft of a similar size. In May 2005, Bombardier sold the rights to the out-of-production aircraft (DHC-1 through DHC-7) to Viking Air Ltd. of Sidney, British Columbia. Aircraft produced by de Havilland (Canada) Aircraft include (chronologically): *[[de Havilland Chipmunk|DHC-1 Chipmunk]] nicknamed "The Chippy" *[[de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver|DHC-2 Beaver]] *[[de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter|DHC-3 Otter]] *[[de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou|DHC-4 Caribou]] *[[de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo|DHC-5 Buffalo]] *[[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter|DHC-6 Twin Otter]] *[[de Havilland Canada Dash 7|DHC-7 Dash 7]] *[[de Havilland Canada Dash 8|DHC-8 Dash 8]] ==de Havilland Australia==<!-- This section is linked from [[Australian Army Aviation]] --> The [[de Havilland Australia|first foreign subsidiary]] was set up in Australia in March 1927 as '''de Havilland Aircraft Pty. Ltd'''. The company moved from Melbourne to Sydney during 1930 where it acted as an agency for the parent company, with assembly, repair and spares facilities for the company's popular sporting and airliner types. Aircraft design and full manufacture by de Havilland Australia (DHA) did not take place until the Second World War, when the company began production of the DH 82 Tiger Moth primary trainer at Bankstown, NSW. During the Second World War, DHA designed a small troop-carrying [[glider]] to be used if Australia was invaded by Japan. The '''DH-G1''' emerged in mid-1942 and utilised the DH 84 Dragon forward fuselage, which was in production at the same factory. The two built served as prototypes for the definitive '''DH-G2''' produced the following year but the need had passed by this time and only six DH-G2s were built. The company also began to manufacture the Mosquito, with deliveries to the RAAF being first made in 1944. A total of 212 Mosquitos were built at Bankstown between 1943 and 1948. Some of these aircraft continued in RAAF service until 1953. Licenced production of the de Havilland Vampire began in 1948, with the first of 190 built flying in 1949. Another DHA design, the [[de Havilland DHA-3 Drover]], was manufactured between 1948 and 1953. Only 20 were produced, mostly for the [[Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia|Royal Flying Doctor Service]] (RFDS), [[Trans Australia Airlines]] and [[Qantas]]. The DHA-3 Drover was a 3-engined light transport derived from the DH 104 Dove, capable of carrying six-eight passengers. It was designed as a replacement for the DH 84 Dragon, which was common in Australia due to its wartime production by DHA. The engine chosen for the new design was the de Havilland Gipsy Major Mk-10 4s. Several Drovers were later re-engined with more powerful [[Lycoming O-360]] [[Horizontally-opposed engine|horizontally-opposed]] engines to improve performance. The de Havilland Australia concern is now owned by [[Boeing Australia]] and is known as '''Hawker de Havilland Aerospace'''. * DH-G1 * DH-G2 * [[de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover|DHA-3 Drover]] ==de Havilland engines== {{main|de Havilland Engine Company}} As well as a prolific aircraft builder, de Havilland was also a significant producer of aero engines. This went against usual practice- usually engines are designed and produced by a dedicated company though in the UK [[Bristol Aeroplane]] had a substantial engine business and [[Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft]] was part of the same business as [[Armstrong-Siddeley]]<ref>After 1935, both part of the Hawker group.</ref> The successful "Gipsy" and the later developments such as the Gipsy Major were successful and popular power units, being used in nearly all of de Havilland's light designs and several aircraft from other manufacturers. Gipsy engines were relatively unusual by the 1930s/40s because they were [[in-line]] engines, at a time when radial or opposed-action engine layouts were more popular. The de Havilland company was also a competitor to [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] and [[Metrovick]] in the early years of the [[jet engine]] development. Employing the services of [[Frank Halford]] then buying out his company they produced the [[de Havilland Goblin]] and [[de Havilland Ghost]] engines for first their jet fighters then the Comet. [[Image:dehav.sea.vixen.folded.arp.jpg|thumb|right|A privately owned de Havilland Sea Vixen (''G-CVIX'') at an air show in 2005.]] * [[de Havilland Gipsy]] piston * [[de Havilland Gipsy Major]] piston * [[de Havilland Gipsy Six]] piston * [[de Havilland Gipsy Queen]] piston * [[de Havilland Ghost]] turbojet * [[de Havilland Goblin]] turbojet * [[de Havilland Spectre]] rocket * [[de Havilland Double Spectre]] rocket * [[de Havilland Sprite]] rocket * [[de Havilland Super Sprite]] rocket * [[de Havilland Gyron]] turbojet * [[de Havilland Gyron|de Havilland Gyron Junior]] turbojet * [[de Havilland Scorpion]] rocket ==Tributes== The site of the former [[Hatfield Aerodrome]], where de Havilland was based, is now used by the [[University of Hertfordshire]] for its de Havilland campus, which opened in 2003. The site also includes a business park. In addition to the university campus, there are several streets in the area named after de Havilland aircraft.<ref> [http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=521250&y=208750&z=1&sv=521250,208750&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf News Search]</ref>* ==References== ;Notes {{reflist}} ;Bibliography {{refbegin}} * Bain, Gordon. ''De Havilland: A Pictorial Tribute''. London: AirLife, 1992. ISBN 1-85648-243-X. * Bransom, Alan. ''The Tiger Moth Stor''y, Fifth Edition. Manchester, UK: Crécy Publishing Ltd., 2005. ISBN 0-859791-03-3. * Hotson, Fred. ''The De Havilland Canada Story''. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. ISBN 0-9690703-2-2. {{refend}} ==External links== {{commons|de Havilland Aircraft Company}} * [http://www.dehavillandaviation.com De Havilland Aviation Ltd - Restoring and preserving de Havilland, and other, jets] * [http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/DeHavilland/Aero49.htm History of deHavilland] * [http://www.plane-truth.com/comet.htm The deHavilland Comet, the first commercial airliner] * [http://www.planesandchoppers.com/list.asp?field=manufacturers&crit=30 Pictures of de Havillands] * [http://www.dhaetsa.org.uk de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School Association] {{Aviation lists}} [[Category:Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:de Havilland]] [[Category:Aircraft engine manufacturers of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Hawker Siddeley]] [[Category:Companies established in 1920]] [[da:De Havilland Aircraft Company]] [[de:De Havilland Aircraft Company]] [[es:De Havilland]] [[fr:De Havilland]] [[he:דה הווילנד]] [[nl:De Havilland]] [[ja:デハビランド]] [[no:De Havilland]] [[pl:De Havilland]] [[pt:De Havilland]] [[fi:De Havilland]] [[sv:De Havilland]]