Gallaudet D-4
Gallaudet Aircraft Company · United States · first flew 1918 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Gallaudet D-4 was an unusual biplane designed and built by the Gallaudet Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. Its Liberty L-12 engine was buried within the fuselage and turned a large four-bladed propeller attached to a ring around the centre of the fuselage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Biplane with the engine buried inside the fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Biplane with the engine buried inside the fuselage
- Large four-bladed propeller on a ring around the centre of the fuselage
- Two crew, a pilot and an observer
The four-bladed propeller is carried on a ring around the middle of the fuselage rather than at the nose, driven by an engine inside the fuselage. It was a two-seat biplane with a pilot and an observer.
Specifications
- The Gallaudet D-4 has a length of 10.2 m (33 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.1 m (46 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 192 km/h (119 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The D-4 was developed in response to a US Navy requirement for light floatplanes that could be launched by catapult from ships under way, and was based on the earlier Gallaudet D-1. The prototype crashed on 19 July 1918 after an elevator control failure, killing the pilot, Lt Arthur Souther.
Variants
Two D-4s were built. The second flew for the first time in October 1918.
Where you'll see it
The second aircraft was accepted by the US Navy in April 1919 for service as an observation aircraft. It entered the Curtiss Marine Trophy Race at Detroit on 8 October 1922 but had to leave the race after the fifth lap because of a broken propeller.
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