DH9A Bomber F1010 Walkaround

LeicesterTiger · 24 February 2008, 10:58 AM

As it was such a gorgeous day today, and I was up early enough to have a look around the Claude Grahame-White hangar before it shuts at midday, I had a walk over to the RAF Museum. The DH9A is a further development of the DH9, built with a sleeker looking Puma engine which proved to be unreliable, which in turn was an improved version of the DH4 which looked more similar to the DH9A than the DH9 - one notable improvement was that of placing the pilot and observer closer together to aid communiaction. Decided to do a walkaround of the DH9A F1010 similarly to the one I did of the Bristol Fighter a while ago. This exhibit has a very interesting history - it was built at Westland in Yeovil which was one of the subcontractors building DH9A's.

Front of the aircraft showing the wooden radiator flaps

F1010 was one of the squadron of aircraft purchased by His Serene Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad to equip 110 Squadron (which became 110 (Hyderabad) Squadron), which was the first unit to be equpped with DH9A's in June 1918.

LeicesterTiger · 24 February 2008, 10:59 AM

DH9A's including this one were used for long range bombing raids on the Western Front, and on 5th October 1918 it was brought down behind enemy lines after a raid on Kaiserlautern and Parmasens. It was then moved to Berlin and displayed as a war trophy, and stayed in Germany (except for a move to Poland for safekeeping in late WW2, where it lost its wings and tailplane), until 1977 when it was exchanged for a Spitfire by the RAFM, who rebuilt it including making new parts such as engine cowlings, wings, tail and undercarriage

Liberty V12 engine which powered the DH9A - designed in the USA as an engine suitable for mass production. This is the original engine fitted to F1010, and has damage on it suffered both when it was brought down in 1918 and also from an RAF raid on Berlin in 1943