De Havilland [Airco] Dh.1 · The Encyclopedia of Aircraft David C. Eyre

Photograph:

de Havilland [Airco] DH.1 (J M Bruce collection)

Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat fighting and reconnaissance scout

Power Plant:

One 60 kw (80 hp) Renault eight-cylinder VEE air-cooled engine

Specifications:

Wingspan [upper and lower mainplanes]: 12.49 m (41 ft)
Length: 9.14 m (29 ft 11½ in)
Height: 3.46 m (10 ft 11½ in)
Wing area: 33.65 m² (362.25 sq ft)
Max speed at 1,067 m (3,500 ft): 129 km/h (80 mph)
Time to climb to 1,067 m (3,500 ft): 11.15 mins
Rate of climb: 107 m/min (350 ft/min)
Service ceiling: 4,100 m (13,450 ft)
Range: 322 km (200 miles)
Empty weight: 616 kg (1,356 lb)
Loaded weight: 927 kg (2,044 lb)

Armament:

One 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis machine-gun firing forward from observer’s position

History:

The de Havilland DH.1, usually known as the Airco DH.1, was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland after he became the chief designer of The Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco). It was similar in appearance to the Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2, which he also previously designed. It was crewed by a pilot and an observer, the latter being placed in front of the pilot, and was equipped with a Lewis machine-gun. Initially the type was to be fitted with a Beardmore engine but that engine was not produced in large enough numbers at that time to meet requirements, all production going to the RAF FE.2b and the RAF RE.5.

The prototype [serial 4220] was completed and flown in 1915 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Hendon in nGreater London, An order was placed for 49 examples. Production was allotted to Savages Ltd of King’s Lynn, as Airco was busy getting ready for production of the DH.2. These DH.1s were allotted serials 4600 to 4648.

Whereas the prototype was fitted with what has been described as air brakes, which were small aerofoil-like surfaces mounted on a spanwise shaft that passed through the nacelle close behind the forward centre-section struts, they could be rotated to a position in-line with the airstream. However, they were not fitted to production aircraft. The DH.1 aircraft were known to have mainly been used for training and home defence duties.

When examples of the 90 kw (120 hp) Beardmore liquid-cooled engine became available it was fitted to further production aircraft, which became known as the DH.1A (serials A1611 to A1660), a total of 50 aircraft being completed by Savages. Of the DH.1s built, six (serials 4606, 4607 and 4619 to 4622) were sent to the Middle East where they were operated by No 14 Squadron, RFC in Palestine. One authority has stated the aircraft in the Middle East were DH.1As but the serials noted refer to DH.1s.

In performance comparison tests against the RAF FE.2b the DH.1 showed it was superior in performance. One had an aerial victory when on 2 August 1916 the crew drove down an Aviatik near Salmana. A DH.1 was shot down on 5 March 1917 during a bombing raid on Tel el Sheria. By November 1917 the only unit to use the type in combat, No 14 Squadron, had been equipped with the RAF RE.8 and the operational role of the DH.1 was probably at an end by that time.

Power was initially provided for early production aircraft by a Renault eight-cylinder VEE aero engine of 9 litres (548.9 cub in) capacity which weighed 210 kg (463 lb) and was an air-cooled unit but was not particularly efficient. Although it was produced in some numbers from 1914 to 1918, British production of the engine was by Renault Ltd of West Brompton, London and Rolls Royce.

One example of the DH.1 was attached for the months of June and July 1916 to No 1 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in Europe, this aircraft having the serial 4620.