DH 53

The De Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird was a British light multi-role low wing fixed landing gear aircraft from the interwar period. The drive was provided by a modernized single Blackburn Tomtit engine with a capacity of 26 HP. The prototype flight took place in 1923. Serial production continued in the years 1923-1924, ending with the production of about 15 examples of this aircraft. The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament. The DH.53 Humming Bird was built at de Havilland as a sports aircraft that would win the prestigious Lympne Aerodrome in 1923. Although the plane did not win this competition, it showed its best side, which resulted in an order from the RAF that wanted to use the DH.53 as a basic training and liaison machine. After an order from the British Air Force, there were also small contracts from Australia and Czechoslovakia. The DH.53 aircraft were withdrawn from the British Air Force in 1927 and sold to the civilian market.