de Havilland DH.14 Okapi

DH.14 Okapi
Role Day bomber
Manufacturer Airco / de Havilland
First flight 1919
Primary users Royal Air Force
Sidney Cotton
Number built 3


The de Havilland DH.14 Okapi was a British two-seat day bomber of the 1910s built by de Havilland. The aircraft was designed as an Airco DH.4 and DH.9 replacement, but it never entered production.

History

The Okapi was a scaled-up version of the Airco DH.9 with a bigger engine, (the Rolls Royce Condor) designed as a replacement for the DH.4 and DH.9. Three aircraft were built, but due to the end of the First World War the Royal Air Force was reluctant to accept them. The third aircraft was the first to fly, and it was completed by Airco at Hendon as the DH.14A, a two-seat long-range mail plane. The aircraft, registered G-EAPY, was bought by F.S. Cotton who intended to try for the Australian government's £10,000 prize for a flight between England and Australia. His plans were overtaken by events when Keith and Ross Smith won the prize before Cotton was ready. The aircraft did attempt the first flight between London and Cape Town in February 1920, but it reached only as far as Italy, where it force-landed near Messina. Although repaired, the aircraft was written off in another forced landing on 24 July 1920. The two military aircraft were completed by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome in 1921 and used for trials; one suffered a fatal crash at Burnham Beeches on 10 February 1922 and no production aircraft were ordered.

Variants

Operators

 United Kingdom

Specifications (DH.14)

Data from The British Bomber since 1914[1]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also


Related lists

References

  1. Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
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