De Havilland Gipsy
Encyclopedia
The de Havilland Gipsy is a British air-cooled 4-cylinder in-line
Inline engine (aviation)
In aviation, an inline engine means any reciprocating engine with banks rather than rows of cylinders, including straight engines, flat engines, V engines and H engines, but excluding radial engines and rotary engines....

 aircraft engine designed by Frank Halford
Frank Halford
Major Frank Bernard Halford CBE FRAeS was an English aircraft engine designer.-Career:Educated at Felsted, In 1913 he left the University of Nottingham before graduating to learn to fly at Brooklands and Bristol Flying School and became a flight instructor using Bristol Boxkites.He served in the...

 in 1927 to replace the ADC Cirrus
Cirrus Engine
Cirrus Aero-Engines Limited was a British aircraft engine manufacturer, known for their line of 4-cylinder air-cooled vertical inline engines for general aviation use. The company traded between 1927 and 1931.-History:...

 in the de Havilland D.H.60 Moth light biplane.

The Gipsy went on to become one of the most famous sport aircraft engines of the inter-war period and was the engine of choice for various other light aircraft
Light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross take-off weight of or less.Many aircraft used commercially for freight, sightseeing, photography and scheduled flights are light aircraft.Examples of light aircraft include:...

, trainers
Trainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...

, liaison aircraft
Liaison aircraft
A liaison aircraft is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before World War II and included also battlefield reconnaissance, air ambulance, column control, light cargo delivery...

 and air taxis
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...

, British as well as foreign, until long past WWII. Apart from helping to establish the de Havilland Aircraft Company as a manufacturer of light aircraft, it also established the company as an engine manufacturer in its own right.

Design and development

Just like the ADC Cirrus, the Gipsy was born as a collaboration between aircraft manufacturer Geoffrey de Havilland
Geoffrey de Havilland
Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, OM, CBE, AFC, RDI, FRAeS, was a British aviation pioneer and aircraft engineer...

 and engine designer Frank Halford
Frank Halford
Major Frank Bernard Halford CBE FRAeS was an English aircraft engine designer.-Career:Educated at Felsted, In 1913 he left the University of Nottingham before graduating to learn to fly at Brooklands and Bristol Flying School and became a flight instructor using Bristol Boxkites.He served in the...

. In fact, the early history of the Cirrus and Gipsy were linked through de Havilland's D.H.60 Moth.

Cirrus origins

In 1925 Geoffrey de Havilland was looking for a reliable cheap engine for use in a light sports aircraft. More particularly, he was looking for something like his favourite World War I aircraft engine: the 240 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

 (hp) Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

 V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....

, but with half the weight and half the power. Halford gave it to him by building a 4-cylinder crankcase and adding to it half of the Renault's cylinders, several other of the Renault’s components, and standard parts used in car engines. The result was a 60 hp in-line aircraft engine that, although it fell short of the promised horse-power, was still superior to all contemporary engines for light aircraft. Most importantly it was a true aircraft engine at a time where its competitors were more often than not motorcycle engines adapted to running at high altitude. The engine secured, de Havilland Aircraft commenced manufacture of the D.H.60 Moth and the combination of reliable powerplant - the ADC Cirrus - and reliable training craft – the Moth - marked the start of serious sports flying in Britain.

By 1927 however, the Moth threatened to become a victim of its own success as continuing demand was depleting the stockpiles of surplus Renaults needed to build its Cirrus engine. The Moth now having provided a solid financial cushion, de Havilland Aircraft decided to take the problem head-on and start its own engine factory. Geoffrey de Havilland again went to his old friend Halford and this time asked him to design a completely new aircraft engine of weight and performance comparable to the latest version of the Cirrus (the 105 hp Cirrus Hermes).

DH.71 Tiger Moth racer

Halford and de Havilland quickly agreed on a 135 hp test engine later to be de-rated to 100 hp for production models. While Halford went to build the engine, de Havilland designed its test-bed: the diminutive D.H.71 racer. Two D.H.71s were built and although in a bout of over-confidence named Tiger Moth, their racing career was rather uneventful. Their only notable claim to fame came in capturing a world speed record of 186 mi/h for their weight class. (The name Tiger Moth would later be used again for the D.H.82 trainer and with this aircraft gain more than its share of fame.) What the D.H.71 did not accomplish in racing successes, it did accomplish in developing the new engine and by the time the career of the D.H.71 was over, the 100 hp production version of its engine, now named the Gipsy, was ready to start its career.

