De Havilland Dragon Rapide
| DH.89 Dragon Rapide/Dominie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Short-haul airliner |
| Manufacturer | de Havilland |
| First flight | 17 April 1934 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 731 |
The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a 1930s British short-haul biplane airliner for 6–8 passengers. It proved an economical and durable craft, despite its relatively primitive plywood construction.
In late 1933, the Dragon Rapide was designed at the de Havilland company as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon. It was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the four-engined DH.86 Express. It shared many common features with the DH.86 Express, including its tapered wings, streamlined fairings and Gipsy Six engines but it demonstrated none of the operational vices of the Express and went on to become perhaps the most successful British-built short-haul commercial passenger aircraft of the 1930s.
On 17 April 1934, the prototype aircraft first flew at Hatfield and 205 aircraft were built for airlines and other owners all around the world, before the outbreak of World War II. Originally called the "Dragon Six" it was first marketed as "Dragon Rapide", although later it was popularly referred to as the "Rapide". From 1936, with the fitting of improved trailing edge flaps, they were redesignated DH.89As.
In the summer of 1934, the type entered service with UK-based airlines, with Hillman Airways Ltd being first to take delivery in July. From August 1934, Railway Air Services (RAS) operated a fleet of Dragon Rapides on routes linking London, the north of England and on to Northern Ireland and Scotland. The RAS DH.89s were named after places on the network, for example "Star of Lancashire".
Isle of Man Air Services operated a fleet of Rapides on scheduled services from Ronaldsway Airport near Castletown to airports in north-west England including Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester. Some of its aircraft had been transferred to it after operation by Railway Air Services.
Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), owned a Dragon Rapide (G-ADDD), which he used for royal duties. He flew this aircraft to London on his accession as king in 1936, being the first British monarch to fly.
One famous incident was in July 1936 when two British SIS agents, Cecil Bebb and Major Hugh Pollard, flew Francisco Franco in Dragon Rapide G-ACYR from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco, at the start of the military rebellion which began the Spanish Civil War. It is on display in the Museo del Aire, Madrid.
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