Airco DH.16

Airco

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Founded	1912
Founder	Geoffrey de Havilland

The Airco DH.16 represented one of the earliest British commercial airliners, crafted under the direction of Geoffrey de Havilland, Airco's lead designer. Designed to carry a pilot along with four passengers, it was in service between 1919 and 1923.

Design and development

Derived from the Airco DH.9A light bomber biplane, the DH.16 featured a modified, broader fuselage that housed an enclosed cabin for four passengers, while the pilot remained in an open cockpit. The prototype took to the skies for the first time in March 1919 at Hendon Aerodrome. A total of nine units were produced, with all but one delivered to Airco’s subsidiary, Aircraft Transport & Travel Limited (AT&T).

Operational history

Initially employed by AT&T for pleasure flights, the DH.16 gained prominence on 25 August 1919 when AT&T launched the world’s first scheduled daily international flight using this model, operating between London’s Hounslow Heath Aerodrome and Paris–Le Bourget Airport.

On 17 May 1920, an AT&T-operated DH.16 (registration G-EALU) completed KLM’s inaugural route connecting Croydon Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Following AT&T’s closure in December 1920, one DH.16 was sold to Argentina’s River Plate Aviation Company to run a cross-river route between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The remainder were placed in storage. Subsequently, two aircraft were repurposed for newspaper distribution flights; however, after a fatal accident on 10 January 1923 involving one of these planes, all remaining DH.16s were retired and dismantled.

Variants

The initial six DH.16s were equipped with a 320 hp (239 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle inline piston engine, while the final three featured a more powerful 450 hp (336 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Operators

Template:ARG

• The River Plate Aviation Co. Ltd. – operated three aircraft with construction numbers No 2, No 3, and P-4.

Template:NLD

• KLM – flights conducted using Aircraft Transport and Travel aircraft.

Template:UK

• Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited – operated all nine DH.16s from 1919 until 1922.
• De Havilland Aeroplane Hire Service – utilized two former AT&T aircraft between 1922 and 1923.

Specifications (DH.16 with Napier Lion engine)

File:Airco DH.16 3-view Flight October 2, 1919.jpg

Three-view illustration of the Airco DH.16 powered by a Rolls-Royce Eagle engine, featured in Flight magazine, 2 October 1919.

External links

• Conquest of the Air (1936 documentary) featuring a brief segment of G-EACT (G-K-130) operated by Aircraft Transport & Travel Ltd.