DAR 3 Garvan
Drjavna Aeroplane Rabotilnitsa · Bulgaria · first flew 1927 · reconnaissance aircraft
The DAR 3 Garvan (Raven) was a 1930s Bulgarian single-engine, multipurpose reconnaissance and auxiliary biplane.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Garvan-III had a longer cowling, a canopy over the pilot only and a lengthened fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-engine multipurpose biplane with a pilot and gunner
- Garvan-I had a Wright Cyclone engine in a Townsend ring
- Garvan-III had a longer cowling, a canopy over the pilot only and a lengthened fuselage
Look for a two-seat biplane with unequal upper and lower spans and, on the Garvan-III, a long cowling and a canopy over the pilot but not the gunner.
Specifications
- The DAR 3 Garvan has a length of 9.46 m (31 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.9 m (39 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 265 km/h (165 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was developed by the Drjavna Aeroplane Rabotilnitsa as a close air support biplane, intended as a short-range reconnaissance and light bomber. The first prototype had a 400 hp Lorraine-Dietrich 12D engine, first flew in 1927 and was delivered in 1928.
Variants
The Garvan-I had a Wright Cyclone engine, the Garvan-II a Siemens Jupiter VI and the Garvan-III an Alfa Romeo 126 RC34 in a longer cowling. The DAR 3(I bis.) third prototype had a Wright Cyclone engine and a triangular pointed fin.
Where you'll see it
In the 1930s and 1940s it was used for reconnaissance, army co-operation, liaison and continuation training, and it saw action over the Balkans in 1944. After the crash of two Garvan-III aircraft, the Bulgarian Air Force handed the 10 remaining planes to the Yugoslavian Air Force.
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