View source for Engineering:Douglas DA-1 Ambassador

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{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
 | name=DA-1 Ambassador
 | image=Douglas DA-1 Ambassador left front Aero Digest October 1928.jpg
 | caption=
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
 | type=Light aircraft
 | national origin={{wipe|United States of America}}
 | manufacturer=[[Company:Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas Aircraft Company]]
 | designer=
 | first flight=September 1928
 | introduced=
 | retired=
 | status=Prototype
 | primary user=
 | more users= <!--Limited to three in total; separate using <br /> -->
 | produced= <!--years in production-->
 | number built=1
 | program cost= <!--Total program cost-->
 | unit cost= <!--Incremental or flyaway cost for military or retail price for commercial aircraft-->
 | developed from= 
 | variants with their own articles=
}}
|}
The '''Douglas DA-1 Ambassador''' was an {{wipe|United States of America}} single-engined light aircraft of the 1920s. It was a single-engined parasol-wing [[Engineering:Monoplane|monoplane]] intended for private use, but only a single example was built, which was destroyed in a crash landing, causing development to be abandoned.

==Design and development==
In 1926 the [[Company:Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas Aircraft Company]] designed and built a single example of the Commuter, a small two-seat high-wing monoplane intended as an inexpensive private aircraft. Boeing was busy building aircraft for the military, while there was severe competition at the cheap end of the market for private aircraft, so no production followed.<ref name="Fran doug p104">Francillon 1979, p. 104.</ref> Douglas did not completely abandon the private aircraft market, however, as the same year it started the design of a new, more capable light aircraft, the Douglas DA-1.<ref name="Fran doug p111">Francillon 1979, p. 111.</ref>

The DA-1 was a parasol-wing [[Engineering:Monoplane|monoplane]], with a fixed [[Engineering:Conventional landing gear|tailwheel undercarriage]] and powered by a 220&nbsp;hp (164&nbsp;kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engine. Unlike the mainly wooden Commuter, the DA-1 was of mixed construction, with the fuselage having a metal structure and the wings having [[Biology:Spruce|spruce]] spars and ribs made of [[Biology:Spruce|spruce]] with a [[Chemistry:Plywood|plywood]] covering.  It had tandem cockpits, and could carry two passengers in addition to the pilot, or be rigged with dual controls for pilot training.<ref name="Fran doug p112">Francillon 1979, p. 112.</ref>
  
Detailed design and construction proceeded slowly owing to Douglas's heavy workload, and the prototype DA-1, which had been ordered by Ambassador Airways of {{wipe|Texas}},<ref name="Aerofiles">[http://www.aerofiles.com/_doug2.html "Douglas D through Z"]. ''Aerofiles''. Retrieved 4 February 2011.</ref> was not flown until September 1928.<ref name="Fran doug p112"/> It was displayed at the 1928 National Air Races,<ref>''Flight'' 18 October 1928, p. 905.</ref> and at air races at El Paso, Texas later that year, but while being flown back from El Paso to Douglas's factory at Santa Monica, California with Donald Douglas as passenger, it crashed on takeoff. Although no one was injured, the aircraft's undercarriage was wrecked, with the aircraft not being repaired, and no further examples being built.

==Specifications==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920<ref name="Fran doug p112"/>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
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|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=two passengers
|length m=
|length ft=22
|length in=6
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=35
|span in=0
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=212
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- give where relevant eg sailplanes  -->
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=1750
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=2530
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Wright Whirlwind 
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
|eng1 kw=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 hp=220<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=140
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=<!-- aerobatic -->
|stall speed mph=<!-- aerobatic -->
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=14500
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=900
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}

<!-- ==See also== -->
{{aircontent
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|see also=
|related=<!-- related developments -->
|similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft -->
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Francillon, René J. ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920''. London:Putnam, 1979. {{ISBN|0-370-00050-1}}.
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/4590424402/in/photostream/ Photo].
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[[Category:Parasol-wing aircraft]]

{{Sourceattribution|Douglas DA-1 Ambassador}}