The Dewoitine D.26 was a military trainer developed in Switzerland for the Swiss Air Force in parallel with the D.27 fighter.

Design and development

The D.26 airframe was similar to that of the D.27. Differences included: *The engine

cowling A cowling is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings are a cove ...

was omitted on the D.26; *The D.26

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

was smaller and produced 340 hp power;

Operational history

10 examples were built by Dewoitine for assembly by the Swiss factory K+W Thun in Switzerland. These were followed by an order for two more aircraft equipped with a slightly higher-powered version of the Wright 9Q engine that powered the initial batch, and one of the original D.26s was similarly re-engined. The original D.26s were used principally for

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

in gunnery and formation flying, while the more powerful aircraft were used for air-to-air combat training. To this end, they were equipped with

gun camera Gun cameras are cameras mounted on a gun, used to photograph or record from its perspective. They are typically used on the weapons of military aircraft and operate either when the gun is fired or at the operator's will. Gun cameras are used for ...

s. The D.26 enjoyed a long service life, not being withdrawn until 1948. At this time, they were transferred to the '' Aero-Club der Schweiz'' where they were used as

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

tugs. The last example was not retired from aeroclub use until 1970, whereupon it was preserved at the military aviation museum at

Dübendorf Dübendorf is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is a suburb of Zürich in Switzerland with a population of about 30,000 (2021). It is the fourth largest city in the canton, after Zürich, Winter ...

. Only 2 planes are still airworthy in original condition. Number 286 is based in Grenchen LSZG and number 284 is based in Lausanne LSGL. Both planes tour in airshows as "Patrouille Dewoitine - Swiss Air Force 1931".

Operators

; * Swiss Air Force

Specifications

References

* * {{Dewoitine aircraft 1920s French military trainer aircraft D.026 Parasol-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Glider tugs Aircraft first flown in 1929