The de Havilland DH.87 Hornet Moth is a single-engined cabin biplane designed by the de Havilland Aircraft Company in 1934 as a potential replacement for its highly successful de Havilland Tiger Moth trainer. Although its side-by-side two-seat cabin made it closer in configuration to the modern aircraft that military trainee pilots would later fly, there was no interest from the RAF and the aircraft was put into production for private buyers.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Capacity: 1 passenger / trainee
Length: 24 ft 11.5 in (7.607 m)
Wingspan: 31 ft 11 in (9.73 m)
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Wing area: 244.5 sq ft (22.71 m2)
Empty weight: 1,241 lb (563 kg)
Gross weight: 1,950 lb (885 kg)
Fuel capacity: 35 imp gal (42 US gal; 159 l) fuel in fuselage tank; 2 imp gal (2 US gal; 9 l) oil in an air-cooled tank
Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Major I 4-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line piston engine, 130 hp (97 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Maximum speed: 124 mph (200 km/h, 108 kn) at sea level
Cruise speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn) at 1,000 ft (305 m)
Stall speed: 40 mph (64 km/h, 35 kn)
Range: 620 mi (1,000 km, 540 nmi)
Service ceiling: 14,800 ft (4,500 m)
Rate of climb: 690 ft/min (3.5 m/s)
Time to altitude: 5,000 ft (1,524 m) in 8 minutes 45 seconds
Wing loading: 7.97 lb/sq ft (38.9 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.067 hp/lb (0.110 kW/kg)
