haviland

Your designation for this photo of DH-4 is incorrect. This is a D.H.4. The parent firm, Airco in Britain, whose designer was Geoffrey de Havilland, was the originator of the type, Airco D.H.4. The official designation for this aircraft is DeHavilland D.H.4 (note the periods after the D and H.) The engine fitted in this example in the photo is the Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII and was by far the best engine for the type. Supply of that engine type, however, could not keep up with demand and alternate powerplants had to be found. Engines like the BHP, RAF3 (Royal Aircraft Factory), Siddelely Puma, Sunbeam Arab, and Fiat powered these various British license-built versions for RFC, RNAS, and RAF demand. The US was desperately looking for aircraft for their Air Service and decided on the D.H.4. However, the British couldn't supply them with it, but, after license negotiations were made, an example was sent to the U.S. and studied. The type, adapted for U.S. mass production would become known as the DH-4 (as you have mistakenly labeled the British version here w/ a dash and no periods) built by Dayton-Wright Corporation, and Fisher Body and powered by the 400 h.p. Liberty vee-12 engine. Only the American-built version is properly known as the DH-4. This photo doesn't not show the U.S-built type which only equipped U.S. units... thus D.H.4 is the proper nomenclature that should apply to the photo here. Hairsplitting you say? Not a bit... this little background history explains why.

They posted this as a de Haviland DH-4 but it appears to be a DH-9 with a 230 HP Armstrong Siddeley Puma piston engine rather than a Liberty

thunder_walker2002 Thanks!

Biplane No 2 Stig