De Havilland D.H.95 Flamingo

1938

Back to the Virtual Aircraft Museum
  MEDIUM TRANSPORTVirtual Aircraft Museum / United Kingdom / De Havilland  

De Havilland D.H.95 Flamingo

The company's first aircraft of all-metal stressed-skin construction, the de Havilland D.H.95 Flamingo was designed by R. E. Bishop as a mediumrange passenger transport to carry 12-17 passengers and a crew of three. It featured hydraulically retractable landing gear, split trailing-edge flaps and was powered initially by two 664 kW (890hp) Bristol Perseus XIIc radial engines. The prototype was first flown by de Havilland chief test pilot Geoffrey de Havilland Jr at Hatfield on 28 December 1938; during subsequent flight testing a third, central fin was fitted temporarily. In May 1939 this aircraft was delivered to Guernsey & Jersey Airways Ltd for route-proving trials, linking Heston and Southampton's Eastleigh Airport with the two principal Channel Islands.

The outbreak of war precluded commercial use on these services, but the Royal Air Force had ordered two Flamingoes for communications duties with No. 24 Squadron and one for The King's Flight, the last being delivered to RAF Benson on 7 September 1940. It was transferred to No. 24 Squadron in February 1941, the unit having acquired also the prototype, two aircraft ordered by civilian customers and the fifth airframe which had been used by the manufacturer for development of the Bristol Perseus XVI radial. This engine was fitted to all subsequent examples, including one used by the Royal Navy's No. 782 Squadron at Donibristle for communications flights to the Orkney and Shetland Islands and to Northern Ireland, and eight flown by BOAC on Middle East services, based at Cairo. The Royal Navy's Flamingo was the only aircraft to return to civil use after the war, seeing limited service with British Air Transport at Redhill where it was scrapped in 1954. Flamingo production totalled 16 aircraft.

3-View 
De Havilland D.H.95 FlamingoA three-view drawing (700 x 639)

Specification 
 MODELD.H.95
 ENGINE2 x Bristol Perseus XVI radial piston engines, 694kW
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight7983 kg17600 lb
  Empty weight5137 kg11325 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan21.34 m70 ft 0 in
  Length15.72 m52 ft 7 in
  Height4.65 m15 ft 3 in
  Wing area59.36 m2638.95 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed385 km/h239 mph
  Cruise speed296 km/h184 mph
  Ceiling6370 m20900 ft
  Range1947 km1210 miles

Comments
croydon parry, e-mail, 08.04.2020 15:48

A number of sources mention that they were unpopular.
Also, a seemingly high number of crashes. Is that why ,and if so what were the causes ?

reply

jamie, 21.08.2011 18:44

There's a good photo of two Flamingos in RAF livery in Aug 2011 issue of FlyPast mag,

reply

chris stark, e-mail, 15.04.2011 11:30

A Flamingo aircraft is mentioned in winston Churchill's history of the Second World War, he used one for trips to France prior to that country's surrender.

He usually travelled with an escort of 12 Spitfires, and according to his book on one occasion they had to remain in France due to lack of fuel, leaving the Flamingo to return alone. Two German aircraft were spotted over the channel attacking fishing boats; had they seen the unarmed Flamingo then WC would hardly have survived the encounter.

reply

Chris Scott, e-mail, 27.07.2010 20:02

A BBC war correspondent noted a flight in one from Amiens to England Febuary 1940. See the book A.A.A.F. Charles Gardner page 81. He was very complimentary.

reply

Matty, e-mail, 22.02.2010 22:06

I managed to track down and obtain some further information from the aircraft illustrated magazine dated November 1968... and there should be some more information in the october issue if anyone has it... I would be most appreciative to have the information in the issue if anyone has it :)

reply

Barry, 16.09.2009 15:19

Known in the R.A.F. as the Hertfordshire

reply

miltransuk@yahoo.co.uk, e-mail, 14.11.2006 04:27

FYI, have a photo of G-AFUE IN AUCTION ON eBAY

reply

Do you have any comments?

Name    E-mail


COMPANY
PROFILE


All the World's Rotorcraft


All rhe World's Rotorcraft AVIATION TOP 100 - www.avitop.com Avitop.com