Photograph:
Jodel DR-1050M Sky King VH-KVC (c/n V67) at Narromine, NSW in September 2012 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
France
Description:
Three-seat light touring monoplane
Power Plant:
One 75 kw (100 hp) Continental O-200A four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.72 m (28 ft 7½ in)
- Length: 6.35 m (20 ft 10 in)
- Height: 1.83 m (6 ft)
- Wing area: 13.6 m² (146.4 sq ft)
- Max speed at sea level: 230 km/h (143 mph)
- Max cruising speed at 1,981 m (6,500 ft): 214 km/h (133 mph)
- Economical cruising speed at sea level: 193 km/h (120 mph)
- Initial rate of climb: 180 m/min (590 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 4,724 m (15,500 ft)
- Max range with max fuel: 1,158 km (720 miles)
- Empty weight: 399 kg (882 lb)
- Loaded weight: 778 kg (1,720 lb)
History:
Over the years the basic Jodel D-11 series has been redeveloped considerably and a number of variants have appeared, many of which have been approved to be built in Australia by amateur constructors. These have included the Sky King, a three/four-seat development with two front seats and provision for two persons in the rear seat not exceeding 139 kg (308 lb); the Sky Queen with accommodation for two in the front and one adult or two children whose combined weight with luggage did not exceed 108 kg (240 lb) in the rear; Sky Prince, a two-seat long-range variant with a wider, strengthened fuselage to carry additional luggage or fuel, with a range of 1,609 km (1,000 miles); and Sky Princess, a two-seat Australian development with strengthened main spar, wider wheel track and improvements to the cockpit to give greater comfort and equipment accessibility. These were all normally fitted with the 75 kw (100 hp) Continental O-200 engine.
In France a model known as the D-100 was flown on 14 July 1958 at Bernay with a 67 kw (90 hp) Continental engine. Pierre Robin put this model into production at Dijon as the DR-1050 Ambassadeur Sicile with a 75 kw (100 hp) Continental engine; and the DR-1051 with a 78 kw (105 hp) Potez 4E-20 engine. By 1964 this basic model was further developed, with a swept fin, an all-flying tailplane and a modified windshield, thus becoming known as the DR-1050M Sicile Record or DR-1051M. SAN built this variant as the Excellence.
Further development led to the DR-250 series with a 119 kw (160 hp) Lycoming engine, and later the DR-300 and DR-400 series, and so on. Because of development and construction by a number of companies and operators throughout the world, many variants on the theme have appeared. In Canada streamlined variants known as the Falconar F-11 and F-12 became available in the 1960s.
A number of DR-1050Ms have been completed in this region, including VH-MAA (c/n W106), VH-JJM (c/n 141), VH-KVC (c/n V67), and VH-NAP (c/n W105).
A DR-1051 ZK-JOD (c/n 350 –ex HB-EBX) was flown from Switzerland to New Zealand in 1981, fitted with a Potez engine.