De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk

Origins Immediately following the conclusion of the Second World War, there was a desire within Canadian aviation circles to take advantage during the peace years of the recently expanded aircraft manufacturing industry which had been rapidly built up in Canada. Out of this desire, it was decided to embark on developing aircraft which would replace designs rendered obsolete by the rapid advances made during the war in the aviation field. One such company, de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd, was interested in developing its own aircraft designs, and chose to focus on producing a contemporary aircraft for pilot training, specifically intending for the envisioned type to serve as a successor to the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane trainer, which had been produced by the thousands before and during the Second World War, and saw military service with a number of nations in that conflict. , a Polish pre-war engineer, served as the principal designer and led the design team in the development of the new aircraft, which became known as the Chipmunk. He designed a cantilever monoplane that incorporated numerous advances over typical trainer aircraft then in widespread service. The prototype was powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major IC air-cooled inverted engine, this was replaced on the production version of the Chipmunk by a de Havilland Gipsy Major 8 engine. Production de Havilland Canada constructed the type at its factory in Downsview, Toronto, Ontario, where it produced 217 Chipmunks during the 1940s and 1950s, the final example of which having been completed during 1956. In addition, 1,000 Chipmunks were produced under licence in the United Kingdom by de Havilland; manufacturing was initially performed at the company's facility at Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire; production was later transferred to their factory at Hawarden Aerodrome, Broughton near Chester. A further 66 Chipmunks were licence-manufactured in Portugal by OGMA (Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico), at Alverca from 1955 to 1961 for the Portuguese Air Force. The DHC-2 designation was subsequently reallocated to the company's next product, the DHC-2 Beaver. ==Design==

as a spin trainer at the Mojave Airport The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a two-seat, single-engine aircraft that has been heavily used as a primary trainer aircraft. The basic configuration of the aircraft included a low-mounted wing and a two-place tandem cockpit, which was fitted with a clear perspex canopy covers the pilot/student (front) and instructor/passenger (rear) positions and provided all-round visibility. The Chipmunk uses a conventional tailwheel landing gear arrangement and is fitted with fabric-covered flight control surfaces; the wing is also fabric-covered aft of the spar. In terms of handling, the Chipmunk exhibited a gentle and responsive flight attitude. Early production aircraft were only semi-aerobatic, while later production models were almost all fully aerobatic. The structure of the Chipmunk makes heavy use of metal, the majority of the airframe being composed of a stress-skinned alloy; this allowed the adoption of thinner wings and consequently provided for increased performance as well as a greater degree of durability. Numerous features were incorporated so that the type could better perform as a trainer, including hand-operated single-slotted wing flaps, anti-spin strakes, disc brakes on the wheeled undercarriage, a thin propeller composed of a solid lightweight alloy, the adoption of an engine-driven vacuum pump in place of external venturi tubes to power cockpit instrumentation, electric and Coffman cartridge engine starters as alternative options, cockpit lighting, onboard radio system, and an external identification light underneath the starboard wing. In civilian service, individual aircraft would often be modified. Examples of these adaptations include extensive modifications that enabled it to perform competitive aerobatics, for which aircraft are often re-engined and fitted with constant speed propellers and inverted fuel systems; larger numbers of Chipmunks have been tasked as dedicated glider tows. It has become commonplace for Chipmunks used as such to be re-engined, often using the Lycoming O-360. ==Operational history==

