Société Avions Jodel is a French aircraft company started in 1946 by Édouard Joly (having built an aircraft before the war) and his son-in-law Jean Délémontez (being a trained aeronautical engineer). They designed a range of light aeroplanes, among which the 1948 D9 Bébé (Baby) model. The French government bought many of the aircraft, with more than 500 D9s being built. Subsequently, the government expressed interest in a larger aircraft as a trainer and the two-seat D11 model followed in 1950.
Jodel aircraft are all-wood, usually made from Sitka spruce and plywood made out of okoume (also known as gaboon), a kind of West African hardwood. Most of the designs are recognisable by their distinctive wings, which have ‘cranked’ dihedral only on the outer third. The wings also incorporate washout, retaining aileron effectiveness at or just prior to the stall. From above or below, the wings are also distinctive as this cranked section of the wing tapers sharply towards the wingtip.
Apart from prototypes, Jodels were made by a variety of French aviation manufacturers, but all construction ceased during the 1960s. Since that time, the Jodel company only sells licences to build its models and detailed plans to amateur builders of homebuilt aircraft.
Jodel DR1050
Jodel DR1050 Ambassadeur, registration PH-MGA, built 2004, serial number 868 Nijmegen, Netherlands, 3 September 2016
