Druine Turbulent

D.31 Turbulent
Role Single-seat light aircraft
Designer Roger Druine
First flight 1951
Unit cost
£945 (1960)

The Druine D.31 Turbulent is a French single-seat ultralight Homebuilt aircraft designed by Roger Druine.[1]

Development

The D.31 Turbulent was designed to be amateur-built and is a single-seat ultra-light aircraft with cantilever low-wing and fixed tailwheel landing gear. Designed to be powered by a 30hp (1200cc) Volkswagen or similar engine.[2] The fuselage uses wood construction.[3] Rollason Aircraft & Engines Limited produced 29 factory-built D.31 aircraft in the United Kingdom and three D.31A models with strengthened wing spar in order to get a full British certificate of Airworthiness. Five Turbulents are operated by the Tiger Club in 2008.[4]

The rights to plans for the design are held by the UK Light Aircraft Association.[5][6]

Operational history

Reviewers Roy Beisswenger and Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review, saying, "the controls are wonderfully light, and although not aerobatic, the aircraft has been used by the Tiger Club Display Team for formation flying displays in the UK."[6]

Variants

D.3
Original design and prototypes
D.30
powered by 25 hp (19 kW) Ava 4A-00[7]
D.31
Standard home-built and factory built variant
D.31A
Factory & homebuilt aircraft incorporating factory designed (Rollason of Croydon) strengthened main spar to allow C of A certification. Top speed = 115 Knots. Max weight = 317 kg
D.32
powered by Sarolea Epervier[7]
D.35
powered by Porsche[7]

Specifications (D.31)

Four Turbulents at the 1962 Farnborough show

Data from A.J.Jackson, British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, Putnam & Company, London, 1974, ISBN 0-370-10010-7

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 17 ft 4½ in (5.30 m)
  • Wingspan: 21 ft 5 in (6.53 m)
  • Empty weight: 349 lb (158 kg)
  • Gross weight: 620 lb (281 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Volkswagen, 30 hp (22 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 125 mph (201 km/h)
  • Rate of climb: 400 ft/min ( m/s)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

http://www.tigerclub.co.uk/turbulents.html

Notes

  1. ↑ Sport Aviation. December 1960. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ Air Trails: 78. Winter 1971. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ Bob Hege (Winter 1969). "That thing in the basement". Air Progress: 10.
  4. ↑ Tiger Club Druine Turbulent page Retrieved: 25 February 2008
  5. ↑ Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 107. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  6. 1 2 Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 113. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  7. 1 2 3 Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.

Bibliography

  • A.J.Jackson, British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, Putnam & Company, London, 1974, ISBN 0-370-10010-7
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