Airco DH.9C

Airco

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Founded	1912
Founder	Geoffrey de Havilland
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft including Airco DH.9C

The Airco DH.9C was a passenger aircraft developed in Britain.

Development and design

Following the conclusion of World War I, numerous surplus Airco DH.9 light bombers, originally designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, became available for use in the nascent commercial aviation sector. Initially, these DH.9s were modified by removing military equipment to accommodate a single passenger seated behind the pilot in the former gunner’s position. Subsequent adaptations, known as the DH.9B, introduced an additional passenger seat positioned in front of the pilot. The early iterations of the DH.9C further extended the rear cockpit to incorporate a second seat behind the pilot. This rear seating area was eventually redesigned to accommodate two passengers facing each other, enclosed within a streamlined dorsal canopy or cabin. To address the rearward shift in the centre of gravity caused by this configuration, most of the later four-seat models featured a slight sweepback on the wings.

The DH.9, along with its variants DH.9B and DH.9C, shared similar dimensions, maintaining consistent wingspan and height measurements with only minor length differences depending on engine types. These aircraft were two-bay tractor biplanes equipped with fixed undercarriage comprising two main wheels and a tail skid. Their construction utilized spruce and ash wood, reinforced with wire bracing and covered in fabric.

The first swept-wing four-seat DH.9C model, registered as G-EAYT, was granted its certificate of airworthiness on 13 January 1922.

Operational history

Nineteen units of this aircraft were manufactured for various operators: thirteen were built in the United Kingdom, three in Australia, and another three in Spain. The final example to remain operational was flown by Northern Air Lines based in Barton, Greater Manchester until 1932.

Operators

Data sourced from

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• Qantas (3 units)
• Morlae Airways (1 unit)

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• Sneta (forerunner of Sabena) (1 unit)

Template:Country data Kingdom of Hejaz

• Hejaz Air Force (2 units)

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• KLM (1 unit)

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• Compañía Española de Tráfico Aéreo (CETA) (3 units)

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• The de Havilland Aeroplane Hire Service (7 units)
• Northern Air Lines (2 units)

Bibliography

• Jackson, A.J. De Havilland aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam Publishing Co. Ltd, 1978 ISBN 0-370-30022-X