Cierva C.24

C.24
de Havilland C.24 in flight
Role	Utility autogyro Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	de Havilland
Designer	Juan de la Cierva
First flight	September 1931[1]
Status	Museum exhibit
Produced	1931
Number built	1

The de Havilland C.24 was a two-seat autogyro built by de Havilland at its Stag Lane works in England in 1931

The C.24 was built in 1931 using a Cierva rotor head coupled to the cabin of a de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth, and driven by a 120 hp Gipsy III engine. It was withdrawn from use by December 1934.^[2]

A single example (G-ABLM) was produced and is part of the Science Museum collection. In 1932, it was redesignated C.26 (not to be confused with the unbuilt C.26 twin-engine autogiro design) when a two-blade rotor system was installed.^[3] Since 2008 it has been on loan to the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at Salisbury Hall, near London Colney in Hertfordshire. In flight, it had a maximum speed of about 115 mph (185 km/h; 100 kn).

Data from Jackson 1978 p.524^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
• Empty weight: 1,280 lb (955 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,800 lb (1,343 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy III 4-cylinder inverted air-cooled inline , 120 hp (90 kW)
• Main rotor diameter: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 115 mph (185 km/h, 100 kn)
• Cruise speed: 100 mph (164 km/h, 87 kn)
• Range: 350 mi (563 km, 300 nmi)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cierva C.24.

• Hearst Magazines (March 1932). "This Autogyro Equals Speed of Ordinary Airplane". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. p. 389.