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The Davis DA-2 is a light aircraft designed in the United States in the 1960s and was marketed for homebuilding. While it is a low-wing monoplane of largely conventional design with fixed tricycle undercarriage, the DA-2 is given a distinctive appearance by its slab-like fuselage construction and its

V-tail The V-tail or ''vee-tail'' (sometimes called a butterfly tail or Rudlicki's V-tailGudmundsson S. (2013). "General Aviation Aircraft Design: Applied Methods and Procedures" (Reprint). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 489. , 9780123973290) of an aircraf ...

. The pilot and a single passenger sit side-by-side. Construction of the aircraft is sheet aluminum throughout, with the sole compound curves formed a fiberglass cowling and fairings. The prototype made its first flight on May 21, 1966, and was exhibited at that year's

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 300,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. ...

annual

fly-in A fly-in, also called an aviation meet, is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and Socialization, social purposes. Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be ...

, where it won awards for "most outstanding design" and "most popular aircraft". A major design consideration was ease of assembly for a first time home aircraft builder. Examples of this include: few curved components, a V-tail is one less control surface to build, and each wing is made from two sheets of aluminum with no trimming involved. The DA-3 was a single DA-2 enlarged to accommodate four people. Work proceeded through 1973-74, but the aircraft was never completed. Plans have been intermittently available over the years. They are as of August 2019, available from D2 Aircraft.

Operational history

Examples of the DA-2 have been completed in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and are currently (2015) actively flying in those countries.

Variants

DA-2 -- Continental A-65 powered *DA-2A—Continental O-200A powered *DA-2B—3 inch lower roof line *DA-3 *DA-Bandit-Corvair powered

Specifications (typical DA-2)

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * *

External links

* http://www.yahoogroups.com/da2a Builder Group * http://www.davisda2.com Current source for plans also a users forum. {{Davis aircraft 1960s United States civil utility aircraft Davis aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft V-tail aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1966