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.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 25 ft 2 in (7.68 m)
• Wingspan: 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
• Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.91 m)
• Wing area: 249 ft² (23.13 m²)
• Empty: 942 lb (428 kg)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Loaded: lb ( kg)