Livesey D.L.5

[cluttonfred]

I have always had a special place in my heart for aircraft intended to bring aviation within reach of ordinary folks. Pietenpol Air Camper, Mignet Pou-du-Ciel, Evans Volksplane--the simpler they are, the better I like them.

The great little James G. Robins book The Wooden Wonder: A Short History of the Wooden Aeroplane (Adelaide: Rigby, 1975) has a lovely drawing and some tantalizing details (p. 51) about David Livesey's D.L.5, a minimalist British homebuilt in the works when the book went to print. Below are reduced-quality scans of the drawing and caption.

I have fished around cyberspace a couple of times looking for more, but never found anything much. Does anyone have any more info, pics, specs, drawings, articles, etc. of the D.L.5 that they could share?

Cheers,

Matthew

 

[amsci99]

I not too sure about this but I think you could contact these guys at http://www.air-britain.com/
for more information. On the topic of homebuilt aircraft though not all wooden, there's this Russian effort for a suitcase ultralight documented in the Jan 93 issue of Popular Science. I do not know what became of it.

 

[Maveric]

Mmmmmhhh ???

Livesey D.L.5, so I believe this is the 5th design by Livesey. Do you know the other 4 aircrafts by this man???

 

[ursrius]

There is a comment in Flight :
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1973/1973%20-%201333.html

The Air Warfare Forum shows a picture of a model of the D.L.5
http://www.airwarfareforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=43183&sid=3b2692d5032b46a5f80ea6d3fa4b9da2
(the real G-LIVE was a GROB G109B)

Seems to be nothing in the PFA, so I guess it never flew.

 

[burunduk]

There was an article about D.L.5 project in "Aeroplane Monthly" # 7 (2) 1973 p.137-139 and also it has been mentioned in Jane's all the world's aircraft 1975-1976 p.217 - also as a project.

It seems, this plane was never really built.

From JAWA:

 

[cluttonfred]

Thanks, burunduk, nice to see an old thread revived with some new info. That 3-view from JAWA clearly shows that good looks were not part of the design brief! ;-) Some drawings and model pics from the Aeroplane Monthly article are available here: http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft32509.htm

 

[cluttonfred]

If anyone has access to the 1972 Aeroplane Monthly issue (#7 (2) 1973 p.137-139) that burunduk mentioned, that article would make a great addition to this thread.

 

[Crimso]

If anyone has access to the 1972 Aeroplane Monthly issue (#7 (2) 1973 p.137-139) that burunduk mentioned, that article would make a great addition to this thread.

 

[cluttonfred]

Woo hoo, thanks very much!