1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Airco DH 10 ExCC: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
what is it?
The Airco DH.10 Amiens was a twin-engined heavy bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airco. It performed the first nighttime air mail service in the world on 14-15 May 1919. The DH.10 was developed in the final years of the First World War in response to a requirement to equip the newly-formed Royal Air Force (RAF) with an expanded offensive bombing capability.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 20 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 108 years ago, in 1918.
- Top speed is 1.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 20 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1918-03-04
- introduced
- 1918
- retired
- 1923
- status
- retired
- number built
- 258
- role
- heavy bomber
- makers
- Airco
- engines
- 2× Liberty 12
- length
- 12.1 m
- wingspan
- 20 m
- height
- 4.4 m
- max take-off weight
- 4,110 kg
- top speed
- 211 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 5,791 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q408444, Wikipedia: Airco DH.10 Amiens (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.