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AirCo DH.5

1917 WORLD WAR 1

History

Provides a vantage point for the pilots of the former Airco DH. 2 model, renowned aircraft designer Jeffrey De Havilland set out to develop an improved version via DH.

5. The end result, however, was one of de Havilland's more forgotten war designsneither the pilots responsible for piloting them nor the historians who stayed to record their exploits noticed. It is paired with a more useful interrupter, better serviced with a fixed forward-firing machine gun, and has light bombing capabilities.

The first flight took place in August 1916, and it entered service in May the following year. Due to its operational limitations, only 552 examples were kept, and the only users were the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Australian Flying Corps (AFC).

Airco DH. The design of the 5 Biplane Scout is somewhat unique - a key feature is the rear-mounted upper wing panel, which gives the pilot a better view of the front and sides of the aircraft from the forward-facing cockpit. As a "combat scout", this proved ideal for spotting the enemy first, and certainly had its advantages. The aircraft was powered by a 110-horsepower Le Rhone 9J 9-cylinder rotary engine located in the nose, driving a two-bladed wooden propeller unit.

A typical biplane wing arrangement is used by a single-cabin approach, with applicable struts and cables providing the necessary support and control for moving surfaces. The struts are slanted significantly back to compensate for the position of the upper wing above the aircraft.

Armament is a 1 x 7.7mm Vickers machine gun, which is also given a modest bomb carrying capacity - 4 x 25lb bombs under the hull. The breaker gear allows the gun to be mounted on the engine casing and fired through the rotating propeller blades, while the pilot can still clear the gun jam with relative ease.

Also unique is DH. 5 As the design tried to be, the aircraft still did not perform as well, and for pilots familiar with "traditional" biplanes, the appearance of the aircraft at the airport alone was enough to deter most. Stigma against DH.

The 5 is so good that the model has an unpleasant reputation for being unstable, although this quality is unproven. Add to that the fact that aircraft require a higher level of training and experience to handle effectively in melee and DH. 5 served no more than eight months on each front. By January 1918, the Department of Health. 5 was no longer an option and was quickly replaced by a more acceptable type at the turn of the war - DH.

5 Failed even as a basic coach.

Nonetheless, DH. The 5 is still known for its sturdy construction, which allows it to perform best in low-altitude strike roles, rather than drop significantly in high-altitude (10,000 feet and above) aerial combat roles. As a dog fight, DH.

The 5 is a fairly limited mount as the upper wing position blocks critical rear vision and the only machine gun armament limits its offensive performance against crosshair targets. Light bomb loading is a rescue, allowing DH. 5 Operate as a bomber and attack vulnerable targets.

Five RFC squadrons eventually operated the type (Nos. 24, 32, 41, 64 and 65) and two AFCs also received DH. 5 (#2 and #7 (Education)). As museum exhibits, none of these airframes has survived the ravages of time.

AirCo saw production as well as British Caudron, Darracq (France) and March, Jones and Cribb.