Technical description

Like the Cirrus, the new Gipsy was an air-cooled 4-cylinder in-line engine weighing a mere 300 pounds and rated at 98hp (73kW) at 2,100 rpm. The cylinders had a bore of 4.5in and a stroke of 5in (114mm × 128mm) for a displacement of 319cu.in (5.23l). It was soon developed further into the 120hp (90kW) Gipsy II; both types were to be used in the new version of the de Havilland Moth: the D.H.60G Gipsy Moth. The new engine proved itself to be docile, easy to maintain and, as demonstrated in many long distance flights by the new Gipsy Moth, reliable.

Birth of the Gipsy Major

For all of this the new engine still had one drawback: its cylinders were still built on top of the crankshaft and therefore were sticking out of the top of the fuselage, right in the pilot’s field of vision. Lowering the engine was impossible as the crankshaft was directly connected to the propeller and the propeller could not be placed too low lest it would plough into the ground on hard landings or bumpy fields. The solution came as several pilots boasted that they would be able to fly their Moth upside down for as long as they wanted if it were not for the carburettor and fuel tank now being inverted. Halford decided to test this by mounting a Gipsy engine upside down and then inverting its carburettor so it was now right side up again. The design proved to run just as flawlessly as the regular Gipsy engine and soon the Gipsy I and II were replaced on the production lines by the Gipsy III inverted 4-cylinder engine. The Moth with this new engine became the D.H.60 G-III; as the Gipsy III was quickly developed further into the Gipsy Major, the D.H.60 G-III was baptised the Moth Major.

Building on the success of the D.H.60, de Havilland now started building other sports aircraft and trainers, all of which were powered by its own Gipsy engines. The company now produced Gipsy engines for other manufacturers as well and the Gipsy Major in particular became the engine of choice for scores of light aircraft designs, British as well as foreign. Most notably it was the engine of the famous WWII D.H.82 Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...

 trainer.

Further development

In 1934, when De Havilland needed a more powerful engine for his twin-engined transport planes, the 4-cylinder Gipsy was further developed into the 200hp 6-cylinder Gipsy Six
De Havilland Gipsy Six
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens, 1986, p. 50. ISBN 0-75094-479-X.* Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...

. In 1937 even more power was needed for the new D.H.91 Albatross
De Havilland Albatross
|-See also:...

 4-engined transatlantic mailplane, and so two Gipsy Sixes were combined to form one 525 hp Gipsy Twelve 12-cylinder inverted Vee. In analogy to the Gipsy Major and Minor, the Gipsy Twelve was to become the Gipsy King and the Gipsy Six the Gipsy Queen
De Havilland Gipsy Queen
|-Survivors:Of the 11 Gipsy Queen-powered de Havilland Doves on the British register, only two remain airworthy .-Engines on display:Preserved de Havilland Gipsy Queen engines are on public display at the following museums:*de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre...

.

World War II however cut short all civilian flying and after the war de Havilland was too busy concentrating on jet engines to put much energy into its piston engines. The Gipsy did not go without a fight though. In Canada the Gipsy Major was the engine of choice for the DHC1 Chipmunk
De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk
The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft which was the standard primary trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force and several other air forces through much of the post-Second World War years...

 trainer, which later replaced the Tiger Moth in the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

. By that time however, the Gipsy Major was eclipsed by the Blackburn Cirrus Major
Cirrus Major
-See also:*ADC Cirrus-Bibliography:** Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....

 in Britain and the American Lycoming
Lycoming Engines
Lycoming Engines is a U.S. aircraft engine company, known primarily for its general aviation engines. For most of its history Lycoming has been part of the AVCO group as AVCO Lycoming. In 1987 AVCO was purchased by Textron to become Textron Lycoming...

 and Continental
Continental Motors Company
Continental Motors Company was an American engine and automobile manufacturer. The company produced engines for various independent manufacturers of automobiles, tractors, and stationary equipment from the 1900s through the 1960s. Continental Motors also produced Continental-branded automobiles in...

 horizontally opposed engines abroad (in a twist of irony, the Blackburn itself was based on Halford’s old ADC Cirrus
Cirrus Engine
Cirrus Aero-Engines Limited was a British aircraft engine manufacturer, known for their line of 4-cylinder air-cooled vertical inline engines for general aviation use. The company traded between 1927 and 1931.-History:...

 engine of which Blackburn had bought the license in the 1934). In its final form, the Gipsy Major used in the Chipmunk delivered 145hp (110kW).

