Characterised by the pronounced negative stagger of its mainplanes, which resulted from an attempt on the part of Geoffrey de Havilland to combine the performance of the tractor biplane with the cockpit visibility of pusher aircraft, the D.H.5 was flown late in 1916, and entered service in May 1917. Immensely strong and possessing docile handling qualities, but easily outflown by contemporary fighters at altitudes above 3050m, the D.H.5 was of wooden construction with plywood and fabric skinning. Power was provided by a 100hp Le Rhone 9J nine-cylinder rotary and armament consisted of a single 7.7mm Vickers gun. Some 550 were built by the parent company; Darracq Motor Engineering; March, Jones and Cribb, and British Caudron, but the D.H. 5 was deemed to be of limited success and had been withdrawn from operations by the end of January 1918.

3-View

A three-view drawing (1280 x 996)