Davis DA-2

DA-2
Role	Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer	Homebuilt
Designer	Leeon D. Davis
First flight	21 May 1966
Primary user	Private pilot owners
Number built	ca. 45 by 1985

The Davis DA-2 is a light aircraft designed in the United States in the 1960s and was marketed for homebuilding.[1] While it is a low-wing monoplane of largely conventional design with fixed tricycle undercarriage, the DA-2 is given a distinctive appearance by its slab-like fuselage construction and its V-tail.[2] The pilot and a single passenger sit side-by-side. Construction of the aircraft is sheet aluminum throughout, with the sole compound curves formed a fiberglass cowling and fairings.[3]

Davis DA-2 at Airventure 2008.

Davis DA-2A

The prototype made its first flight on May 21, 1966, and was exhibited at that year's Experimental Aircraft Association annual fly-in, where it won awards for "most outstanding design" and "most popular aircraft".[4]

A major design consideration was ease of assembly for a first time home aircraft builder. Examples of this include: few curved components, a V-tail is one less control surface to build, and each wing is made from two sheets of aluminum with no trimming involved.[5]

The DA-3 was a single DA-2 enlarged to accommodate four people. Work proceeded through 1973-74, but the aircraft was never completed.

Plans have been intermittently available over the years. They are as of August 2019, available from D2 Aircraft.

Operational history

Examples of the DA-2 have been completed in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and are currently (2015) actively flying in those countries.

Variants

1979 Davis DA-2B
DA-2 -- Continental A-65 powered
DA-2A—Continental O-200A powered
DA-2B—3 inch lower roof line[5]
DA-3
DA-Bandit-Corvair powered

Specifications (typical DA-2)

Data from Popular Mechanics August 1973

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Capacity: 1 passenger
Length: 17 ft 10 in (5.44 m)
Wingspan: 19 ft 3 in (5.86 m)
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Wing area: 83 sq ft (7.7 m²)
Empty weight: 610 lb (277 kg)
Gross weight: 1,125 lb (510 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental A65 horizontally-opposed four-cylinder piston engine , 65 hp (49 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 120 mph (193 km/h, 100 kn)
Cruise speed: 110 mph (177 km/h, 96 kn)
Range: 450 mi (725 km, 390 nmi)

References

Notes

Barnett Flight International 22 August 1977, pp. 534–535
Weeghman, Richard B. (October 1966). "Rockford '66". Flying. Vol. 79, no. 4. pp. 52–53.
Air Progress Sport Aircraft: 41. Winter 1969. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Taylor 1967, p. 247
Davisson, Budd (December 2017). "cubic Efficiency". Sport Aviation.

Sources

Barnett, Cliff (22 August 1977). "Oshkosh Sport Aircraft Galore". Flight International. Vol. 112, no. 3571. pp. 532–541.
Taylor, John W. R. (1967). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1967–68. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 305.
Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985-86. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 587–88.
Davisson, Budd (May 1973). "Flying the Davis DA-2A Homebuilt". Air Progress.

External links

http://www.yahoogroups.com/da2a

Builder Group

http://www.davisda2.com Current source for plans also a users forum.

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[1] Barnett Flight International 22 August 1977, pp. 534–535

[2] Weeghman, Richard B. (October 1966). "Rockford '66". Flying. Vol. 79, no. 4. pp. 52–53.

[3] Air Progress Sport Aircraft: 41. Winter 1969. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[jawa67p247-4] Taylor 1967, p. 247

[SportAv2017-12-5] Davisson, Budd (December 2017). "cubic Efficiency". Sport Aviation.