De Havilland Company Profile 1920-1964

100 Pages·2014·50.406 MB·English

by  Martyn Chorlton

COMPANY PROFILE 19201964
De Havilland
MILITARY TYPES
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View 3 Mosquitos & the
Comet 1A – the world’s first
jet airliner. Get close up to
all our aircraft and meet our
Renovation Crew.
www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk
de Havilland Aircraft Museum,
Salisbury Hall, London Colney,
Hertfordshire AL2 1BU 01727 826400
De Havilland
Company Profi le 1920-1964
MANUFACTURERS OF INNOVATIVE,
GROUNDBREAKING, WORLD CHANGING AIRCRAFT
ONE MAN AND HIS AIRCRAFT
W
hile de Havilland Company Limited did not come end of the war. Its performance and operational success was
into being until 1920, this Company Profi le covers incredible and its adaptability saw it excel in the role of a
the period from Geoff rey de Havilland’s fi rst bomber, night fi ghter, fi ghter bomber, photographic
attempts to fl y in 1909, through to his departure reconnaissance and maritime strike aircraft.
from Airco in 1920. This crucial, early part of de Havilland’s De Havilland was quick off the mark when it came to the
career, saw him rise from an enthusiastic amateur designing jet engine and having Frank Halford as part of the team,
his own aircraft in a shed, to a key fi gure and test pilot, meant that the company could introduce the RAF’s second jet
working for the fl edgling Royal Aircraft Factory at fi ghter into service, the Vampire. De Havilland also produced
Farnborough within a relatively short space of time. By the their own engines, beginning with the successful Gipsy, which
beginning of the First World War, de Havilland had become powered the Tiger Moth, Devon and Heron and, after buying
Chief Designer at Airco, where he created several successful Frank Halford’s company, the Goblin and Ghost jet engines,
military machines, including the D.H.2, D.H.4 and D.H.9A. The the latter powering the early Comets, were also produced by
latter was destined to serve on into the 1930s and provide de Havilland Engines. Other subsidiaries that are not covered
Geoff rey’s own company with some vital ‘bread and butter in this issue, also included de Havilland Canada and de
work’ which helped to drag it through the fi rst decade of its Havilland Australia, the former being responsible for the
existence. design of the Tiger Moth replacement, the D.H.C-1 Chipmunk.
One of de Havilland’s strengths was knowing when to Despite losing both of his sons in aircraft accidents,
pitch the right type of aircraft at the market at the right time, Geoff rey de Havilland remained at the helm of his company
which resulted in very few military machines appearing right to the end when it was eventually consumed by the
during the 1920s and early 1930s. On the back of the Moth Hawker Siddeley Group. His contribution to the British aircraft
craze, the iconic Tiger Moth made its appearance in the industry was colossal and many of the aircraft covered in this
mid-1930s, launching de Havilland back on to the military Company Profi le have remained household names from the
scene with a vengeance. While the Tiger Moth is well-known day that they fi rst fl ew. Tiger Moth, Mosquito, Vampire,
for its outstanding service as a trainer, there is only one Venom, Comet and Sea Vixen are just a few; all of them sown
aircraft that the majority will speak off when it comes to de into the tapestry of an industry that, only a few decades ago,
Havilland and its contribution to the Second World War – the led from the front.
Mosquito. The world’s fi rst multi-role combat aircraft, this
private-venture left the competition standing when it fi rst Martyn Chorlton
appeared in 1940 and continued to rule the roost right to the – August 2014
The 7,781st and last Mosquito
outside the production hangar
at Chester on November 15,
1950, with some of those who
built her. Via Aeroplane
All images are from the author’s collection and the Aeroplane archive unless otherwise specifi ed. Acknowledgements Claire Chorlton (Proofi ng), Andy Hay (Profi les (www.fl yingart.co.uk)),
Julia Johnston (Advertising Sales Manager), Rob Terry (Design) and Karen Wayman (Production Manager).
Cover Main image; One of the most outstanding and totally overlooked de Havilland designs ever to fl y was the wonderful Hornet, single-seat twin-engined fi ghter. Having entered service just a little too late to serve in the
Second World War, the aircraft’s service career was destined to be short and all, who fl ew it, knew how lucky they were to be in command of such a powerful fi ghter. Aeroplane
From left to right; From left to right, the D.H.9A, the D.H.98 Mosquito and the D.H.110.
