The
D.H.2 biplane was Geoffrey de Havilland's second design for the
Aircraft Manufacturing Company. This highly successful pusher had good
manoeuvrability with an excellent rate of climb. Mounting the engine to
the rear of the fuselage permitted the use of a fixed, forward-firing
machine gun before the advent of the synchronous machine gun. Superior
to the Fokker E.III, the D.H.2 helped end the "Fokker Scourge." Well
past its prime and almost two years after its introduction, some
squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps were still equipped with D.H.2s.
De Havilland D.H.2
Type: Fighter
Entered Service: 1915
Number Built: 400
Engine: Gnome Monosoupape, 9 cylinder, rotary, 100 hp
Wing Span: 28 ft 3 in 8.61 mm
Length: 25 ft 2½ in 7.68 m
Height: 9 ft 6½ in 2.91 m
Gross Weight: 1,441 lb 653.6 kg
Max Speed: 93 mph 150 km/h
Ceiling: 14,000 ft 4,267 m
Endurance: 2 hrs 45 mins
Crew: 1
Armament: 1 machine gun |