Dewoitine D.26

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewoitine_D.26

The Dewoitine D.26 was a military trainer developed in Switzerland for the Swiss
Air Force in parallel with the D.27 fighter.

The D.26 airframe was similar to that of the D.27. Differences included:

* The engine cowling was omitted on the D.26;

* The D.26 radial engine was smaller and produced 340 hp power;


Role
Trainer

Manufacturer
Dewoitine

First flight
December 1929

Primary user
Swiss Air Force

Number built
11

10 examples were built by Dewoitine for assembly by the Swiss factory K+W Thun
in Switzerland. These were followed by an order for two more aircraft equipped
with a slightly higher-powered version of the Wright 9Q engine that powered the
initial batch, and one of the original D.26s was similarly re-engined. The
original D.26s were used principally for training in gunnery and formation
flying, while the more powerful aircraft were used for air-to-air combat
training. To this end, they were equipped with gun cameras.

The D.26 enjoyed a long service life, not being withdrawn until 1948. At this
time, they were transferred to the Aero-Club der Schweiz where they were used as
glider tugs. The last example was not retired from aeroclub use until 1970,
whereupon it was preserved at the military aviation museum at Dübendorf.

Only 2 planes are still airworthy in original condition, number 286 is based in
Grenchen LSZG and number 284 is based in Lausanne LSGL. Both planes touring in
airshows as "Patrouille Dewoitine - Swiss Air Force 1931".

Specifications

General characteristics
Crew: 1, pilot
Length: 6.72 m (22 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 10.30 m (33 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.78 m (9 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 17.6 m2 (189 ft2)
Empty weight: 763 kg (1,682 lb)
Gross weight: 1,068 kg (2,354 lb)

Performance
Maximum speed: 240 km/h (150 mph)
Range: 500 km (310 miles)
Service ceiling: 7,500 m (24,600 ft)

Armament
2 machine guns 7.5mm with 500 rounds each



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