Engineering:Dart Kitten
The Dart Kitten was a British-built ultra-light aircraft of the 1930s.
| Dart Kitten | |
|---|---|
| |
| The 1937-built Dart Kitten II visiting the Kemble (Glos) air rally in May 2009 | |
| Role | ultra-light aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Dart Aircraft Ltd |
| Designer | A.R. Weyl |
| First flight | 15 January 1937 |
| Status | Dart Kitten II airworthy in 2009 |
| Primary user | private owner pilots |
| Number built | 4 |
Design and development
The Dart Kitten was designed by A.R. Weyl in 1936 and built by Dart Aircraft Ltd at Dunstable, Bedfordshire. It is an ultra-light single-seat low-wing aircraft with a fixed tailskid undercarriage. The four examples built were powered by a variety of engines of between 27 h.p. and 40 h.p.[1]
Operational history
The Dart Kitten I G-AERP first flew in January 1937 and was sold to a private owner at Tollerton airport near Nottingham. It was stored during the Second World War. It was re-engined with a 40 h.p. J.A.P. J-99 postwar and flew with a private owner at Broxbourne airfield Hertfordshire before crashing there in November 1952.
The Dart Kitten II G-AEXT received its authorisation to fly on 30 April 1937 and had a series of owners before being badly damaged in a crash at Willingale, Essex in November 1964. It was subsequently rebuilt and in 2009 was airworthy with a private owner near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire. As of 2023 it is based with the Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton near Selby in North Yorkshire.[2]
The Dart Kitten III G-AMJP was built by Dart Aircraft in January 1952 and was flown by owners in Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire before being lost in a crash near Kings Lynn in June 1966.[3]
A fourth Kitten was home-built at Port Moresby New Guinea in 1960 and registered in Australia as VH-WGL.[4]
Variants
- Kitten I
- 27 h.p. Ava 4A-00 flat four engine;
- Kitten II
- 36 h.p. Aeronca-J.A.P. J-99 engine, revised rear decking and simplified undercarriage;
- Kitten III
- as Kitten II but with wheel brakes.
Specifications (Kitten III)
Data from Green, 1965, p. 150
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 1
- Length: 21 ft 4 in (6.50 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 9 in (9.68 m)
- Height: 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m)
- Wing area: 130 sq ft (12 m2)
- Empty weight: 582 lb (264 kg)
- Gross weight: 860 lb (390 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Aeronca-J.A.P. J-99 two-cylinder air-cooled , 40 hp (30 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn)
- Cruise speed: 83 mph (134 km/h, 72 kn)
- Range: 340 mi (550 km, 300 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 19,700 ft (6,000 m)
References
- Notes
- ↑ Green, 1965, p. 150
- ↑ "Breighton Airfield, Yorkshire, June 2023". https://www.rodbearden.com/Breighton%202023-6/Index.htm#Dart%20Kitten%20II%20G-AEXT%201.
- ↑ Jackson, 1973, p. 395
- ↑ Jackson, 1973, p. 298
- Bibliography
- Green, William (1965). The Aircraft of the World. Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.
- Jackson, A.J. (1973). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 - Volume 2. Putnam & Company Limited. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.
- Riley, Gordon (December 1985). "Preservation Project: Last Kitten flies!". FlyPast (53): 56. ISSN 0262-6950.
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