Airco DH.16

DH.16
Role	commercial biplane
Manufacturer	Airco
First flight	1919
Introduction	1919
Retired	1923
Primary user	Aircraft Transport and Travel
Number built	9

The Airco de Havilland 16 was a British four-seat commercial biplane of the 1910s designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, the chief designer at Airco.

History

The DH.16 was a re-designed Airco DH.9A with a wider fuselage with an enclosed cabin seating four passengers. The prototype first flew at Hendon Aerodrome in March 1919. Only nine aircraft were built, all but one being delivered to Aircraft Transport & Travel Limited (AT&T). AT&T used the first aircraft for pleasure flying before inaugurating a London-Paris service on 25 August 1919.^[1] One aircraft was sold in Argentina to the River Plate Aviation Company to operate a cross-river service between Buenos Aires and Montevideo.^[1]

As well as the London (Hounslow Heath Aerodrome)-Paris service AT&T also operated a Croydon Airport to Amsterdam service on behalf of KLM. AT&T aircraft G-EALU flew the first KLM service between London and Amsterdam on 17 May 1920.^[1] AT&T closed down in 1920 and the surviving seven aircraft were stored. Two were later used for newspaper delivery flights, the other five were scrapped. One of the two crashed in a fatal accident on 10 January 1923 and the type was withdrawn and scrapped.^[2]

Variants

The first six aircraft were powered by a 320 hp (239 kW) Rolls Royce Eagle inline piston engine, the last three aircraft were fitted with the more powerful 450 hp (336 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Operators

 Argentina

• River Plate Aviation Company

 Netherlands

• KLM

 United Kingdom

• Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited
• de Havilland Aeroplane Hire Service

Specifications (DH.16 with Napier Lion engine)

Data from De Havilland Aircraft since 1909 ^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: four passengers
• Length: 31 ft 9 in (9.68 m)
• Wingspan: 46 ft 5¾ in (14.17 m)
• Height: 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m)
• Wing area: 489.75 ft² (45.50 m²)
• Empty weight: 3,155 lb (1,431 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 4,750 lb (2,155 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Napier Lion 12-cylinder water-cooled W-block aircraft piston engine, 450 hp (336 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 136 mph (219 km/h, 118 kn)
• Cruise speed: 100 mph (161 km/h, 87 kn)
• Range: 425 mi (684 km, 370 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
• Wing loading: 9.70 lb/ft² (47.4 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.095 hp/lb (160 W/kg)

See also

Related development

• Airco DH.9A
• De Havilland DH.18
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Vickers Vulcan
  

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Jackson 1973, p.62.
2. ^ Jackson 1987, p.156.
3. ^ Jackson 1987, p.157.

Bibliography

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 
• Jackson, A.J. (1973). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10010-7. 
• Jackson, A.J. (1987). De Havilland Aircraft since 1909 (Third edition ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-802-X. 

External links

• British Aircraft Directory entry