The Druine D.31 Turbulent is a French single-seat ultralight Homebuilt aircraft designed by

Roger Druine Roger Druine (1921–1958) was a French aviator and light aircraft designer. Druine was born in 1921 at Pont-Sainte-Maxence and built his first aircraft age 16. He went on to design a series of small aircraft for amateur construction. Druine die ...

.Jackson Vol 2 1988, p. 303.

Development

The D.31 Turbulent was designed to be amateur-built and is a single-seat ultra-light aircraft with cantilever low-wing and fixed tailwheel landing gear. Designed to be powered by a 30 hp (1200cc) Volkswagen or similar engine. The fuselage and wings use wood construction with fabric covering. Rollason Aircraft & Engines Limited produced 26 factory-built D.31 aircraft in the United Kingdom and three D.31A models with strengthened wing spar in order to get a full British certificate of Airworthiness.Jackson Vol 3 1988, pp. 546–548. Five Turbulents are operated by the

Tiger Club The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

in 2019.Turb Team Turbulents
/ref> The rights to plans for the design are held by the UK Light Aircraft Association.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011–12'', page 107. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015–16'', page 113. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Operational history

The Tiger Club Turbulent displays have been a highlight of the UK air display scene since 1959 and, by remaining in sight of the crowd at all times, their displays are often regarded as the most rivetting. Reviewers Roy Beisswenger and Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review, saying, "the controls are wonderfully light, and although not aerobatic, the aircraft has been used by the Tiger Club Display Team for formation flying displays in the UK, since 1959. On 31 August 2019 the Tiger club celebrated 60 years of operating the Turbulent. In 1960, Rollason Turbulent G-APNZ was flown by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, making the Turbulent the first and only single-seat aircraft to have been flown by a member of the royal family. In the same year, the same aircraft won the King's Cup air race, flown by

John Severne Air Vice Marshal Sir John de Milt Severne, (15 August 1925 – 4 October 2015) was a senior Royal Air Force officer and aerobatic display pilot. Senior appointments included Commanding Officer of RAF Kinloss, Commandant of the Central Flyin ...

. G-APNZ is subject to a restoration at Derby Airfield.

Variants

;D.3 :Original design and prototypes ;D.30: powered by

Ava 4A The Ava 4A was a low power flat-four (boxer engine) developed for very light aircraft in France in the 1930s. It was used by several prototypes and at least one production series. Design and development Marcel Violet was a French racing driver ...

-00 ;D.31 :Standard home-built and factory built variant. Initially built by Rollason Aircraft & Engines with 1200cc VW engine but standardized on the 1600cc Ardem 4CO2 modified VW engine. The Tiger Club have modified their aircraft to use Leburg Electronic Ignition. ;D.31A :Factory & homebuilt aircraft incorporating factory designed (by Rollason Aircraft & Engines) strengthened main spar to allow C of A certification. Top speed = 115 Knots. Max weight = 317 kg ;D.32: powered by Sarolea Epervier ;D.35: powered by

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

;D.36: powered by JAP J-99, G-APOL but later re-engined to D.31 standard

Specifications D.31

References

Notes

Bibliography

* A.J.Jackson, ''British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972 Volume 2'', 2nd Edition (reprint) 1988 (for homebuilt Druine Turbulents), Putnam & Company, London, 1974, * A.J.Jackson, ''British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972 Volume 3'', 2nd Edition (reprint) 1988 (for Rollason Turbulents), Putnam & Company, London, 1974, * L.Benjamin, ''Tiger Club – A Tribute, Volume 1, 1957–1966'', Cirrus Associates, 1988,

External links

Plans from LAA.Official website
{{Druine aircraft 1950s French sport aircraft Turbulent Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1951