D. H. 5

[RamblingSid]

Hi all,

 

I don't fly much other than Sopwiths, but I do have a soft spot for the DH5. Found this description by Capt JE Doyle (DFC) in Profle Publications No 181 pp 6-7 that I thought may be of interest, sorry it's so long:

 

 

"The DH5 Scout had just come into production. It was something of a freak as it had backward stagger... As a result of its unconventional design,

 

the DH5 became the subject of an extra large crop of rumours. It was said to stall at 80 mph, viciously and without warning. At that time I was

 

instructing in Norfolk, where none of us had even seen a DH5, and it was with no noticeable pleasure that I recieved orders to go to Lincoln and

 

fetch one. Nor was I in any way reassured by the special instruction that I was not to try and fly it at less than 90 mph.

 

Arrived at Lincoln, I found that, because of the wind, I must take the machine off from the race-course across its rather inadequate width instead

 

of down its length. I judged I could just manage it in time to clear some fir trees that lined the course. The Le Rhone started up and I blipped it on

 

the thumb-switch while I found the setting for full throttle. Then I ran the engine up, waved away the chocks and went charging across the grass.

 

Those trees fairly rushed at me, but I was soon level with their tops. Then the engine cut out. The symptoms suggested too much petrol, so I

 

flicked the fine adjustment back and waited. The tank pressure was supplied by a wind-driven pump, with an automatic release valve, and I

 

guessed that this had been faultily adjusted so that the pressure had soared too high. The engine quickly cleared itself, fired a burst and then

 

banged in the crankcase, denoting petrol shortage. Instantly I had the fine adjustment forward to a fresh setting, and just managed to to skim

 

over those trees with inches to spare. Fortunately for me the DH5's stalling tendancy had been exagerated, and on the flight home I found it a

 

most comfortable and pleasant machine to fly, extremely sensitve to aileron control."

 

 

Very impressed that the OFF DH5 does have touchy aileron controls.

 

And I wonder if there is some way of simulating the unreliability of engines/fuel supply ?

 

Apologies if this description has been posted before.

 

Cheers

 

PS It seems the Profile Publications is no longer in print. Shame as they are a mine of info with good photos of prototypes, cockpits etc.

[DukeIronHand]

Ah...I love first person accounts from the Great War fliers themselves. I don't care what the aircraft they are always fascinating to me.

 

I have never flown the DH5 but there is one man here that I know of (BulletHead) whom I believe has logged much flight time with the DH5.

He also appears to be fairly well versed in aerodynamics/flight characteristic so I will be curious what he thinks.

 

As for engine reliability I do not think, with the current game engine, there is a way to simulate this but perhaps one of the Devs will dropped by and confirm either way.