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	* ] (1919) — Variant of DH.9A with cabin for four passengers. Used as airliner		* ] (1919) — Variant of DH.9A with cabin for four passengers. Used as airliner
	* ] (1920) — Single-engine biplane airliner. Cabin for eight passengers		* ] (1920) — Single-engine biplane airliner. Cabin for eight passengers

	==Airco DH121/ Hawker Siddeley Trident project==
	{{main\|Hawker Siddeley Trident}}
	In July 1956 ] (BEA) issued a requirement for a medium-haul aircraft to replace their ] on their longer European routes with a jet-powered aircraft. Several designs were returned for this role, such as the ], the ], the ] and De Havilland's Airco consortium DH.121. The DH.121 which would see service as the ] was selected as the winner in 1958.

	The DH.121 was the first "tri-jet" design, the designers felt this offered the ideal tradeoff between economy and takeoff safety in case of an engine failure. The aircraft resembled a smaller DH Comet with three engines, including a tail design similar to the ], as opposed to the T-tail later used. With the engines clustered at the rear as in the Sud Caravelle, which De Havilland's had also contributed design work, the wing was left free from engine mounts and was designed with a speed of over 600 mph being the goal. The DH121 was to be powered by 13,790 lbf (61.34 kN) ] Medway engines, have a gross weight of 150,000 lb (63,000 kg), a range of 2,070 mi (3,330 km), and seat 111 in a two-class layout.
	BEA felt the design was too large for their existing routes, and they had de Havilland redesign the aircraft to their new requirements. The result was an aircraft powered by much smaller ] 505 engines, with a gross weight of 105,000 lb (48,000 kg),and a range of 930 miles (1,500 km), and seating for just 97 people. Other design changes included the use of the T-tail , as well as a new nose design, these changes made it look very different from the Comet-like original version. In 1958 it was confirmed by the British Government that it had given approval for British European Airways to conclude a contract with the Airco consortium for 24 DH.121 aircraft. At a cost about £29 million, for delivery between 1964 and 1966. 67½ per cent of the financial risk was to have been borne by de Havilland, 22½ per cent by Hunting Aircraft, 10 per cent by ]. The total cost of the installation and development of the engines was to be met by Rolls-Royce. Production facilities were available at Christchurch, at Hatfield, at Chester, and at Portsmouth; additional production facilities were available through ] and ] at Luton and Hayes. However the AIRCO consortium which would also have included subcontracting support from ] and ] failed to materialise and instead de Havilland was taken over by the ] group in 1960, with the aircraft becoming the HS 121 Trident series.

	==Notes==		==Notes==

Revision as of 21:38, 20 April 2011

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Aircraft Manufacturing Company
Industry	aviation
Founded	1912
Defunct	1920
Fate	bankruptcy
Successor	de Havilland
Headquarters	The Hyde, UK
Key people	Geoffrey de Havilland

Aircraft Manufacturing Company - Airco - was established at The Hyde in Hendon, north London, England during 1912 by George Holt Thomas. Geoffrey de Havilland joined two years later as the chief designer, on leaving his post with the Royal Aircraft Factory. His designs for Airco were marked with his initials "DH". The first great success was a pusher engine fighter DH.2 of 1916, that helped to defeat the "Fokker scourge" of 1915. More than 2,280 examples of the DH.6 trainer were built. The DH.4 and DH.9 were important light bombers of World War I - these types, and the DH.9A, a developed version that served for many years with the postwar Royal Air Force, formed the basis of early de Havilland designed airliners - including the company's DH.16 and DH.18 types which were operated by Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, the first airline established in the United Kingdom, that was also owned by George Holt Thomas.

Following the cessation of hostilities the large number of war-surplus machines, sharp fluctuations in business confidence and the government's failure, unlike those of USA and France, to provide any form of support Airco and BSA announced on 1 March 1920 Airco had merged with Birmingham Small Arms Company. Within days BSA discovered Airco was in a far more serious financial state than George Holt Thomas had revealed. Thomas was immediately dropped from his new seat on the BSA board and all BSA's new acquisitions were placed in the hands of a liquidator. BSA failed to pay a dividend for the following four years. Using Airco's aircraft bought from the liquidator BSA established under Daimler Hire Limited, Frank Searle, Daimler Airway and Daimler Air Hire. The group's assets he required were bought by Geoffrey de Havilland to form de Havilland Aircraft Company in 1920.

List of Airco Aircraft

DH.1 (1915) — Two-seat biplane fighter with single pusher propeller
DH.2 (1915) — One-seat biplane fighter with single pusher propeller
DH.3 (1916) — Two-engine biplane bomber. Two prototypes only built; formed basis for later DH.10 design
DH.4 (1916) — Two-seat biplane day bomber with single tractor propeller
DH.5 (1916) — One-seat biplane fighter with single tractor propeller
DH.6 (1916) — Two-seat biplane training aircraft with single tractor propeller
DH.9 (1917) — Two-seat biplane day bomber with single tractor propeller.
- DH.9A
- DH.9C
DH.8 (1918) — Development of DH.9 with more powerful engine and greater wingspan
DH.10 Amiens (1918) — Two-engine biplane bomber. First prototype used pusher propeller; second prototype and production aircraft used tractor propellers. Manufactured by Daimler.
DH.11 Oxford (1919) Variant of DH.10 with radial engines. One prototype built; not produced
DH.16 (1919) — Variant of DH.9A with cabin for four passengers. Used as airliner
DH.18 (1920) — Single-engine biplane airliner. Cabin for eight passengers

Notes

The Times, Monday, Mar 01, 1920; pg. 14; Issue 42347
Dudley Docker: The Life and Times of a Trade Warrior R. P. T. Davenport-Hines 1984 Cambridge University Press

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