Variants

  • Gipsy I - Original production version. 1,445 built.

  • Gipsy II - Stroke increased to 5.5 in (140 mm). Power 120 hp (90 kW) at 2,300 rpm. 309 built

  • Gipsy III - As Gipsy II, inverted. 611 built.

  • Gipsy IV - A smaller inverted 4-cylinder in-line engine, derived from the Gipsy III, intended for light sporting aircraft. Forerunner of Gipsy Minor. Power 82 hp (61kW).

  • Gipsy Major - Further development of the Gipsy III. Originally 130hp (92kW) later 141 and 145hp (105, 110kW)

  • Gipsy Minor - Further development of the Gipsy IV. Power 90hp (67kW).


Applications

Application list from Lumsden. Gipsy Minor and Major not included.

Gipsy I
  • Avro Avian
    Avro Avian
    The Avro Avian was a series of British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and '30s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and its descendants....

  • Bartel BM-4
    Bartel BM-4
    |-References:*Andrzej Glass: "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" , WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977 -External links:* at...

  • Blackburn Bluebird IV
    Blackburn Bluebird IV
    |-See also:-External links:**...

  • Breda Ba.15
    Breda Ba.15
    |-See also:-References:* * "La Contribución Italiana en la Aviación Paraguaya". Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia. Author's edition. Asunción, 2007. 300pp....

  • de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth
    De Havilland DH.60 Moth
    The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

  • de Havilland DH.60T Gipsy Moth Trainer
    De Havilland DH.60 Moth
    The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

  • de Havilland D.H.71 Tiger Moth racer
  • PZL.5
    PZL.5
    |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Cynk, Jerzy B. Polish Aircraft 1893-1939. London: Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0-370-00085-4.* Glass, Andrzej. Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939 . Warsaw: WKiŁ, 1977 .-External links:**...

  • Simmonds Spartan
    Simmonds Spartan
    |-See also:-External links:*...

  • Southern Martlet
    Southern Martlet
    -External links:** in Flight magazine 1930...

  • Spartan Arrow
    Spartan Arrow
    -External links:** in Flight, November 7, 1930....

  • Westland Widgeon
    Westland Widgeon
    Westland Widgeon may refer to:* Westland Widgeon , the 1924 fixed wing aircraft type by Westland Aircraft* Westland Widgeon , the 1950s helicopter type by Westland Aircraft...



Gipsy II
  • Airspeed Ferry
    Airspeed Ferry
    |-See also:-External links:*...

  • Avro Avian
    Avro Avian
    The Avro Avian was a series of British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and '30s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and its descendants....

  • Blackburn Bluebird IV
    Blackburn Bluebird IV
    |-See also:-External links:**...

  • de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth
    De Havilland DH.60 Moth
    The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

  • de Havilland DH.60T Gipsy Moth Trainer
    De Havilland DH.60 Moth
    The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

  • PZL.5
    PZL.5
    |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Cynk, Jerzy B. Polish Aircraft 1893-1939. London: Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0-370-00085-4.* Glass, Andrzej. Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939 . Warsaw: WKiŁ, 1977 .-External links:**...

  • RWD-4
    RWD-4
    |-See also:-References:* Glass, Andrzej: "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" , WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977 -External links:*...

  • Saro Cutty Sark
  • Saro Windhover
    Saro Windhover
    |-See also:-References:*Lewis, Peter. 1970. British Racing and Record-Breaking Aircraft. Putnam ISBN 0370000676*London, Peter. 1988. Saunders and Saro Aircraft Since 1917, Putnam ISBN 0-85177-814-3...

  • Short Mussel
    Short Mussel
    The Short S.7 Mussel was a single-engined two-seat monoplane built by Short Brothers to test the performance of their duralumin monocoque floats. Two were built.-Development:...

  • Simmonds Spartan
    Simmonds Spartan
    |-See also:-External links:*...

  • Southern Martlet
    Southern Martlet
    -External links:** in Flight magazine 1930...

  • Spartan Arrow
    Spartan Arrow
    -External links:** in Flight, November 7, 1930....

  • Spartan Three Seater


Gipsy III
  • Airspeed Ferry
    Airspeed Ferry
    |-See also:-External links:*...

  • Arrow Active
    Arrow Active
    The Arrow Active is a British aerobatic aircraft built in the 1930s.-Design and development:The Arrow Active is a single-seat biplane of conventional configuration, with single-bay, staggered wings of unequal span. The upper and lower wings are joined by a single interplane strut. The...

