Airco DH2 - Flight of remembrance - Wickenby to the Somme

[smithcorp]

Lovely.

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[Rots]

Excellent, such an unusual machine. I love going head to head against an EIII with the DH2, though, much safer behind the PC!

[J.D.]

Interesting that they finished with a pic of Maj. Lanoe Hawker VC. He was certainly one of the earliest fighter aces but is better known as the most famous victim of Manfred von Richthofen. He was certainly flying a DH2 when he died. Richthofen was in an Albatros DII, a rather better aircraft. I think Hawker was his fifth kill.

The DH2 in that form probably isn't so difficult to fly. It has a five cylinder radial engine, whereas the original had a nine cylinder rotary of 100hp which gave considerable gyroscopic problems and led to it being nicknamed "The Spinning Incinerator". With the pilot out in front, the view was fantastic and he was generally protected from fire from behind. That said, it was extremely cold in the cockpit at any time of year, much less in winter.