Deperdussin Monocoque
Deperdussin (SPAD) · France · first flew 1912 · light aircraft
The Deperdussin Monocoque was a French racing aircraft built in 1912. It is named after the monocoque method of building its fuselage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Smooth monocoque fuselage of laminated tulipwood |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Mid-wing monoplane with parallel-chord wings
- Smooth monocoque fuselage of laminated tulipwood
- Large spinner over the propeller hub and a clean undercarriage of two U-shaped plywood frames
A small streamlined racer with a smooth, rounded fuselage and a big propeller spinner. An example is in the French Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget.
Specifications
- The Deperdussin Monocoque has a length of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.65 m (22 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 201 km/h (125 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The fuselage was made in two halves, each of three layers of tulipwood over a hickory framework, then glued together and covered in fabric. Wing spars were hickory and ash. The figures given are for the 1913 Gordon Bennett winner with a 160 hp Gnome rotary.
Variants
Several were built; Prévost modified his 1913 aircraft by reducing the wing span.
Where you'll see it
Jules Védrines won the 1912 Gordon Bennett Trophy in one. Maurice Prévost won the 1913 race at Reims at an average of 200.8 km/h.
Related aircraft
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