de Havilland DH.103 Hornet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Hornet

The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a twin-piston engined fighter aircraft
developed by de Havilland. It further exploited the wooden construction
techniques that had been pioneered by the earlier de Havilland Mosquito.
Development of the Hornet had started during the Second World War as a private
venture, an aim for the aircraft was to conduct long range fighter operations in
the Pacific Theatre against the Empire of Japan. However, the war ended before
the Hornet reached operational squadron status.

The Hornet entered service with RAF Fighter Command where it equipped several
day fighter units and was commonly stationed in the British mainland. It saw
combat in the Far East, being used successfully as a strike fighter as part of
the British military action taken during the Malayan Emergency. A navalised
carrier-capable version, the Sea Hornet, had been envisioned early on and was
procured by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy.

In the autumn of 1941, the de Havilland company found that it had the spare
design capacity to work on a new project. At this point, the Mosquito had
entered full-rate production and preliminary work on a jet-propelled fighter
aircraft, which would subsequently emerge as the Vampire, was waiting for the
production of prototype engines. The company promptly recognised a need for a
high-speed, unarmed, night bomber powered by a pair of large Napier Sabre piston
engines and a design for such an aircraft was first proposed under the
designation D.H. 101 in October 1941. Accordingly, a design team, led by R. E.
Bishop with C. T. Wilkins assisting, was assembled with the aim of developing
the D.H. 101, which was initially pursued as a private venture.

The de Havilland Hornet bore a family resemblance to the larger Mosquito, but it
was an entirely fresh design albeit one that drew extensively upon experiences
from, and the design of, the Mosquito. It was powered by a pair of highly
developed Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, producing 2,070 hp each, which drove
four-bladed propellers (manufactured by de Havilland Propellers). According to
aviation author P.J. Birtles, the efficiency and power of this configuration
gave the Hornet "a higher performance than any other propeller driven aircraft".
The Hornet's principal armament was four short-barrelled 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano
V cannons, other munitions typically used included various rockets and bombs.

Construction was of mixed balsa/plywood similar to the Mosquito but the Hornet
differed in incorporating stressed Alclad lower-wing skins bonded to the wooden
upper wing structure using the new adhesive Redux. The two wing spars were
redesigned to withstand a higher load factor of 10 versus 8. Apart from the
revised structure, the Hornet's wings were a synthesis of aerodynamic knowledge
that had been gathered since the design of the Mosquito, being much thinner in
cross-section, and with a laminar flow profile similar to the P-51 Mustang and
Hawker Tempest. The control surfaces consisted of hydraulically-operated split
flaps extending from the wing root to outboard of the engine nacelles; as on the
Mosquito, the rear of the nacelle was part of the flap structure. Outboard, the
Alclad-covered ailerons extended close to the clipped wing tips and gave
excellent roll control.


Role
Land and naval-based fighter aircraft

National origin
United Kingdom

Manufacturer
de Havilland

First flight
19 April 1944

Introduction
1946

Retired
1956

Primary users
Royal Air Force
Royal Navy

Produced
1945 to 1950

Number built
383

During their relatively short operational service, Hornets participated in
several record attempts and air races; for example, on 15 September 1949 Flight
Lieutenant H. Peebles flew from RAF Bovingdon to Gibraltar at an average speed
of 357.565 mph (574.445 km/h), setting a new British point-to-point record.
Peebles' record stood for only three days, being broken when the same Hornet,
flown by Group Captain A.P.C. Carver, returned to Bovingdon, averaging 435.871
mph (701.466 km/h). On 31 August 1946, Geoffrey Pike attained third place in
PX224 in the Lympne High Speed Handicap race, having flown a recorded average
speed of 345.5 mph. On 30 July 1949, PX286 participated in the National Air
Races at Elmdon; when flown by Geoffrey Pike, it clocked the fastest lap at 369
mph and attained second place overall.

Specifications (Hornet F.1)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 35 ft, 6 in (10.82 m)
Wingspan: 45 ft (13.72 m)
Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
Wing area: 361 ft² (33.54 m²)
Empty weight: 11,292 lb (5,122 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,820 lb (7,176 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 18,250 lb (2 x 200 gal drop tanks) (8,278 kg)
Powerplant: Four blade, 12-foot (3.7 m) diameter "handed" de Havilland
propellers: Two × Rolls-Royce Merlin 130/131 12-cylinder engines, 2,070 hp
(1,544 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 475 mph at 21,000 ft (764 km/h at 6,400 m)
Cruise speed: 270 mph at 20,000 ft (435 km/h at 6,096 m)
Range: 1,480 mi (2,600 mi max) (2,382 km (4,184 km max))
Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,650 m)
Rate of climb: 4 minutes to 20,000 ft. Average 5,000 ft/min (25.4 m/s)
Wing loading: 43.82 lb/ft² (213.9 kg/m²)

Armament

4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk. V cannons (with 190 rpg) in lower fuselage nose
2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under wing, outboard of engines
8 × "60 lb" (27 kg) RP-3 unguided rockets (Hornet F.3)

Avionics
ASH radar fitted in Sea Hornet NF Mk 21.





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