De Bruyne Snark
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
__NOTOC__
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Snark | image=DBSnark.jpg | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Experimental four-seat monoplane | national origin=United Kingdom | manufacturer=Aero Research Limited | designer=N. A. de Bruyne | first flight=16 December 1934 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | number built=1 | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The de Bruyne DB-2 Snark was a British experimental four-seat cabin monoplane designed by N. A de Bruyne and built by Aero Research Limited (ARL) of Cambridgeshire.{{Harvnb |Orbis|1985| p=1340}} It was built to test low weight, bakelite-bonded plywood, stressed skin wing and fuselage structures.
Development
Apart from the structure the Snark was a conventional looking low-wing four-seat cabin monoplane, powered by a nose-mounted 130 hp (97 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major piston engine. Registered G-ADDL{{Cite web|title=Registration G-ADDL |url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ADDL.pdf |publisher=United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority |accessdate=6 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606161132/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ADDL.pdf |archivedate=6 June 2011 }} the Snark first flew from Cambridge on 16 December 1934 flown by de Bruyne.{{Harvnb |Jackson|1973| p=299}}
Though stressed plywood skinned aircraft had been built before, it was claimed at the time that the Snark was the first to have been designed with full stress calculations, including loads carried by both wing and fuselage skins.{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1934/1934%20-%201374.html|title=Flight 27 December 1934 p.1378}} This led to a high loaded/unloaded weight ratio of 1.82; the similarly engined, almost exactly contemporary 3/4 seat Miles Falcon had achieved 1.62.
In May 1936 the Snark was transferred to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough for research into the aerodynamics of thick wing monoplanes, with serial number L6103. The aircraft was sold by the RAE on 8 June 1938{{harvnb|Halley|1993|p=68}} but was destroyed by German bombing at Croydon Airport in 1940.{{harvnb|Dunnell Aeroplane January 2015|p=102}}
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Aero Research Snark: British pre-war lightplanes No 3{{harvnb|Riding Aeroplane Monthly November 1988|p=698}}
|prime units? = imp
|crew=1
|capacity=3 passengers
|length m=
|length ft=24
|length in=7
|span m=
|span ft=42
|span in=6
|height ft=7
|height in=1
|wing area sqft=237
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=1200
|gross weight lb=2200
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=de Havilland Gipsy Major inline piston engine
|eng1 hp=130
|eng1 note={{harvnb|Riding Aeroplane Monthly November 1988|p=696}}
|max speed mph=123
|cruise speed mph=110
|stall speed mph=38
|range km=724
|range miles=450
|ceiling ft=15,500
|climb rate ftmin=600
}}
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|sequence=
|lists=
}}
References
=Notes=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite magazine|last1=Dunnell|first1=Ben|title=The Snark: A Peculiar Creature|magazine=Aeroplane|date=January 2015|volume= 43|issue= 1|pages=100–103|issn=0143-7240 |ref={{harvid|Dunnell Aeroplane January 2015}} }}
- {{Cite book|last=Halley|first=J.J.|title=Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-N9999|year=1993|publisher=Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd|isbn=0-85130-208-4}}
- {{Cite book|last= Jackson|first= A.J.|title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2|year= 1973|publisher= Putnam|location= London|page=382|isbn=0-370-10010-7 }}
- {{cite magazine |last=Riding |first=Richard |title=Aero Research Snark: British pre-war lightplanes No 3 |magazine=Aeroplane Monthly |date=November 1988 |volume=16 |issue=11 |pages=694–698 |ref={{harvid|Riding Aeroplane Monthly November 1988}} }}
- {{Cite book|title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|publisher= Orbis Publishing |ref={{harvid|Orbis|1985}}}}
Category:1930s British experimental aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1934