For more than a century of aviation history and for further titles in this series, visit
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CONTENTS
611 . . . THE DE HAVILLAND STORY  GIFTED ENGINEERS 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.56 HYENA
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AND DESIGNERS 2829 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.60 CIRRUS & GENET MOTH
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.1 3031 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.60M GIPSY MOTH
13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.2 3233 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.82A TIGER MOTH
14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.3 3435 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.82B QUEEN BEE
15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.4 & 4A 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.64M DRAGON
16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.5 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.86B
17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.6 3839 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.93 DON
1819 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.9 & 9A 4041 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.95 FLAMINGO
2021 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.10 AMIENS 4343 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.95 FLAMINGO CUTAWAY
22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.11 OXFORD 4445 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.89M DOMINIE
23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.29 DONCASTER 4647 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.98 MOSQUITO BOMBER
25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.42 DORMOUSE & DINGO 4849 . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.98 MOSQUITO B MK IV CUTAWAY
26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.53 HUMMINGBIRD 5051 . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.98 MOSQUITO NIGHT FIGHTER
4
de Havilland
5253 . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.98 MOSQUITO NF MK II CUTAWAY 7677 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.104 DEVON
5455 . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.98 MOSQUITO PHOTOGRAPHIC 7879 . . . . . . . . D.H.106 COMET C MK 2, T MK 2 & R MK 2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RECONNAISSANCE 8081 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.106 COMET C MK 4
5657 . . .D.H.98 MOSQUITO TRAINERS & TARGET TUGS 8283 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.108 SWALLOW
5859 . . . . . . . . . .D.H.98 MOSQUITO FIGHTER BOMBER 8485 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.110 & SEA VIXEN FAW MK 1
6061 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.98 SEA MOSQUITO 8687 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.110 SEA VIXEN FAW MK 2
62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.100 VAMPIRE F MK 1 & 2 8889 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.112 VENOM FB MK 14
63 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.100 VAMPIRE F MK 3 9091 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.112 VENOM NF MK 2, 2A & 3
6465 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.100 SEA VAMPIRE 9293 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.112 SEA VENOM
6667 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.100 VAMPIRE FB.5 & 9 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.113 VAMPIRE NF MK 10
6869 . . . . . . . . . D.H.100 VAMPIRE EXPORT VARIANTS 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.115 VAMPIRE TRAINERS
7071 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.103 HORNET F MK 14 9697 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.114 HERON AND SEA HERON
7273 . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.H.103 HORNET F MK 1 CUTAWAY
7475 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.H.103 SEA HORNET
Mosquito B.35 VP185, VP194 and
TK620 line up on RAF Hemswell’s
runway 06 not long after the unit
made the short move from
Coningsby in April 1950.
COMPANY PROFILE |de Havilland 5
de Havilland
GIFTED ENGINEERS
AND DESIGNERS
Talented designer
weight ratio of less than half of the Wright
Along with his brothers, Ivon and Brothers’ engine, Geoff rey only spent half
Hereward, Geoff rey de Havilland was of the budget on its manufacture, which
mechanically minded from a young was carried out by the Iris Motor Company,
age. After his education at Rugby and Scrubbs Lane, Willesden.
St Edward’s School, Oxford, Geoff rey Geoff rey needed somewhere to build
graduated to the Crystal Palace his aircraft and, after renting a workshop
Engineering School which he attended off Bothwell Street, Fulham, he set to
from 1900 to 1903. Whilst at the school work on his fi rst fl ying machine with the
he built a motorcycle, complete with help of Hearle. A wire-braced biplane,
engine, which he used to commute the aircraft had a front elevator, bicycle
to and from his home at Crux Eaton. wheel undercarriage and the structure was
Geoff rey’s older brother Ivon, who covered in cotton which was hand sewn
was equally adept with mechanical by Geoff rey’s wife, Louise. The completed
engineering, became chief designer of aircraft was transported to Seven Barrows
the Iris Motor Company in Willesden. on the North Hampshire Downs, in 1909, to
After moving to Walthamstow, Geoff rey be erected in a shed which had previously
designed one of the fi rst buses for the been used by J T C Brabazon. Geoff rey had
Motor Omnibus Construction Company to wait until December for the conditions
in 1906. It was while working for this to become calm enough for the delicate
company that he fi rst met F T Hearle, a aircraft to be test fl own in. When the day
marine engineer from Cornwall, who fi nally came, Geoff rey took off downhill and
was working for the Vanguard Omnibus momentarily became airborne before the
Company as a mechanic. Hearle was wings failed and the aircraft crashed to the
destined to become Geoff rey’s brother- ground, luckily without injury to its pilot.
