De Havilland Albatross

de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Founded	1920
Founder	Geoffrey de Havilland
Headquarters	Hatfield , United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft (including DH.91 Albatross)

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The de Havilland DH.91 Albatross was a British four-engine transport aircraft produced in the late 1930s by the de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited. A total of seven units were manufactured during 1938 and 1939.

Development

Designed in 1936 by A. E. Hagg to meet Air Ministry specification 36/35, the DH.91 was intended as a transatlantic mail plane.

Its fuselage featured a distinctive sandwich construction composed of plywood and balsa wood layers, a technique later employed in the de Havilland Mosquito bomber. Another innovative aspect was its engine cooling system for the air-cooled powerplants, which enabled near-optimal aerodynamic streamlining of the engine nacelles. The prototype's maiden flight occurred on 20 May 1937. During overload testing, the second prototype suffered structural failure by breaking apart but was subsequently repaired with minor reinforcements. Both prototypes were operated by Imperial Airways.

While originally conceived as a mail carrier, a passenger variant accommodating 22 individuals was developed. This version incorporated additional windows and replaced the original split flaps with slotted flaps. Five production models were delivered between 1938 and 1939. At the outbreak of war, all seven aircraft were active on routes linking Bristol/Whitchurch with Lisbon and Shannon.

Operational history

File:IWM-CH14317-DH91-Albatross-205210634.jpg

BOAC de Havilland Albatross at Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, circa 1941

Consistent with Imperial Airways’ naming convention at the time, each aircraft bore names starting with the same initial letter, with the first aircraft’s name becoming a general class designation as "Frobisher class." This practice, rooted in maritime and railway traditions of naming classes of ships and locomotives, continued well into the postwar era under BOAC and BEA.

The initial delivery to Imperial Airways was the DH.91 Frobisher, configured for 22 passengers, arriving in October 1938. The five passenger-configured planes operated on routes connecting Croydon with Paris, Brussels, and Zurich. After completing testing, the two prototypes were assigned to Imperial Airways as long-range mail carriers. Their principal period of operation was during the summer of 1939 when they served as the primary aircraft on the London Croydon to Paris Le Bourget route, which lasted around two hours.

With the advent of World War II, the Royal Air Force recognized their range and speed as beneficial for courier missions between Great Britain and Iceland. Consequently, the two mail-configured planes were requisitioned by 271 Squadron in September 1940 to operate flights between Prestwick and Reykjavík. Unfortunately, both were lost in landing accidents at Reykjavík within nine months: Faraday in 1941 and Franklin in 1942.

The five passenger models continued service with Imperial Airways (renamed BOAC in September 1940) flying Bristol–Lisbon and Bristol–Shannon routes from Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport.

The Frobisher was destroyed during an air raid on Whitchurch in 1940, while Fingal crashed after a fuel-pipe failure at Pucklechurch in 1940. Fortuna went down near Shannon Airport in 1943; investigation revealed that degradation of its plywood wing components caused this accident. Given concerns about similar structural issues affecting the remaining two aircraft and scarcity of spare parts, both Falcon and Fiona were dismantled in September 1943.

Aircraft

Faraday

This mail transport model was delivered to Imperial Airways in August 1939 under the name Faraday and bore the registration G-AEVV. Upon the establishment of BOAC in 1940, it was transferred to their fleet but was soon requisitioned by the Royal Air Force, receiving the serial AX903 for use by No. 271 Squadron RAF. The aircraft met its end in a landing mishap at Reykjavík on 11 August 1941.

Franklin

Also a mail-carrying version, this aircraft was handed over to BOAC as Franklin with the registration G-AEVW. It was conscripted into RAF service with serial AX904 and assigned to No. 271 Squadron. The plane was lost when its landing gear failed during touchdown at Reykjavík on 7 April 1942.

Frobisher

Registered as G-AFDI, this passenger model entered Imperial Airways’ (later BOAC) service in 1938 under the name Frobisher. It was destroyed on the ground during a German air raid at Whitchurch Airport on 20 December 1940.

Falcon

This passenger variant, bearing registration G-AFDJ, was delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Falcon in 1938. It was dismantled and scrapped by September 1943.

Fortuna

Known as Fortuna, this passenger aircraft registered G-AFDK joined Imperial Airways (later BOAC) in 1939. It crashed during a forced landing near Shannon Airport, Ireland, on 16 July 1943.

Fingal

Delivered in 1939 to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) as Fingal, this passenger model carried the registration G-AFDL. It was destroyed following a crash landing close to Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire, England on 6 October 1940.

Fiona

This passenger variant, registered G-AFDM and named Fiona, was delivered to Imperial Airways (later BOAC) in 1939. It was taken out of service and scrapped by September 1943.

During the 1990s, British Airways discovered a 1/10 scale Albatross model stored in a crate at Croydon. This scale replica is now exhibited within the heritage museum at Speedbird House.

Operators

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• All seven units were allocated to Imperial Airways, which later transformed into British Overseas Airways Corporation.
• Royal Air Force
  • No. 271 Squadron RAF utilized two aircraft acquired from BOAC.