Dart Kitten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dart Kitten was a British-built ultra-light aircraft of the 1930s.
| Dart Kitten | |
|---|---|
 The 1937-built Dart Kitten II visiting the Kemble (Glos) air rally in May 2009 | |
| General information | |
| Type | ultra-light aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Dart Aircraft Ltd |
| Designer | A.R. Weyl |
| Status | Dart Kitten II airworthy in 2009 |
| Primary user | private owner pilots |
| Number built | 4 |
| History | |
| First flight | 15 January 1937 |
The Dart Kitten was designed by A.R. Weyl in 1936 and built by Dart Aircraft Ltd at Dunstable, Bedfordshire. It is an ultra-light single-seat low-wing aircraft with a fixed tailskid undercarriage. The four examples built were powered by a variety of engines of between 27 h.p. and 40 h.p.[1]
Operational history
The Dart Kitten I G-AERP first flew in January 1937 and was sold to a private owner at Tollerton airport near Nottingham. It was stored during the Second World War. It was re-engined with a 40 h.p. J.A.P. J-99 postwar and flew with a private owner at Broxbourne airfield Hertfordshire before crashing there in November 1952.
The Dart Kitten II G-AEXT received its authorisation to fly on 30 April 1937 and had a series of owners before being badly damaged in a crash at Willingale, Essex in November 1964. It was subsequently rebuilt and in 2009 was airworthy with a private owner near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire. As of 2023 it is based with the Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton near Selby in North Yorkshire.[2]
The Dart Kitten III G-AMJP was built by Dart Aircraft in January 1952 and was flown by owners in Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire before being lost in a crash near Kings Lynn in June 1966.[3]
A fourth Kitten was home-built at Port Moresby New Guinea in 1960 and registered in Australia as VH-WGL.[4]
