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The Pilots Desk
Fighters1916 fighter aircraft by Airco

DH.5

DH.5

The Airco DH.5 was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. It was designed and manufactured at British aviation company Airco. Development was led by aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland as a replacement for the obsolete Airco DH.2. The DH.5 was one of the first British fighters designed with the improved Constantinesco gun synchronizer, which allowed a forward-firing machine gun to fire through the propeller faster and more reliably than the older mechanical systems. It was also one of the earliest biplanes with a marked "back-stagger" of its wings. By the time the DH.5 was fielded, it was already inferior to other fighters in service and thus both unpopular and unsatisfactory with the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The type was quickly withdrawn from service once supplies of the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 permitted.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Manufacturer
Airco
Category
Fighters

Specifications

Cruise speed
89 kt
Max speed
89 kt
Service ceiling
16,000 ft
Max takeoff weight
1,492 lb
Empty weight
1,010 lb
Fuel capacity
31 US gal
Powerplant
Le Rhône 9J
Engines
1
Seats
1
Length
22 ft
Wingspan
25.7 ft
Height
9.1 ft
Number built
550

Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.