United Kingdom The Royal Air Force (RAF) had been one of the operators to quickly take notice of the new Canadian trainer, and encouraged its formal evaluation with an eye towards procuring it. Accordingly, a total of three Chipmunk aircraft were transported to the United Kingdom, where they underwent an evaluation by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at RAF Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. From 1956 to 1990, the Chipmunks of the RAF Gatow Station Flight were used to conduct covert reconnaissance missions by BRIXMIS over the Berlin area. A number of Chipmunk T.10s were also used by the Army Air Corps and Fleet Air Arm to conduct primary training. Notably, Prince Philip had his first flying lesson in a Chipmunk in 1952; he declared the type to be his favourite aircraft. In 1995 and 1996, the RAF planned for a pair of Chipmunks to circumnavigate the northern hemisphere to establish a route for light aircraft from Europe to North America via Russia. The RAF chose the Chipmunk because of its reliability and ability to operate with minimal ground support. Modifications were made before the journey, including expanding fuel capacity and updating navigation equipment. The Chipmunks were accompanied on the journey by a support aircraft. In 1996, the RAF started the journey, but had to stop in Moscow due to forest fires in central Siberia. The RAF successfully completed the journey in 1997, flying over 64 days, visiting 62 airfields along the way. One of the two Chipmunks was added to the collection at the RAF Museum. The other belongs to a private owner, who has restored the Chipmunk to its condition during the round-the-world flight and flies it to aviation events. Canada In 1948, the RCAF accepted its first DHC-1 Chipmunk trainers, having received the first batch of a production run of 217 Chipmunks that would be manufactured in Canada. in the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, Ontario original colours Of the 113 Chipmunks that entered RCAF service, 79 were assigned to serve as ab initio trainers, while 34 were assigned to flying clubs for use in refresher training for RCAF Reserve pilots. The type remained in use as a trainer until the early 1970s, the last example being retired from service by the Canadian Armed Forces in 1972, three years after unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. Portugal de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 22, built in England in 1951, pictured in 2008 The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) received its first DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk. 20 in 1951, being delivered to the Military Aeronautical School in Sintra. It was the first of an eventual 76 that would be delivered, replacing its almost two decade old de Havilland Tiger Moths. Its first 10 were constructed in the United Kingdom while the following 66 were licence-built by OGMA in Portugal. The Chipmunks would fly with the Elementary Flying Training Squadron (Esquadra de Instrução Elementar de Pilotagem). As of 2018, Esquadra 802 still operates the remaining 6 Chipmunks. By 2001, several hundred Chipmunks were reportedly operational in private service. It is familiarly known as the "Chippie". ==Variants==

Canadian-built ;DHC-1A-1 (Chipmunk T.1) :Powered by de Havilland Gipsy Major 1C engine, only partially aerobatic. British-built ;Chipmunk T.10 (Mk 10) :de Havilland Gipsy Major 8 engined version for the Royal Air Force, 735 built. Sydney in 1970 ;Super Chipmunk :Single-seat aerobatic aircraft, powered by a Avco Lycoming GO-435 piston engine, equipped with revised flying surfaces and retractable landing gear; four conversions. and extra fuel capacity. ;Aerostructures Sundowner :One Australian Chipmunk was fitted with a Lycoming O-360 flat-four piston engine, wingtip tanks, clear-view canopy and metal wing skinning as the Sundowner touring aircraft. ;Sasin Spraymaster :Three Australian Chipmunks were converted into single-seat agricultural spraying aircraft. A similar modification was carried out to seven Chipmunks used by the Portuguese Air Force Academy as basic training aircraft and as glider tugs. ;Scholl Super Chipmunk . :A number of Chipmunks were modified as aerobatic aircraft in the United States as the "Super Chipmunk". Along with an uprated engine, the aircraft underwent an extensive makeover including clipping its wings, adding retractable landing gear, converting to a single-seat layout, adding an autopilot and being fitted with a red, white and blue wingtip and tail smoke system. The control stick was lengthened by for greater control during extreme aerobatic manoeuvres. For over 25 years, a Super Chipmunk in distinctive bright colour scheme of blue stars and sunburst effect was displayed by the aerobatic pilot Art Scholl. Four Super Chipmunk conversions were modified, Scholl's N13A and N13Y, Harold Krier's N6311V and Skip Volk's N1114V. Another more recent "Super Chipmunk" was converted by air show performer, Jim "Fang" Maroney, who similarly modified an ex-RCAF example by strengthening the airframe, replacing the original engine with a version incorporating an inverted fuel and oil system, clipping off the wings and adding 30% more rudder and 10% more elevator. A spatted landing gear was retained. Another similarly modified "Super Chipmunk", N1804Q, is owned and flown by air show pilot Greg Aldridge. N13Y is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington-Dulles International Airport., while N1114V is preserved at the EAA AirVenture Museum at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. ==Operators==

Civilian operators Today, the Chipmunk remains popular with specialized flying clubs and is also operated by private individuals located in many countries worldwide. Military operators ==Specifications (DHC-1 Chipmunk)==