De Havilland Chipmunk

De Havilland Chipmunk (DHC1)
Description
Role	Basic trainer
Crew	1 or 2 (Instructor and student)
Dimensions
Length	25ft 5in	7.75m
Wingspan	34ft 4in	10.47m
Height	7ft
Wing area		15.98m2
Weights
Empty		646kg
Loaded	2014lb	953kg
Maximum take-off
Powerplant
Engines	one Gypsy Major 8
Power	145hp
Performance
Maximum speed	138mph	222kmh
Combat range	280 miles	445km
Ferry range
Service ceiling		5200m
Rate of climb	900ft/min
Armament
Guns	None
Bombs	None

The De Havilland Chipmunk is a tandem two seat single engined training aircraft, and was the standard primary trainer for the British military though most of the post-war years.

Designed to succeed the De Havilland Tiger Moth biplane trainer, the Chipmunk flew for the first time at Downsview, Toronto on 22 May 1946. It was the first indigenous design of de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. The prototype was powered by a 108-kW (145hp) de Havilland Gipsy Major 1C

Two were evaluated by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down. As a result, the fully-aerobatic Chipmunk was ordered as an ab initio trainer for the Royal Air Force. Prince Philip took his first flying lesson in one in 1952. The Royal Canadian Air Force also adopted the Chipmunk as their primary trainer. British Chipmunks are notably different from Canadian ones; the latter have a bubble canopy, while British examples have the flat-panelled sliding canopy.

The RAF received 735 Chipmunks manufactured in the UK. They initially served with University Air Squadrons. A few Chipmunks were pressed into service in Cyprus on internal security flights during the troubles of 1958, and some were used for covert reconnaissence operating out of Berlin. They were still in service for Air Cadet Experience flights until 1996. The last two Chipmunks in military service are operated by the RAF Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight, to keep its pilots current on tailwheel aircraft.

Downsview built 218 Chipmunks, the last in 1951. 1014 were built in Britain. 60 Chipmunks were licence-manufactured from 1955 in Portugal for the Portuguese air force. Other users included Burma, Ceylon, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Eire, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand and Uruguay.

From the 1950s onward, the Chipmunk became a popular civilian aircraft, being used for training, aerobatics and crop spraying. Most civilian aircraft were ex-military.

Units Using the Chipmunk

Royal Air Force

• No. 31 Squadron
• No. 114 Squadron
• No. 275 Squadron

External Links

• RAF Museum
• Delta Aviation
• Royal Canadian Air Force Museum

Referenced By