Dewoitine D.480
Constructions Aeronautiques Emile Dewoitine · France · first flew 1932 · light aircraft
The Dewoitine D.480 was a French single-engined side-by-side sports and training aircraft built in the early 1930s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Metal-skinned fuselage with a radial engine and exposed cylinder heads |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Cantilever low wing, trapezoidal in plan with elliptical tips
- Pilot and pupil side by side in an open cockpit close to the wing leading edge
- Metal-skinned fuselage with a radial engine and exposed cylinder heads
The wing tapers strongly in thickness from root to tip with significant dihedral, and the undercarriage is fixed with a long hinged tailwheel leg.
Specifications
- The Dewoitine D.480 has a length of 7.4 m (24 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.7 m (42 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 175 km/h (109 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed to a government programme for a side-by-side trainer for flying schools, and had a wooden wing and a metal fuselage. The first prototype used a 95 hp Salmson 7Ac radial engine.
Variants
The D.481 was identical apart from a 100 hp Lorraine 5Pa radial. Both aircraft were later fitted with other engines and became D.482 and D.483 variants.
Where you'll see it
Two were completed, registered F-AKFF and F-AKFG. One was displayed at the December 1932 Paris Aero Salon and one survived the war to fly in the 1950s.
Related aircraft
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