Profiles and Logos
The Robin DR401 is a wooden sport monoplane and is a development of the DR400 which was conceived by Pierre Robin and Jean Délémontez. The Robin DR400 first flew in 1972 and is still in production. It has a tricycle undercarriage, and can carry four people. The DR400 aircraft have the ‘cranked wing’ configuration, in which the dihedral angle of the outer wing is much greater than the inboard, a configuration which they share with Jodel aircraft. This model is considered easy to fly by many and quiet during flight due to its wooden frame. 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 to the airflow than the centre section, they create less drag in cruise flight.
This characteristic also imbues rather benign stall behaviour and the DR400 consequently does not suffer from the need to install retro-fixes like leading edge stall strips. The DR401 has a glass cockpit, larger cockpit and electric trim and flaps and has a number of engine options.