The DAR 1 Peperuda (butterfly) was a 1920s Bulgarian two-seat touring or trainer biplane, designed by Hermann Winter and built by the DAR – Drjavna Aeroplane Rаbotilnitsa – State Aircraft Workshops.[1][2]
Design and development
The aircraft was a conventional two-seat single-bay biplane with a fixed tailskid landing gear, powered by a 60 hp (45 kW) Walter NZ radial engine.[1][2] Further development resulted in the DAR 1A, which was powered by an 85 hp Walter Vega engine, eight DAR 1As being produced.
After the maiden flight and successful flight tests the DAR 1 was put into production in 1926.[1] Production DAR 1A aircraft were delivered from 1928.[1]
Operational history
The twelve DAR 1 and eight DAR 1A aircraft were used by the Bulgarian Air Force at the Kazanlak Air School, for primary training and the Yato fighter squadron for continuation training, from 1926 to the early 1940s. Some DAR 1A aircraft were also used by the Civil Air Service as glider tugs.
^Balkan Birds: Thirty Five Years of Bulgarian Aircraft Production
Bibliography
Anderson, Lennart (November–December 2019). "La renaissance de l'aviation militair bulgare dans les années vingt" [The Rebirth of Bulgarian Military Aviation in the Twenties]. Avions (in French) (232): 52–66. ISSN1243-8650.
Insignia Issue 8 March/April 1998 pp. 132–135
Air Power of the Kingdom of Bulgaria Part III
Bernád, Dénes (July–August 2001). "Balkan Birds: Thirty-Five Years of Bulgarian Aircraft Production, Part One". Air Enthusiast (94): 18–30. ISSN0143-5450.
