page_title: Airco DH.5
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Airco DH.5 / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: A posed photograph of de Havilland DH 5 Scout plane of 68 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (renumbered as No 2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps from 19 January 1918) at an aerodrome in Lincolnshire, England.
context_page_description: The Airco DH.5 was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. It was designed and manufactured at British aviation company Airco. Development was led by the aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland as a replacement for the obsolete Airco DH.2.
  The DH.5 was one of the first British fighter designs to include the improved Constantinesco gun synchronizer, which allowed a forward-firing machine gun to fire through the propeller faster and more reliably than the older mechanical gears. It was also one of the earliest biplanes to feature a marked "back-stagger" of its wings. Despite these advances, by the time the DH.5 was fielded, it was already notedly inferior to other fighters that had entered into production and thus proved to be both unpopular and unsatisfactory amongst the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps. As such, the type was quickly withdrawn from service as soon as supplies of the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 permitted.
context_section_description: The introduction of the DH.5 to squadron service with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was protracted; according to Bruce, these delays, which had been mainly generated as a result of Airco's focus having been centered upon the more successful DH.4, had greatly hindered the type's prospects. On 1 May 1917, the first DH.5 arrived with No. 24 Squadron of the RFC; deliveries were slow, as the squadron had only a handful of the type by 7 June. The DH.5 was not well regarded by the squadron, and this negative attitude would not be a unique outlook. 
  Soon after entering service, the DH.5 quickly proved to be most unpopular amongst the RFC. Its unconventional appearance led to rumours (that were largely unfounded) of handling difficulties. There were also claims that the DH.5 had gone into service against the wishes of its designers. What was true was that the DH.5's performance would rapidly drop off at altitudes in excess of 10,000 ft (3,000 m) and that while it was very manoeuvrable, it tended to lose altitude quickly in combat. The unusual position of the upper mainplane resulted in an unfortunate blind spot above and to the rear (which was the very direction from which a single-seater would generally be attacked from).
  The robust construction, good performance at low altitude and the pilot's good forward field of view made the aircraft a useful ground-attack aircraft. In this capacity, the type served with distinction in the Battle of Cambrai. During the battle, the DH.5 had, in conjunction with Sopwith Camels, provided airborne mobile machine gun coverage to friendly troops on the ground, strafing enemy trenches and leading to extensive losses. However, the process of replacing the type had already commenced beforehand, and the meritorious performance at Cambrai did little to halt this withdrawal. 
  The DH.5 has the historical distinction of having formed the initial equipment of No. 2 Squadron Australian Flying Corps, the first Australian fighter squadron. It did not prove satisfactory, incidents in which enemy twin-seater planes were able to escape the single-seat DH.5 were not uncommon. It served mainly in the ground-attack role until December 1917, when the type was replaced by the S.E.5a. By this time, the withdrawal of the type from the Western Front was already almost complete - the last DH.5 squadron receiving the S.E.5a in January 1918. DH.5s issued to training units proved unpopular and the type soon vanished from RFC service. A number of retired aircraft were reused as trials machines, some of these tests included alternative gun mountings, jettisonable fuel tanks and plywood coverings. 
  No original aircraft has survived but an airworthy full-scale reproduction, built in the United States by John Shiveley, is on display in the Aviation Heritage Centre, Omaka Aerodrome, New Zealand.
caption: A DH.5 serving with the Australian Flying Corps in September 1917
exif: {}