De Havilland Dolphin

de Havilland

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1920 in United Kingdom
Founder	Geoffrey de Havilland
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft

The de Havilland DH.92 Dolphin was a British prototype light biplane airliner developed during the 1930s by the de Havilland company.

Design and development

Conceived as an updated iteration of the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, the Dolphin integrated design elements inspired by both the DH 86A and the de Havilland Dragonfly, while introducing entirely new primary structural assemblies. The aircraft featured a nose reminiscent of the DH 86A, enabling two pilots to sit side by side, along with wings of unequal span similar to those on the Dragonfly but with an increased wingspan. Initially equipped with trouser-style fixed landing gear characteristic of earlier biplane airliners, it was later fitted with retractable undercarriage akin to that used on the DH.88 Comet prior to its maiden flight. Among its passenger conveniences was an innovative onboard air-stair system. Propulsion came from a pair of 204 hp (152 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engines. To mitigate fire risks associated with engine nacelle fuel tanks seen in the Rapide, fuel storage was relocated to wing-mounted tanks as per the Dragonfly’s design.

Only one prototype was constructed, making its inaugural flight on 9 September 1936. According to Geoffrey de Havilland’s flight log, he piloted the aircraft just once more after this initial sortie. The project was discontinued due to excessive structural weight, resulting in no further production and the eventual scrapping of the prototype in December 1936.

An announcement published in Flight magazine on 10 September 1936 detailed the cessation of the Dolphin program:

External links

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