de Havilland Aircraft Company

History and development

De Havilland began as an independent concern and expanded through the interwar years and the Second World War, establishing production and design facilities in the UK and overseas. Its factory at Hatfield became synonymous with the marque. Over decades the firm adapted from wood-and-fabric light aircraft to metal monoplanes and early jet propulsion. For a contemporary overview see the company page: de Havilland.

Notable aircraft

The company produced several widely known models that illustrate its range and engineering approach:

• DH.60 Moth family – light private and training aeroplanes that popularised flying in the 1920s and 1930s.
• DH.82 Tiger Moth – a primary trainer for many air forces before and during WWII.
• DH.98 Mosquito – a fast, versatile WWII aircraft notable for its mainly wooden construction and multi‑role performance.
• DH.100 Vampire – an early British jet fighter that helped transition military aviation to jet power.
• DH.106 Comet – the world’s first jet airliner to enter commercial service, whose early accidents prompted major advances in understanding metal fatigue and pressurised fuselage design.

Uses and importance

De Havilland types served civil aviation, military training, reconnaissance and combat roles. The firm was influential in making private flying more accessible, supplying trainers that trained generations of pilots, and in pushing jet technology into civilian transport. Technical lessons learned from its designs contributed to safer, more reliable airliners worldwide.

Legacy and later developments

Subsidiaries and licence operations included de Havilland Canada and de Havilland Australia, which followed their own development paths in regional markets. The original company was later absorbed into larger British aerospace groups during industry consolidation; its Hatfield works and many designs left a lasting mark on aeronautical engineering. For a catalogue of aircraft and historical records consult: aircraft list and local archives relating to Hatfield: Hatfield site.