Airco D.H.5

The D.H.2 had offered its pilot an excellent field of vision, and in designing the D.H.5 as its replacement with a tractor engine and interrupted gun, de Havilland chose backward stagger of the wings to give the pilot equally good fields of vision. In other respects the D.H.5 was thoroughly conventional, with a wire-braced wooden structure, fabric covering and fixed tailskid landing gear. The first example flew late in 1916, and despite performance considerably lower than that of the contemporary Pup an order was placed for 400 aircraft, of which the first began to enter service in May 1917. Only five squadrons received the type, whose indifferent air-combat capability led to rapid relegation to the ground-attack role. Here the D.H. proved far more suitable, and orders for another 150 were placed, though not all had been built before the type was withdrawn at the end of 1917. (Source: The International Encyclopedia of Aircraft, Oriole Publishing, 1991)