Dominion Aircraft Co Kia Ora
Era
Dominion Aircraft Company
The Dominion Aircraft Company of Dannevirke, New Zealand, built a number of gliders in the early 1930s.
Dominion Skytrader 800 / Skytrader Corporation UV-23A Scout
The Skytrader was a conventional high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage designed in Renton, Washington, by laid-off Boeing engineers in 1972. The design was optimised for easy freight handling and featured a fuselage of rectangular cross-section with large loading doors to the side and a loading ramp at the rear. The aircraft’s tail unit was angled upwards from the rear fuselage to facilitate loading operations beneath it, and the main undercarriage was fitted in sponsons on the fuselage sides so as not to intrude into the internal cargo volume. Passenger, freight, executive transport, and water-bomber versions were projected.
Work on the aircraft commenced in 1972 and the prototype (N800ST) flew on 21 April 1975. Marketing the aircraft proved difficult, however, and despite a flurry of initial interest, by 1977, only two firm orders are known to have been placed. Two years later, the bank that had been financing the project collapsed and Dominion went bankrupt. The prototype and the program were purchased the following year by Grant MacCoon, and over the next few years were bought and sold by a number of entities, finally becoming the property of a new firm, Skytrader Corporation, in 1984. Skytrader Corporation was founded in 1984 to develop the Skytrader 800 but with some changes.
Skytrader proposed a revised version of the original design as the Skytrader ST1700 or Conestoga. Originally powered by IO-720s, it was planned to fit Thunder TE495-TC700 liquid-cooled V-8s, but it was then planned with Turbomeca Astazou turboprops. This had a stretched cabin, T-tail, redesigned nose, wings, and landing gear, and was to be turboprop powered. A scaled-down version was to be offered as the ST1400 Commuterliner. Apart from passenger and freight versions, dedicated military versions were also proposed as the Evader, carrying 26 troops, or the smaller Scout. This would have been able to carry 12-15 troops and provision was made for armament in the form of 2.75 in air-to-ground rockets. In 1987, Skytrader announced a deal with Mitsui that would provide $20.5 million to fund FAA certification of the ST1700, and initial production of the Scout.
The Mitsui money never appeared, and the following year, Skytrader made co-production deals with the government of the Philippines and Samsung, but these did not eventuate either. The final chapter in the Skytrader’s development was the entry of the Scout in a US Army competition for an intelligence gathering plane. During the late 1980s, the U.S. Southern Command became interested in acquiring a reconnaissance plane which would do well in the rugged terrain and with the clandestine operations that the command was executing at the time. A contest, named Grizzly Hunter, was opened for interested contractors to enter candidate airplanes for consideration.
The Scout was entered as a joint project between Skytrader and McDonnell Douglas Helicopter, and was selected as the winning design, receiving the designation UV-23. Revisions to the original Scout design included blown wings and new propellers and gearboxes to significantly reduce the aircraft’s IR and noise signatures. The Skytrader 800 prototype was re-engined at this point, and flew with Turbomeca Astazou XIV turboprops. Before any production of the UV-23 could be undertaken, however, Grizzly Hunter was cancelled and replaced by a different requirement which was won by the RC-7. With the Army order falling through, Skytrader declared bankruptcy in April 1989 with intentions on continuing operations and was liquidated in August 1989.
As of 2007, the prototype lay derelict, with engines stripped, at Washington County Regional Airport, in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Skytrader 800
Engines: 2 × Lycoming IO-720-B1A, 400 hp (298 kW)
Wingspan: 55 ft 0 in (16.76 m)
Wing area: 385 sq.ft (35.77 sq.m)
Length: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
Height: 18 ft 10¾ in (5.76 m)
Empty weight: 4,950 lb (2,245 kg)
Gross weight: 8,500 lb (3,855 kg)
Maximum speed: 210 mph (338 km/h)
Cruise speed: 150 mph (241 km/h)
Range: 1,430 miles (2,300 km)
Service ceiling: 17,500 ft (5,355 m)
Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (8.1 m/s)
Crew: Two pilots
Capacity: 12 passengers
Dominion Aircraft Corp
Established originally at Vancouver, Canada, but production and development carried out at Renton, Washington. First aircraft produced was the Skytrader 800 STOL twin-engined transport, which flew for the first time on April 21,1975. Corporation ceased trading 1979.
