The Robin DR400 is a wooden sport monoplane, conceived by Pierre Robin and

Jean Délémontez Jean Délémontez (9 June 1918 – 7 July 2015) was a French aircraft designer. He was born in Lyon in June 1918. He is best known for his work with his father-in-law, Édouard Joly, on the Jodel range of light aircraft and his collaboration with ...

. The Robin DR400 first flew in 1972 and is still in production. The current model is designated 'DR401'. It has a tricycle undercarriage and can carry four people. The DR400 has a 'cranked wing' configuration, with the dihedral angle of the outer wing much greater than the inboard, a configuration which they share with

Jodel Société Avions Jodel is a French aircraft company started in 1946 by Édouard Joly and his son-in-law Jean Délémontez. History Jodel designed a range of light aeroplanes shortly after the Second World War. The popular myth is that the ...

aircraft. This model is considered easy to fly by many and quiet during flight due to its wooden frame.

Development

The Robin DR300 series were developments of the earlier DR.221 Dauphin and DR.250 Capitaine with a tricycle landing gear. The first variant was the DR340 Major, a tricycle landing gear version of the DR250 Capitaine which first flew on 27 February 1968, followed on 21 March 1968 by the DR315 Petit Prince, a tricycle landing gear version of the DR221 Dauphin. The DR315 was later replaced by the DR300. In 1972 an improved version, the DR400 was introduced with a forward-sliding canopy.

Design

The wing is a distinctive feature of the Robin DR400, and is what immediately separates this aircraft visually from other similar light aircraft. It is a derivative of the earlier Jodel designs, is light, stiff and strong, with the dihedral of the outer panels imparting substantial lateral stability in flight. Being fabric covered, it presents a smooth surface to aid airflow, unhindered by the typical overlapping panels or rivets found on metal aircraft. The secret to the DR400's relatively high performance lies in the pronounced washout in the outer panels. Since they have a lower

angle of attack In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, α, or \alpha) is the angle between a reference line on a body (often the chord line of an airfoil) and the vector representing the relative motion between the body and the fluid through which it is m ...

to the airflow than the centre section, they create less drag in cruise flight. This characteristic also imbues rather benign stall behavior and the DR400 consequently does not suffer from the need to install retro-fixes like leading edge

stall strip A stall strip is a small component fixed to the leading edge of the wing of an airplane to modify its aerodynamic characteristics.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms'', third edition, page 487. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. The ...

Variants

;DR315 Petit Prince :A development of the earlier DR221 with a tricycle landing gear and powered by a 115hp Lycoming O-235-C2A engine. ;DR330 :An experimental DR.315 fitted with a 130hp

Continental O-240-A The Continental O-240 engine is a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine that was developed in the late 1960s for use in light aircraft by Continental Motors, Inc. The first O-240 was certified on 7 July 1971. Design ...

engine in 1970. ;DR340 Major :A development of the earlier DR250 with a tricycle landing gear and powered by a 140hp Lycoming O-320-E2A engine. ;DR360 Chevalier :DR340 with a solid cabin roof and a 160hp Lycoming O-320-D2A engine. ;DR300/108 2+2 :Replacement for the DR.315 with improved landing gear and either two or four seats. ;DR300/120 :Four-seat DR.300 with a 120hp Lycoming O-235-L2A engine. ;DR300/140 :DR300 with a 140hp Lycoming O-235-E2A engine. ;DR300/180 :DR300 with a 180hp Lycoming O-360-A3A engine. Robin DR300 D-EOCW 02

;DR300/180R :Glider tug version of the DR.300-180. ;DR400/100 Cadet :Two-seat version of the DR.400-108 ;DR400/108 Dauphin 80 2+2 :DR300/108 with forward-sliding canopy ;DR400/120 Petit Prince :DR300/120 with forward-sliding canopy ;DR400/120 Dauphin 2+2 :Petit Prince with extra cabin windows. ;DR400/125 :DR400/120 with a 125hp Lycoming O-235-F engine ;DR400/140 Earl :DR300/140 with forward-sliding canopy ;DR400/140B Major 80 :DR400/140 with a 160hp Lycoming O-320-D2A ;DR400/160 Chevalier :Original designation for the DR400-140B ;DR400/180 Regent :DR300/180 with forward-sliding canopy, later models have extra cabin windows. ;DR.400/180 Regent III :A ''Nouvelle Generation'' DR400 ;DR400/180R Remorqueur :DR400/180 glider tug with clear canopy ;DR400/180RP Remo 212 :DR400/180R fitted with a 212hp Porsche PFM 3200 engine and 3-bladed propeller ;DR401 :Supplied by the resurrected

Robin Aircraft Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of light aircraft. It succeeds to ''Centre-Est Aéronautique'', ''Avions Pierre Robin'' and Apex Aircraft (''Avions Robin'' and ''Robin Aviation''). History Centre-Est Aéronautique was formed by Pierre ...

. Glass cockpit, larger cockpit, electric trim and flaps, range of engine options, variants for "long range" and "aerotow".DR401 the next DR400 generation
''robin-aircraft.com'' Retrieved 29 August 2015

Operators

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French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

Specifications (DR400/180 Régent)

References

*Exavia Ltd (Exeter, United Kingdom)- article "A DR400 Buyers' Guide" * The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2799 * R.W.Simpson, ''Airlife's General Aviation'', Airlife Publishing, England, 1991, * {{Robin aircraft DR400 Low-wing aircraft Glider tugs 1970s French civil utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1972