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| De Havilland Gipsy Six | |
|---|---|
| Name | De Havilland Gipsy Six |
| Type | Aircraft piston engine |
| Manufacturer | De Havilland Aircraft Company |
| Firstflight | 1927 |
| Produced | 1932–1950 (approx.) |
| Status | Retired/legacy |
De Havilland Gipsy Six The De Havilland Gipsy Six was an inverted six-cylinder air-cooled aircraft piston engine developed by the De Havilland Aircraft Company in the interwar period to power de Havilland DH.88 Comet racers and Air Ministry designs, influencing designs used by Royal Air Force trainers and Imperial Airways transports. It followed developments from the Gipsy Major lineage and interfaced with airframes such as the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, de Havilland DH.91 Albatross and later de Havilland Hornet Moth, becoming notable in competitions like the Schneider Trophy era context and in routes linking Croydon Airport to Cape Town. The engine’s configuration contributed to performance in record attempts linked to personalities including Amy Johnson and organizations such as British European Airways.
The Gipsy Six originated at Stag Lane Aerodrome under designers from the De Havilland Aircraft Company and drew on lessons from the Gipsy I and Gipsy Major families, integrating an inverted straight-six layout to improve pilot visibility in de Havilland Hornet and de Havilland Rapide installations while accommodating cowling designs pioneered around Hendon Aerodrome. Early development involved collaboration with suppliers active in the Aviation industry at Moorabbin and design influences traced to engineers who had worked on Airco DH.4 derivatives and RAF Hendon trials; the layout emphasized compactness, low frontal area, and reliable air cooling for use in both long-range Imperial Airways mail services and racing entries targeting events connected to England and Australia routes. The powerplant adopted aluminum crankcases and finned steel cylinders reflecting metallurgy advances from firms serving Short Brothers and Handley Page projects, and it underwent bench tests at facilities used by Allied engineering contractors before being certified under British standards of the early 1930s.
Multiple iterations delivered differing power ratings, propeller drives, and supercharging options adapted for altitude work demanded by routes like KLM and record flights by pilots linked to Sir Alan Cobham exhibitions. Notable versions included normally aspirated and supercharged models, long-stroke and short-stroke variants, and military-tuned derivatives used by training organizations such as No. 1 Flying Training School RAF and civilian companies including Imperial Airways. Technical features encompassed inverted six-cylinder layout, single- and two-stage superchargers on some marks, dry sump lubrication systems developed in consultation with firms aligned with Rolls-Royce Limited auxiliary designs, bore and stroke dimensions optimized for torque and cruise efficiency, and accessory drives compatible with carburettors and magnetos sourced from suppliers familiar to Bristol Siddeley networks. Specificed outputs ranged across marks to suit airframes like the de Havilland DH.88 Comet racer and types operated by Royal Australian Air Force ancillary units.
The Gipsy Six saw use in pioneering long-distance flights and in competitive air racing circuits associated with events attended by figures such as Charles Kingsford Smith and Amy Johnson, powering aircraft that served on commercial routes operated by Imperial Airways and later by airlines in the Commonwealth network. Military adoption for trainers linked the type to the Royal Air Force training command and to civil flying schools under the auspices of authorities at Croydon Airport and Hatfield Aerodrome, supporting pilot preparation for operations in theaters overseen by Air Ministry planners. The engine’s reliability and serviceability made it suitable for conversions and for use in experimental prototypes evaluated alongside powerplants from Napier & Son and Bristol Aeroplane Company in the 1930s and 1940s, and surviving installations figure in restoration projects by museums associated with Science Museum, London collections and heritage groups centered at Imperial War Museum Duxford.
Civil operators included Imperial Airways, British European Airways, early operators in the Royal Australian Air Force auxiliary pool, and independent flying schools that supported routes between London and Cape Town or Singapore. Military users encompassed Royal Air Force training units, auxiliary air forces in the Dominion of Canada and Royal New Zealand Air Force training flights, and experimental establishments within Air Ministry test programmes. Private owners and racing teams linked to personalities from Australia and New Zealand also employed Gipsy Six–powered racers in international competition circuits.
Production was managed by the De Havilland Aircraft Company at facilities originally based at Stag Lane Aerodrome and later coordinated with manufacturing at Hatfield Aerodrome and subcontractors associated with the British aviation industry supply chain, including component firms supplying pistons, crankshafts, and magnetos used in marks built through the 1930s and 1940s. Wartime pressures shifted some capacity toward wartime repair and overhaul work carried out under contract with maintenance units linked to the Royal Air Force and to contractors servicing civil fleets for Imperial Airways and postwar carriers such as British European Airways. Postwar production and spares support continued through companies evolved from prewar suppliers and from firms that later merged into entities exemplified by Hawker Siddeley groups.
The Gipsy Six provided a balance of power, reliability, and economy that influenced subsequent inline engine development in Britain and informed airframe designs by de Havilland that included the Mosquito-era engineering culture and later de Havilland Vampire insights through corporate lineage. Performance contributions were evident in record flights and in efficient cruise characteristics for touring and transport aircraft deployed on routes connecting United Kingdom with Empire destinations; its legacy survives in preserved examples at heritage centres affiliated with Royal Air Force Museum and in restored racers displayed at Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar and events organized by Royal Aero Club chapters. The engine’s design informed later small airline and trainer powerplants and is cited in technical retrospectives by historians associated with Imperial War Museum scholarship and aviation history societies in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Category:Aircraft engines