Domenjoz Glider
The Swiss (then) John Domenjoz was with Pegoud, the inventors of stunt flying; both were the first to complete a looping in 1913 while they worked at the Blériot School. By the late 20’s Domenjoz had got the idea to propel a glider by sail like the ancient ships. In 1930 he built at Pine Point, Maine, this glider; towed by a car at 50 mph it did reach an altitude of 200 feet above to sands at Old Orchard, but the sails proved to be utterly useless. The Domenjoz glider had an evident “Blériot connection” ….the Blériot XI type’s lattice fuselage and tail shape are all too obvious.
Doman LZ-5 / YH-31 / D-10
The LZ-5 was similar to the LZ-4 but used a 400hp supercharged Lycoming 580-D engine, and had numerous detail changes. The measurements and layout of this production model very closely resemble those of the hand-made LZ-4. The 8-cylinder supercharged engine is placed beneath the pilot’s compartment; the crankshaft is inclined at an angle of 32degs and drive engagement to the rotor is through a fluid coupling. The front cabin is big enough to take two pilots; the main cabin has room for six passengers with luggage, or four stretchers or cargo over an area of 3.7 square metres. The first example first flew on 27 April 1953. With hingeless rotor unit and hydraulic rotor control system, the prototype received C.A.A. certification for passenger carrying in 1953.
Doman gained a contract from the U.S. Army to supply two aircraft designated YH-31. These were evaluated following delivery in late 1953 (serials 52-5779 and -5780) but it was felt that the possible maintenance problems of the complex rotor system would cause problems with field maintenance. Consequently, the two aircraft were retired in 1958 following a period of use as executive transports in the Washington, DC area until their 1958 withdrawal from the Army inventory. Doman also designed a small two-seat helicopter, the D-10, to an Army requirement. This would have been powered by an Allison 250 turbine but was not built.
Doman actually completed two more development machines in addition to the pair of YH-31s (N94561 and N812). The third aircraft was modified into a new variant – the D-10B – which had a turbocharged Lycoming HIO-720-A1A engine and minor changes and was the subject of a co-production agreement with Fleet in Canada. N812 became CF-IBG-X.
For the Fleet licence agreement one LZ-5 prototype was demonstrated in Canadian markings.
A number of deals and production relationships were subsequently established by Doman in an effort to get the LZ.5 into production. Hiller were licenced to build the military version. Doman also entered into an arrangement with Ambrosini in Italy for them to market the D-10B and for production of 20 airframes to be carried out by Aeronautica Sicula at Palermo in Sicily with final assembly at Doman’s factory in Danbury, Connecticut. A plan was also devised for Aeronautica Sicula to fit a D-10B with a Turbomeca Astazou turbine. The agreement with the Italians collapsed and a new company was subsequently established as Caribe Doman in Puerto Rico during 1966.
Unfortunately, the LZ-5 was obsolete by this time as more modern turbine-powered helicopters flooded onto the market. A further company, Berlin-Doman was formed and a new project launched as the BD-19 but this was also stillborn and the Doman helicopters finally vanished into obscurity.
With its 7 ft (2.13 m) wide doors removed on both sides the helicopter showed in mid-1956 its capability of lifting bulky cargo without slings by transporting a 1,900 lb (862 kg) cabriolet Volkswagen.
Only three LZ-5s were built.
LZ-5
Engine: 1 x Lycoming SO-580-D, 400hp
Rotor diameter: 48 ft / 14.64m
Type of rotors: 4-blade main; 3-blade tail.
Fuselage Length: 37 ft. 10 in / 11.57m
Height: 3.12m
Gross weight: 5,000 lb / 2363kg
Empty weight: 1297kg
Maximum speed: 110 m.p.h./ 169km/h
Cruising speed: 138km/h
Rate of climb: 396m/min
Absolute ceiling: 18,000 ft / 5490m
Typical range: 245 miles at 86 m.p.h. with full load.