  • Avro Avian
    Avro Avian
    The Avro Avian was a series of British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and '30s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and its descendants....

  • Bartel BM-4
    Bartel BM-4
    |-References:*Andrzej Glass: "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" , WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977 -External links:* at...

  • Blackburn Bluebird IV
    Blackburn Bluebird IV
    |-See also:-External links:**...

  • Blackburn B-2
    Blackburn B-2
    |-See also:-External links:* * *...

  • Blackburn-Saro Meteor
    Blackburn Segrave
    |-See also:-References:*-External links:*...

  • Breda 33
  • Cierva C.24
    Cierva C.24
    -External Links:* Popular Mechanics, March 1932 bottom of page...

  • Comper Swift
    Comper Swift
    -See also:-References:*Boughton, Terence. 1963. The Story of The British Light Aeroplane. John Murray*Meaden, Jack & Fillmore, Malcolm. . The Comper Lightplanes. Air-Britain Archive . Air-Britain. ISSN 02624923...

  • Darmstadt D-22
    Darmstadt D-22
    -References:*Marian Krzyżan: "Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934", Warsaw 1988, ISBN 83-206-0637-3 -External links:**...

  • de Havilland Fox Moth
    De Havilland Fox Moth
    |-References:NotesBibliography* Hotson, Fred W. The de Havilland Canada Story. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. ISBN 0-07-549483-3.* Jackson, A. J. British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972: Volume II. London: Putnam , 1988. ISBN 0-85177-813-5....

  • de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth
    De Havilland DH.60 Moth
    The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

  • de Havilland Hornet Moth
  • de Havilland DH.60GIII Moth Major
    De Havilland DH.60 Moth
    The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

  • de Havilland Leopard Moth
    De Havilland Leopard Moth
    -See also:...

  • de Havilland Puss Moth
    De Havilland Puss Moth
    |-See also:-References:* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London, Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10010-7-External links:*...

  • de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth I
    De Havilland Tiger Moth
    The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...

  • de Havilland T.K.1
  • Desoutter Mk.II
    Desoutter Mk.II
    -Bibliography:* Kalevi Keskinen, Kari Stenman: Koulukoneet - Suomen ilmavoimien historia 22, Itä-Uudenmaan paino, Loviisa, 2003, ISBN 951-98751-5-8* Tervonen, Ismo: Veljekset Karhumäki Suomen ilmailun pioneereina 1924-1956, Apali Oy, ISBN 952-5026-25-6....

  • Heinkel He 64C
    Heinkel He 64
    |-References:* Heinze, Edwin P.A. Flight: 848-50, 9 September 1932. Retrieved: 24 April 2008.* Nowarra, Heinz. Die deutsche Luftrüstung 1933-1945. Bonn: Bernard and Graefe, 1983, pp. Teil 2, 173–175....

  • Klemm Kl 26
  • Klemm Kl 27
  • Klemm Kl 32
  • Miles Hawk
    Miles Hawk
    -See also:-Bibliography:* Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0....

  • Miles Hawk Major
    Miles Hawk Major
    -See also:-Bibliography:* Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0....

  • PZL.19
    PZL.19
    |-References: Glass, Andrzej. Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939 , pp. 242-244.. Warsaw: WKiŁ, 1977.-See also:...

  • Saro Cutty Sark
  • Saro-Percival Mailplane
    Spartan Cruiser
    |-See also:-External links:******...

  • Spartan Cruiser
    Spartan Cruiser
    |-See also:-External links:******...

  • Westland-Hill Pterodactyl
    Westland-Hill Pterodactyl
    The Westland-Hill Pterodactyl series of experimental tailess or flying wing aircraft designs were developed starting in the 1920s. They are named after the genus Pterodactylus, a well-known type of Pterosaur commonly known as the pterodactyl....



Gipsy IV

Gipsy R

Survivors

As of October 2010 approximately 17 Gipsy-powered de Havilland DH.60 Moth
De Havilland DH.60 Moth
The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...

s remain on the British register. Not all are currently airworthy.

Engines on display

Preserved de Havilland Gipsy engines are on public display at the:
  • de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
    De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
    The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, formerly the Mosquito Aircraft Museum, is a volunteer-run aviation museum in London Colney, Hertfordshire, England...

  • Shuttleworth Collection
    Shuttleworth Collection
    The Shuttleworth Collection is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of the most prestigious in the world due to the variety of old and well-preserved aircraft.- History :...


Specifications (Gipsy I)

See also

External links

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