Airco DH.2

The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat biplane "pusher" aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.1 two-seater. Nicknamed the "Spinning Incinerator", the DH.2 was the first British single-seat fighter and enabled Royal Flying Corps pilots to counter the Fokker Scourge that had given the Germans the advantage in the air during much of 1915. Until the British developed an effective interrupter gear to match the German system, pushers such as the DH.2 and the FE.2 carried the burden of scouting and escort duties.

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The DH.2 was armed with a single Lewis gun which was originally able to be positioned in one of three different mountings in the cockpit. However, once pilots learnt that the most effective method of achieving a kill was to aim the aircraft rather than the gun, the machine gun was fixed in the forward-facing centre mount.

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The majority of DH.2s were fitted with the 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine but later models received the 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rh?ne instead.

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The DH.2 first flew on June 1 1915 and entered service late the same year with No. 24 Squadron RFC, eventually equipping six squadrons. It remained in service until at least July 1918, despite the fact that it had long been rendered obsolete due to the pace of wartime aeronautical innovation. The DH.2 lost any advantage once the first Albatros biplanes appeared in September 1916.

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Distinguished pilots of the DH.2 included Victoria Cross winner Lanoe Hawker and ace Alan Wilkinson (10 victories). German ace and tactician Oswald Boelcke was killed in a collision during a dog fight with 24 Squadron DH.2s.

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Biplane: A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings of similar spans, normally one mounted above, and the other level with, the underside of the fuselage. The upper wing normally overlaps the lower wing, and vertical or slightly raked slender struts are often positioned symmetrically on either si...

Fighter: Fighter has a number of meanings:...

First World War: Redirect World War I...

Airco DH.2 related Images and Photos (experimental)

D H Lawrence English Novelist Sketch	Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd, The (1995) (D.H. Lawrence) (DVD)	Duke 'D' DH Hat (Blue)	Texas 'T' DH Hat (Orange)
Indiana 'IU' DH Hat	Kansas 'KU' DH Hat (Dark Blue)	The Man Who Died by D.H. Lawrence	Arizona 'A' DH Hat (Navy)
Louisville 'L' DH Hat (Red)	Louisville 'L' DH Hat (Black)	Stanford 'S' DH Hat	N Carolina 'NC' DH Hat (Blue)