Number of seats: 8
Doman LZ-4
After the LZ-2A Pelican, Doman’s system was designed into a larger helicopter that was seen as a viable commercial production machine. The LZ-4A had a large fuselage with three rows of double seats in the main cabin and a two-crew flight deck in front. Large folding doors provided access for loading bulky cargo into the main compartment. The tail boom was conventional with a cranked-up rear section mounting a tail rotor, and the LZ-4A sat on a four-leg undercarriage with trailing link dampers. A 400hp Lycoming SO-590-B engine was positioned in the lower nose, driving the four-blade rotor via a flexible transmission. Following its first flight in November 1950, and subsequent testing, Doman moved on to the improved LZ-5 and transferred the LZ-4A (N74147) to Curtiss Wright, where it was given the designation of CW-40, as a test vehicle. The LZ-4’s first flew in November 1950.
LZ-4
Number of seats: 8
Engine: 1 x Lycoming SO-590-B, 400hp
Rotor diameter: 14.64m
Length: 11.7m
Height: 3.41m
Gross weight: 2165kg
Empty weight: 1343kg
Cruising speed: 125km/h
Rate of climb: 244m/min
Absolute ceiling: 4880m
Range: 336km
Doman LZ-1A
Doman Helicopters Inc. was founded in 1945 for the purpose of exploiting patents taken out by Gliden S. Doman, who during World War II had worked with Sikorsky. The patents related to a new system for controlling and attaching helicopter blades.
These included a new hub system which was essentially similar to the mechanism used on a variable pitch propeller. The rotor system also incorporated a gimbal mounting to provide the necessary tilting of the rotor disc and rotating it by means of a unique constant-velocity driving system. No blade-flapping hinges, drag hinges or hinge dampers were required and bearings subject to centrifugal loads with oscillating motion are reduced to a minimum. The Doman rotor incorporates the speed reduction gearing as an integral part of the rotor assembly. All moving parts are contained within a common housing which precludes damage from weather or foreign matter.
Doman’s theories were tested initially by installing an experimental system on a USAF Sikorsky R-6 in 1947. The rotor had four blades, and though their length was increased from 11.58 to 12.2 metres, this resulted in improved hovering ability and did not lower the top speed.
The helicopter was known as the Doman LZ-1A and it started flight tests in early 1950 with good results. The first flights took place early in 1950 and it should be noted that during one experimental flight this rotorcraft flew for forty minutes without the pilot needing even once to touch the cyclic pitch control.
It was followed by the larger LZ-2A Pelican.
LZ-1A
Engine: 1 x Franklin 0-405-9, 245hp
Rotor diameter: 12.2m
Length: 10.34m
Height: 3.35m
Gross weight: 1350kg
Empty weight: 871kg
Cruising speed: 136km/h
Rate of climb: 275m/min
Range: 640km
Number of seats: 2
Doman / Doman-Frasier Helicopters Inc
Glidden J. Doman
Doman-Frasier Helicopters Inc
Berlin-Doman Helicopters
Founded in 1945 by Glidden J. Doman at Danbury, New York, to construct rotorcraft with hingeless rotorblades and totally enclosed self-lubricating hub. Produced LZ-1 a, LZ- 2a Pelican, LZ-4, LZ-5 ,and a developed version, DB-1 OB, in 1953. At one time known as Doman-Frasier Helicopters Inc. Doman H-31 of 1952 was license-built by Hiller Aircraft Company Inc. Operations transferred to Puerto Rico, with continued production of DB-10B and name changed in 1967 to Berlin-Doman Helicopters, recognizing interests of Chairman Dr. Don R. Berlin.
Dokuchayev No.3
One of the designs of the Russian flying instructor A. Ya. Dokuchayev [А. Я. Докучаев]. The 1913-1914 number 3 machine – the Докучаев-3 – was based on two Henry Farman design which gives this mix. The front part is based on the Farman-VII and the tail side is based on the Farman-XVI (about equal with the French HF.20). This resulted in this one-off pusher trainer, fitted with a 80 hp Gnôme rotary engine. The instructor seat is right behind the seat of the pupil, somewhat higher placed so that he can see easily to the front. He could also guide the steering done by the pupil (or take it over).
