DH.6

The Airco DH.6 was a British two‑seat trainer developed during the First World War for the Royal Flying Corps and later the Royal Air Force. Designed by Geoffrey de Havilland at the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco) in 1916, the DH.6 entered production in early 1917 as a simple, low‑cost aircraft intended to replace the ageing B.E.2s in elementary pilot training. Its wooden, fabric‑covered airframe featured a single‑bay biplane wing with generous stagger and a flat, rectangular fuselage. Powered by a modest 90 hp air‑cooled Le Rhône or 80 hp Gnome rotary engine, the plane achieved a maximum speed of about 70 mph and a service ceiling of 12,000 ft, characteristics deliberately chosen to make handling forgiving for novice pilots. Over 2,300 examples were built, many operating from training schools throughout the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Although it saw little front‑line combat, the DH.6’s reliability and ease of maintenance made it the workhorse of wartime pilot instruction, contributing significantly to the rapid expansion of British air forces. Post‑war, surplus DH.6s were sold to civil flying clubs, extending its influence into the early development of civil aviation training.

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