DH-91 Albatross

[chrisf36]

Hi all

I'm trying to find out the proper fuel and cargo load for the long range version of this beautiful plane. I've searched the web and found plenty of info about the passenger version but nothing about the mailplane long range version except that they had a range of about 3300 miles. I'm guessing they carried more than the 528 gallons in the passenger version.

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks
Chris

[AllanL]

I've got a DH House magazine with a write-up of the mail plane in it. when I get back home next Tuesday, I'll see if I can find where it is carefully hidden!

The fuselage windows were different, but stay in the cockpit, and you'll never notice.

As I recall it was pretty much a flying fuel tank with room for a couple of postcards to get the transatlantic range for which it was intended.

[DaveB]

Here's what I have from my Dh bible..

Weights.. Mail.. Tare weight 20,314lb.. AUW 28,500 (overload 32,900lb
Passenger........ Tare weight 20,298lb.. AUW 29,500lb

Performance: Mail.. Max speed 213mph.. Cruising speed 205mph.. initial climb 620fpm.. ceiling 16,800ft.. range.. 3,230miles

Passenger... Max speed 225mph.. Cruising speed 210mph.. initial climb 700fpm.. ceiling 17,900.. range 1040miles.

Hope that's of some use ;-) Note the range is miles not nautical miles.

EDIT.. unable to find any info on tank sizes at all I'm afraid :-(

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[chrisf36]

Thanks for the info guys!

Chris

[steve p]

The mail carriers had four tanks in the fuselage, each holding 330 gallons. There is a very good in-depth article on the Albatross in the November 1938 issue of "Flight". You can find it using the archive search facility over at the Flight International site.

Blimey! Thats a Lancaster fuel load!

HTH
Steve P

[DaveB]

Blimey! Thats a Lancaster fuel load!

Yes.. and on GQ12's!! No wonder it went so far

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[AllanL]

Of course, I got back to God's Own Country ( well Alec "Is this my best profile - which camera am I on?" Salmond thinks so and the sod keeps winning by-elections) only to find the mag is in Lancashire - even longer story.

Anyhoo, the following add-in bodge to the aircraft.cfg file in the [fuel] section will give the right total fuel capacity:

[fuel]
Leftmain = 0.0, 0.0, -4.0, 529.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons),
Unusable (gallons)
Rightmain = 0.0, 0.0, -4, 529.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons),
Unusable (gallons)

Don't forget these are skinny latte subprime re-possessed dominion gallons , not the True Brit There'll Always Be An Empire Imperial Gallons that are quoted above. CHEERS

You will notice that most of the luggage/passengers need to be ditched to fill to the brim with avgas. But that was where I came in.

[chrisf36]

Thanks appreciate it

That looks right to me!

Chris