Airco DH.9C

Airco · United Kingdom · first flew 1920 · transport aircraft

The Airco DH.9C was a civil conversion of the wartime de Havilland DH.9 bomber, fitted with an enclosed two-passenger cabin to serve on early British airline routes after World War I.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Open-cockpit biplane with enclosed passenger cabin grafted to DH.9 fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Post-WWI converted bomber turned airliner
Open-cockpit biplane with enclosed passenger cabin grafted to DH.9 fuselage
Early British civil aviation conversion

Recognisable as a DH.9 fuselage with a boxy enclosed passenger nacelle replacing the rear observer's cockpit; two-bay biplane with a prominent radial or inline engine at the nose.

Specifications

The Airco DH.9C has a length of 9.3 m (31 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.92 m (42 ft).
Its maximum speed is 185 km/h (115 mph).
Typical crew: 1 + 2 passengers.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

With the end of World War I leaving large surpluses of DH.9 bombers, Airco and later de Havilland developed the DH.9C as a rapid conversion for commercial use. It was used on early routes by Aircraft Transport and Travel and associated carriers in 1920–1921. The type helped establish the British civil aviation industry.

Variants

The DH.9C was itself a variant of the DH.9; no further sub-variants of the C model are documented.

Where you'll see it

Operated briefly by early British airlines including Aircraft Transport and Travel and Handley Page Transport on Continental European routes in the early 1920s.

Related aircraft

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