| de Havilland Dragon Rapide |
History The Dragons were named after that elegant, twin-winged insect the dragonfly. The DH89 Dragon Rapide was originally designed to succeed the DH84 Dragon, and it first flew on the 17th April 1934. With the Dragon Rapide, the de Havilland factory at Hatfield in Hertfordshire had produced an aircraft of such comfort and safety that it was the first to carry a reigning British Monarch. Moreover, General Franco used a Dragon to escape to Morroco at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. On its more everyday flights, the de Havilland Dragon Rapide carried up to six passengers and their luggage from London to Paris. During the war, over 600 Dragon Rapides (known as the 'Dominie' by the RAF) were used for training and communications. These planes were used by the military across the world, in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Lithuania, Iraq and Iran. |
Performances
| Type | short haul passenger airliner | |
| Manufacturer | de Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd | |
| Armament | none | |
| Maximum speed | 157 mph at 1,000 ft (253 km/h at 300 m) | |
| Climbing speed | 867 ft/min (4.3 m/s) | |
| Range | 573 mi (920 km) | |
| Service ceiling | 16,700 ft (5,090 m) |
Technical Specification
| Length | 34 ft 6 in (10.5 m) | ||
| Wing span | 48 ft 0 in (14.6 m) | ||
| Height | 10 ft 3 in (3.1 m) | ||
| Weight | 3,230 lb (1,460 kg) | ||
| Engine | 2× de Havilland Gipsy Six , 200 hp (150 kW) each |
Book a pleasure flight in a de Havilland Dragon Rapide
