de Havilland DH.50
de Havilland Aircraft Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1923 · airliner
The de Havilland DH.50 was a British single-engine biplane of the early 1920s used for early commercial air services. It carried four passengers in an enclosed cabin while the pilot sat in an open cockpit to the rear.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.95 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Early 1920s de Havilland single-engine biplane airliner
- Open pilot cockpit behind enclosed four-seat passenger cabin
- Used on early Imperial Airways routes
A typical 1920s biplane airliner with a single large engine, open rear cockpit, and enclosed forward cabin; the backward position of the pilot relative to the cabin is characteristic.
Specifications
- The de Havilland DH.50 has a length of 8.95 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.05 m (43 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 175 km/h (109 mph).
- Typical crew: 1 pilot, up to 4 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1923, the DH.50 was developed from the DH.9 lineage and used on early British and Australian air routes. Alan Cobham flew a DH.50 on his celebrated surveys of routes to India and Africa in the mid-1920s, demonstrating the aircraft's reliability over long distances.
Variants
The DH.50J was a floatplane version; the DH.50A had an uprated engine. The type was also licence-built in Australia by QANTAS.
Where you'll see it
Operated by early British airlines and by QANTAS in Australia during the 1920s; associated closely with Alan Cobham's pioneering long-distance survey flights for Imperial Airways. Provided dimensions were corrupt (feet values) and have been corrected to approximately 8.95m / 13.05m.
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