Sir Geoff rey de
in-law and long-serving business Not put off by his near death
Havilland, (July 27,
associate. experience, (aviation had claimed many
1882 to May 21, 1965).
In the background, since being a young lives during this pioneering period),
boy, Geoff rey’s attention had been Geoff rey set about building his second
distracted by the many individuals biplane. The original aircraft’s spars
” IN THE BACKGROUND, SINCE
at the time who were attempting were made of standard white
to fl y in a variety of primitive BEING A BOY, GEOFFREY’S ATTENTION wood, while this machine would
machines. It was only a matter employ more suitable spruce and
of time before Geoff rey turned HAD BEEN DISTRACTED BY THE MANY ash. The engine was re-positioned
his attention to aircraft and, in in a pusher arrangement driving
INDIVIDUALS AT THE TIME WHO WERE
1908, he borrowed £500 from his a single propeller. On September
grandfather and began designing ATTEMPTING TO FLY IN A VARIETY OF 10, 1910, Geoff rey, once again at
a 45hp four-cylinder water-cooled Seven Barrows, fl ew the second
PRIMITIVE MACHINES. ”
aero engine. With a power to biplane on a successful maiden
6
THE DE HAVILLAND STORY 19201967
Geoff rey de Havilland Junior, with
observer John E Walker by his side, takes
the prototype Mosquito E0234 into the
air for the fi rst time from Hatfi eld on
November 25, 1940.
fl ight for a distance of quarter of a mile. Not test on January 14, 1911, and then bought and Geoff rey produced a revised
long after, Geoff rey took Hearle aloft and the by the War Offi ce for £400. The very same version, the F.E.2, powered by a 50hp
following month his wife and eight month aircraft was used by Geoff rey to gain his Royal Gnome rotary which made its maiden
old son, Geoff rey Junior, who was destined to Aero Club Certifi cate (No.53) on February 7, fl ight just three days later. A completely
become his father’s Chief Test Pilot, were also 1911. Not long after, both Geoff rey and Hearle diff erent aircraft to the F.E.1, it was in this
fl own as passengers in the second biplane. were employed by H.M. Balloon Factory as machine that Geoff rey gained his R.Ae.C.
In late 1910, the biplane was transported designer/pilot and mechanic respectively, Special Certifi cate (No.4) by fl ying 100 miles
to Farnborough, where it was re-erected, while the second biplane was re-designated to Shrewton and back from Farnborough on
fl own by Geoff rey for a one hour acceptance as the F.E.1. The aircraft crashed on August 15 December 6, 1911.
Royal Aircraft Factory
De Havilland’s most successful interwar military The Army Aircraft Factory (ex H.M. Balloon
type was the long-serving D.H.9A which was Factory) became the Royal Aircraft Factory
used by the RAF from 1918 to 1931. (R.A.F.) in 1912 and all civilian employees were
off ered commissions in the Special Reserve.
Geoff rey became a Second Lieutenant so
that he could fl y on manoeuvres also but
continued in his civilian role.
With F M Green in assistance, Geoff rey
designed the canard pusher S.E.1 in 1911 and,
working closely with H P Folland, helped to
produce the ground-breaking B.E.1 tractor
biplane. He was also involved in the B.E.2
which he fl ew in company with Mjr F H Sykes,
to a height of 10,560ft on August 12, 1912;
this was a new British attitude record. Geoff rey
demonstrated the B.E.2 at the Larkhill Military
Aeroplane Competition and, although the
aircraft was ineligible to compete, it was far
superior to the Cody design which won the
event. †
†
COMPANY PROFILE |de Havilland 7
de Havilland
Hatfi eld during the 1930s
just before expansion
began to take hold.
Geoff rey injured himself in the B.S.1 in
March 1913 which spun into the ground
off a turn because of poor rudder control.
Redesigned and repaired, the result was
the B.S.2 (later S.E.2). This was the last R.A.F.
aircraft that Geoff rey was involved in before
he accepted the position of Chief Designer
with the Aircraft Manufacturing Company
Limited (more familiarly known as Airco from
late 1918) owned by George Holt Thomas and
based at The Hyde, Hendon, in June 1914.
