1. Design

2. Development

3. Variants

4. Specifications (D.480)

5. References

The Dewoitine D.480 was a French single engine side-by-side sports and training aircraft built in the early 1930s. Two were completed and flew with several different radial engines. One remained active through the 1950s.

Design

The D.480 was designed to a government programme for a side-by-side trainer for flying schools. It was of mixed construction, with a wooden wing and metal fuselage. Its one-piece cantilever low wing was trapezoidal out to elliptical tips, tapered strongly in thickness from root to tip and had significant dihedral. The wing was built around a single spruce and plywood spar and entirely ply skinned. High aspect ratio ailerons filled over half the trailing edges, with ground-adjustable trimming flaps near the roots.^[1][2]

The metal skinned fuselage was based on four longerons, giving it a slightly rounded square cross-section. It was always intended that the D.48 series should be able to accommodate a variety of radial engines in the {{convert|90-150|hp|kW|abbr=on|disp=flip}} range and the first prototype, type D.480, had a {{convert|95|hp|kW|abbr=on|disp=flip}} Salmson 7Ac seven cylinder engine in the nose, enclosed in a cowling which exposed its cylinder heads for cooling.^[1] A second example, designated D.481, was built at the same time as the first and was identical apart from its {{convert|100|hp|kW|abbr=on|disp=flip}} Lorraine 5Pa radial, similarly cowled.^[4] Pilot and pupil sat side-by-side with dual controls in an open cockpit close to the wing leading edge. Behind them the fuselage tapered to a convention tail. The horizontal tail was roughly elliptical in plan and mounted on top of the fuselage, far enough forward to need only a small space between the elevators for rudder movement. Its deep, full rudder was hinged on a blunted triangular fin.^[1]

The D.480 had a fixed, conventional undercarriage with a track of {{convert|2.80|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. Each mainwheel was mounted on a stub axle at the vertex of a V-strut hinged on the lower fuselage longeron, with a near-vertical sprung leg, with an oleo strut shock absorber, to the wing spar. The tailwheel was on a long, hinged leg close to the rear fuselage with a short, vertical shock absorber.^[1]

Development

Both examples had official pre-flight structural checks made in January 1932;^[7] the D.481 at least flew that same month.^[4] They were registered as F-AKFF and F-AKFG. One of the pair was displayed at the December 1932 Paris Aero Salon after receiving a {{convert|135|hp|kW|abbr=on|disp=flip}} Salmson 9NC nine-cylinder radial, housed under a long-chord, NACA-style cowling.^[10] The type number of this variant is not known for certain but recreated French civil aircraft registers show that both spent part of the lives as D.482s.^[11]

The register also indicates that one flew for a time as a military aircraft; Dewoitine had argued that it would make a good introductory trainer.^[1] It returned to the civil register as F-AQMO in May 1938, operated by an aero club near Toulouse. It survived World War II and in the 1950s, its engine uncowled, carried advertising material for a biscuit manufacturer.^[15]

F-AKFG eventually became a type D.483,^[11] though little is known about this variant.

Variants

Dewoitine D.480

Salmson 7Ac powered, as described. Registered as F-AKFF.

Dewoitine D.481

{{convert|100|hp|kW|abbr=on|disp=flip}} Lorraine 5Pa five cylinder radial engine with three blade propeller. Registered as F-AKFG.

Dewoitine D.482

D.480 and D.481 re-designated.

Dewoitine D.483

Second D.482 re-designated.

Specifications (D.480)

|genhide=
|crew=Two
|capacity=
|length m=7.395
|length note=
|span m=12.700
|span note=
|height m=2.830
|height note=
|wing area sqm=19
|wing area note= including {{convert|2|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} of fuselage underside
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=646
|empty weight note= equipped, without fuel
|gross weight kg=909
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|120|l|Impgal USgal|abbr=on}}
|more general=

|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Salmson 7Ac
|eng1 type=7-cylinder air-cooled radial
|eng1 hp=95
|eng1 note=
|power original=
|more power=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=

|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=175
|max speed note=at ground level
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=84
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=600
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=4500
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
}}

References

• Chromium B.S.U.
• Chromium carbonyl
• Chromium chalcedony
• Chromium Chords
• Chromium diacetate
• Chromium (disambiguation)
• Chromium disodium oxide
• Chromium (engine)
• Chromium(III) 2-ethylhexanoate
• Chromium(III) nicotinate
• Chromium(III) nitrate
• Chromium(III) nitride
• Chromium(III) potassium sulfate
• Chromium (III) sulfate
• Chromium (III) sulfide
• Chromium(III) sulfide
• Chromium(III) sulphate
• Chromium in nutrition
• Chromium(IV) chloride
• Chromium nitride
• Chromium nutrition
• Chromium (nutrition)
• Chromium OS
• Chromium oxychloride
• Chromium peroxide