1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Häfeli DH-1 rear view: Sandstein· Public domain
what is it?
The Häfeli DH-1 was a 1910s Swiss two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, built by the aircraft department of the Federal Construction Works (Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette, K+W) at Thun, Switzerland.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12.8 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 110 years ago, in 1916.
- Wingspan of 12.8 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1916
- introduced
- 1916
- retired
- 1919
- status
- retired
- number built
- 6
- role
- reconnaissance biplane
- origin
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- makers
- Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette
- engines
- 1× Argus As II
- crew
- 2
- length
- 8.8 m
- wingspan
- 12.8 m
- height
- 3 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,125 kg
- top speed
- 126 km/h
- range
- 250 km
- ceiling
- 9,840 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q783820, Wikipedia: Häfeli DH-1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.