Two months later, the First World War broke
out and Geoff rey was called up for service
with 2 Squadron based at Farnborough. He
was destined only to serve with the unit for
a few months before it was realised that his
talents were better employed as a designer
and he was duly promoted to Captain before
continuing his work at Hendon. It was from
1915 onwards, (beginning with the D.H.1) that
Geoff rey’s skill as a designer began to shine
through and successes with the excellent
D.H.4 and the later D.H.9A put the name ‘de
Havilland’ on the aviation map.
The de Havilland Aircraft
Company Limited is born
Post-war, Airco quickly found its feet in
the peacetime market place which gave
Holt Thomas the opportunity to sell the
company to the Birmingham Small Arms
Company Limited (B.S.A.) in 1920. Geoff rey
had no intention of spending the rest of his
career designing cars and, the same year,
he left the company and formed his own,
the de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited
on September 25, 1920. Partly fi nancially
supported by Holt Thomas, Geoff rey became
the Director and Chief Designer and cherry-
picked staff from the Airco days, including C C
8
THE DE HAVILLAND STORY 19201967
At least 50 unidentifi ed Mosquito
FB.IVs on the Hatfi eld production line
are visible here, being produced six
abreast from the second row back.
†
COMPANY PROFILE |de Havilland 9
de Havilland
Walker as Chief Engineer, F T Hearle (General
Manager), W E Nixon (Secretary), F E N St Barbe
(Sales Manager) and A E Hagg as Assistant
Designer. A large fi eld was rented at Stag Lane,
Edgeware and the two wooden aircraft sheds
there became the fi rst home of Geoff rey’s new
company.
Wisely, the company embarked on
producing civilian aircraft, although a pair of
D.H.14 day bombers and a large refurbishment
contract for the RAF D.H.9As could not be
sniff ed at. The company achieved huge success
with its civilian designs, while military types
such as the D.H.27, D.H.42 and D.H.56 were
found wanting. As a result, rather than waiting
for poorly prepared military specifi cations, de
Havilland’s began producing military machines
as private ventures. The fi rst examples were
the D.H.65 Hound and the D.H.77 interceptor
fi ghter which appeared in 1929. Despite their
best eff orts, the Air Ministry were disinterested
and de Havilland continued to focus on civilian
aircraft for the next ten years.
Move to Hatfi eld
It was only a matter of time before Stag Lane’s
location on the edge of London would
succumb to development, and this began
when the Underground system was extended
to Edgeware. In 1930, a second airfi eld was
purchased further north near Hatfi eld and, on
July 28, 1934, Capt Geoff rey de Havilland fl ew
out of Stag Lane for the last time in a Hornet
Moth.
In the meantime, a large new factory was
constructed at Hatfi eld which was producing
Tiger Moths, Moth Minors, Dragons and
Rapides at some rate, not to mention the
beautiful DH.88 Comet racers. The Albatross
and Flamingo airliners followed and sub-
contract work in the shape of 1,440 Airspeed
Oxford’s showed that de Havilland was
prepared for aircraft production on a major
scale.
It was the wonderful Mosquito which
dominated the company’s war eff ort and
which saw 6,710 of these ‘Wooden Wonders’
built by de Havilland both at Hatfi eld and their
new No.2 Factory at Leavesden. Various sub-
contractors and the Canadian and Australian
Companies also contributed to a fi nal total of
7,781, the last was of them built in 1950. The
de Havilland Repair Organisation repaired
2,962 Mosquitoes, Hurricanes and Spitfi res
plus a variety of de Havilland types at Hatfi eld
and Whitney. The company’s own Rolls-Royce
Merlin Repair department overhauled 9,022
engines.
Propeller production also became a de
Havilland specialism and this dated back to the
Comet racers that were installed with variable
pitch propellers. A licence to manufacture the
American Hamilton propeller was acquired
and, using the facilities that still remained at
Stag Lane, the fi rst of them was delivered in An impressive view of the main production hangar
July 1935. Between 1939 and 1945, 102,000 at de Havilland’s Chester/Broughton factory where
propellers were made, 23,210 at Stag Lane, 979 Vampires were built. Note integrated
which had also become the Engine Division production of de Havilland Chipmunks.
(later The de Havilland Engine Company
Limited). During the same period, 10,212 Gipsy
10