Airco DH.4
 Airco DH.4. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
| |
| Make | Airco |
|---|---|
| Model | Airco DH.4 |
| Type | Light bomber / General purpose |
| Country |  United Kingdom
|
| First flight | August 1916 |
| Status | Retired |
| Number built | 6,295, of which 4,846 were built in the United States. |
| Seats | 2 |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII, 375 hp
|
| Service ceiling | 22,000 ft (DH.4 – Eagle VIII engine) |
| Max weight | 3,472 lb (DH.4 – Eagle VIII engine)
|
| More aircraft · For sale | |
The Airco DH.4 is a British two-seat World War I day bomber designed by Geoffrey de Havilland ("DH") for Airco. It was the first British two-seat light day bomber that could defend itself.[1] In all, 6,295 were built, 4,846 of them in the United States, and it was the only American-built airplane to see combat in World War I.[1] None are on the U.S. civil register.[2]
History
The DH.4 first flew in August 1916 and went into action in France on March 6, 1917.[1] It was planned around a new 160 hp engine that gave trouble, so many different engines were used. Perhaps the best was the 375 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle.[1]
Mail planes and airlines
After the war many DH.4s went to civil owners and proved especially useful as mail planes. Modified DH.4s started some of the first passenger airline services in Europe.[1] War-surplus DH.4s became key airplanes for new air forces around the world, and the U.S. Army had its remaining ones rebuilt as the DH.4B and flew them into the early 1930s.[1]
Specifications (DH.4 – Eagle VIII engine)
| Item | DH.4 – Eagle VIII engine |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
| Length | 30 ft 8 in |
| Wingspan | 43 ft 4 in |
| Height | 11 ft |
| Wing area | 434 sq ft |
| Empty weight | 2,387 lb |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 3,472 lb |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII, 375 hp (water-cooled V12 engine) |
| Maximum speed | 143 mph |
| Service ceiling | 22,000 ft |
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]
Photos
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Wright Radial Engine (R-1) in a De Havilland DH-4B airplane. Photo: US Air Force photo, Public domain -
Airco DH.4. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain -
Airco DH.4, US Airmail. Photo: TimVickers, Public domain -
Airco DH.4. Photo: Cliff from I now live in Arlington, VA (Outside Washington DC), USA, CC BY 2.0 -
D.H.4 biplane. Photo: British official photographer, Public domain -
The De Havilland DH.4 restoration project from "Friends of Jenny" in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Photo: J. S. Bond, CC BY-SA 4.0
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All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.
Buying a Airco DH.4
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Wikipedia, "Airco DH.4", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
- ↑ Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.