Airco D.H.2

The Airco D.H. 2 was a British, pusher-configuration, single-seat, biplane fighter of World War 1. It entered squadron service in March, April and May of 1916, in time for the end of the Fokker Scourge. Seeing service on the Western Front from early 1916 to Spring of 1917, it lasted until early 1918 in other theatres. An early design by Geoffrey de Havilland, who is perhaps best known for the superlative Mosquito of World War 2.

[tim]

This is a very well researched and presented video that gives a very clear and concise development and history of the DH.2. I immensely enjoyed this presentation!! Thank you!! 👏👏👏👏👍

[goratgo]

My father made a pusher plane with a bicycle as the front assembly for the Kremer prize in the 70's. It did fly, but needed more tuning to navigate the required course for the prize. The Gossamer Condor won it soon after.

[CliffHarveyRCPlanes]

Brilliant documentary Jerry, it's put me right on several points and has made my radio control model all the more interesting, cheers 👍

[DarrenWalley]

I've finally found the aircraft I have been trying to Identify.
Thank you Forgotten Aviation & also, a big 'Hello' 👋 from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire.
I've also subscribed. 😁

[genesbeans]

No mention of Lanoe Hawker, Britain's first ace?

[theophilhist]

These pioneers are insanely courageous. Like flying a kite with an engine. On top of that...to fight with it and survive!

[WindThrusters]

How did they swing the prop on those pushers? Did they step inside the framework?

[ricardocorbie]

The fact that these aircraft were forced to soldier on in the face of clearly superior designs on the German side, clearly shows some antiquated thinking on the British part, which had an obvious negative effect on the aircrews forced to take these up daily! The loss of such great tacticians such as my Hero Major Lanoe Hawker is sad indeed!! Such short sighted thinking almost followed the RAF during WW2 at it’s start! Thankfully brighter minds were in play!! Lessons forgotten during war( history) doomed all!! Thanks for your content!!

[outwiththem]

@ Pusher airplanes hold speed records for props. Even today. Nazis were building them to 500 mph in 1944, but B17's destroyed the factory twice..

[TrueTempleDog]

O.k., help a non-engineer/aircraft historian out here. Pusher configuration...no airwash over the body or wings, only the tail, much better visibility, no prop wash into the pilot's face, and no propeller to have to sync nose-mounted guns to. So, why did the pusher config largely wind up consigned to the dustbin while view blocking propwash in yer face tractor configs became de rigeur?

[CFITOMAHAWK]

This airplane i didnt know it fought for a year againts German planes before the tractor kinds.. And Im into flying knowledge since around 1962.. PPL since 1970.. Visibility is king in Air Combat.

[georgeshelton]

Certain mono planes are manageable, certain monoplanes have definitely perished. The Fokker DVIII Bruno Stachel flew had definitely failed.