Now we are on to 2019 new sport aircraft registrations, of which there were only two, the first being the Chilton DW 1 replica:
The Chilton DW 1 was a 1930s design for a light sporting monoplane. It was designed and built by the Hon Andrew Dalrymple and AR (Reggie) Ward (hence the DW), who were both ex de Havilland Technical School graduates. The prototype G-AESZ was constructed in an out building at Ward's parents stately home Chilton Lodge in Berkshire, hence the Chilton name. The aircraft was designed to be cheap to build and easy to fly but to have exceptional performance on low power. The prototype used a Carden-Ford water cooled modified Ford 10 car engine that produced 32 HP, and it first flew in April 1937. It was an aerodynamically clean all wood design with mainly plywood covering (except for the control surfaces and the wing aft of the main spar). Probably its most distinctive feature was the trouser leg type undercarriage fairings. Dalrymple and Ward formed the Chilton Aircraft Ltd to manufacture the aircraft but only four were built before WW 2 put a stop to production. All four Chilton DW 1s were put into storage and survived the war and the type went on to be well known as a successful air racer in the UK. Here is a link to G-AFGI winning the 1951 Shoreham to Brighton air race: https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/2475663422645770/UzpfSTE0MDYxNDI1MTk6MTQ5NTc3MzQxNzI0MjE3Nw/
I think it is quite remarkable that such a high profile aircraft was only built in such small numbers, and I reckon this is because of its looks - it just looks lovely! (Imho)
Specifications for the Chilton DW 1 are: length 18 feet (5.49 metres), wingspan 24 feet (7.32 metres) and the wing area is 78 square feet. The empty weight is 398 pounds (181 Kg) and MAUW is 640 pounds (290 Kg). With the 32 HP Carden Ford engine the cruise speed was around 100 mph, although Chiltons with canopies and no doubt tweaked engines recorded several air race winning speeds as high as 129 mph. The landing speed is quoted as 35 mph, helped by the split flaps.
Because of the appeal of the Chilton DW 1 there have been more replicas built worldwide than the number of original aircraft, and plans are still available from the excellent Chilton Aircraft website. Most of the new build aircraft have been powered by Walter Mikron engines.
We have now had one Chilton DW 1 registered in New Zealand, as follows:
ZK-CHT2 (c/n NZDW1A/4) was built by John Gray of Rangiora and was registered to him on 13/11/19. In this photo taken at Rangiora on 9/11/17 you can see the distinctive trouser wheel fairings. It is powered by an 1830 cc VW engine.
It has been close to test flying for some time now, and has carried out engine runs. The above photo was taken at Rangiora on 6/8/19.
The Chilton DW 1 was a 1930s design for a light sporting monoplane. It was designed and built by the Hon Andrew Dalrymple and AR (Reggie) Ward (hence the DW), who were both ex de Havilland Technical School graduates. The prototype G-AESZ was constructed in an out building at Ward's parents stately home Chilton Lodge in Berkshire, hence the Chilton name. The aircraft was designed to be cheap to build and easy to fly but to have exceptional performance on low power. The prototype used a Carden-Ford water cooled modified Ford 10 car engine that produced 32 HP, and it first flew in April 1937. It was an aerodynamically clean all wood design with mainly plywood covering (except for the control surfaces and the wing aft of the main spar). Probably its most distinctive feature was the trouser leg type undercarriage fairings. Dalrymple and Ward formed the Chilton Aircraft Ltd to manufacture the aircraft but only four were built before WW 2 put a stop to production. All four Chilton DW 1s were put into storage and survived the war and the type went on to be well known as a successful air racer in the UK. Here is a link to G-AFGI winning the 1951 Shoreham to Brighton air race: https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/2475663422645770/UzpfSTE0MDYxNDI1MTk6MTQ5NTc3MzQxNzI0MjE3Nw/
I think it is quite remarkable that such a high profile aircraft was only built in such small numbers, and I reckon this is because of its looks - it just looks lovely! (Imho)
Specifications for the Chilton DW 1 are: length 18 feet (5.49 metres), wingspan 24 feet (7.32 metres) and the wing area is 78 square feet. The empty weight is 398 pounds (181 Kg) and MAUW is 640 pounds (290 Kg). With the 32 HP Carden Ford engine the cruise speed was around 100 mph, although Chiltons with canopies and no doubt tweaked engines recorded several air race winning speeds as high as 129 mph. The landing speed is quoted as 35 mph, helped by the split flaps.
Because of the appeal of the Chilton DW 1 there have been more replicas built worldwide than the number of original aircraft, and plans are still available from the excellent Chilton Aircraft website. Most of the new build aircraft have been powered by Walter Mikron engines.
We have now had one Chilton DW 1 registered in New Zealand, as follows:
I understand from John Gray that the Chilton is for sale.
Hi. I have tried to order a set of Chilton plans from the Chilton web site several times without any luck. Advice would be highly appreciated. Cheers, Sven from Norway.
ReplyDeleteSven, Try looking up Chilton DW1 Builders and Flyers on Facebook. Someone on that group might know the contact. Roy was doing it years ago but he is not as young as he used to be. Good luck!
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