De Havilland Dingo

de Havilland Aircraft Company

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Founded	January 1, 1920 (1920-01-01)
Founder	Geoffrey de Havilland
Headquarters	Stag Lane , United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft including DH.42 Dormouse, DH.42A Dingo I, DH.42B Dingo II

Template:EngvarB Template:Infobox aircraft The de Havilland DH.42 Dormouse along with its two derivatives, the de Havilland DH.42A Dingo I and II, were two-seat, single-engine biplanes intended for fighter-reconnaissance and army cooperation duties. None of these models entered mass production.

Development

With the exception of their powerplants, the de Havilland DH.42 Dormouse and DH.42A Dingo I shared many design features. The Dormouse was developed to meet Air Ministry specification 22/22 as a two-seat reconnaissance fighter, whereas the Dingo was created under Specification 8/24 focused on army cooperation roles. Both were two-bay biplanes featuring straight, constant-chord wings; however, the lower wing had a slightly reduced span and measured approximately 73% of the upper wing's chord. The trailing edges aligned horizontally with vertical rear struts, while the forward struts were angled forward. Unbalanced ailerons were fitted on both wings. The vertical stabilizer exhibited the distinctive de Havilland contour with a balanced rudder, while the elevators remained unbalanced. Constructed primarily from wood, the wings and tail surfaces were covered in fabric, whereas the fuselage featured de Havilland’s signature thin plywood skinning. The landing gear consisted of a single axle with main legs attached to the lower wing roots and braced forward to the fuselage. Positioned beneath the upper wing center section was the pilot’s cockpit, with the gunner seated closely behind near the trailing edge. In the Dormouse model, an oval cutout in the upper wing improved upward visibility for the pilot, while the gunner benefited from a V-shaped notch in the trailing edge to enhance firing range. Conversely, on the Dingo, the pilot’s cutout was reduced to a smaller circular shape, and the gunner’s notch was expanded to full fuselage width and extended rearward to the rear wing spar, resulting in a straight trailing edge.

The Dormouse took to the skies for its maiden flight at Stag Lane on 25 July 1923, powered by a 360 hp (270 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar II radial engine. The Dingo followed with its first flight on 12 March 1924, equipped with a more powerful 410 hp (305 kW) Bristol Jupiter III radial engine. Due to its nine-cylinder Jupiter having a larger diameter than the double-row fourteen-cylinder Jaguar (53 in/1.35 m versus 43 in/1.06 m), the Dingo featured two forward-firing guns mounted externally atop the nose; in contrast, these guns were housed within internal tunnels on the Dormouse. Subsequently, the Dormouse was upgraded with a more potent Jaguar IV engine producing 420 hp (313 kW), and its upper wing center section was modified to align with that of the Dingo. Both aircraft stored fuel in pairs of aerofoil-shaped tanks mounted above the inner interplane struts on the upper wing.

The final iteration in this series was the DH.42B Dingo II, which first flew on 29 September 1926. Although outwardly similar to its predecessors, this version featured a steel frame replacing wood. Its empty weight increased by approximately 18% compared to the original Dingo I. Powered by an upgraded Jupiter IV engine delivering 436 hp (325 kW), it carried additional fuel but maintained comparable maximum speed to its wooden-framed counterpart.

Operational history

A total of only three units were constructed. The Dormouse was assigned to the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, operating with the Wireless & Photographic Flight for experimental radio projects from March until December 1925, when it was officially retired. The Dingo I was involved in a crash at RAF Martlesham Heath during testing in June 1924, while the Dingo II was delivered to Farnborough in November 1926.

Variants

DH.42 Dormouse

Powered by Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar III and Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV engines

DH.42A Dingo I

Equipped with Bristol Jupiter III engine; featured a modest wingspan increase of 6 inches (152 mm)

DH.42B Dingo II

Utilized Bristol Jupiter IV engine; maintained the same dimensions as the DH.42A but incorporated a steel frame and had a higher weight