205 examples were built for airlines and other owners all around the world before the outbreak of World War II. De Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide (Dominie) Manufacturer. Reviewed July 15, 2017 . After that she was used by the Army Parachute Association as a jump ship before being bought by Snowden Mountain Aviation for pleasure flight from Caernarfon. By November 1934, series production of the Rapide had reached full swing. Aiming to produce a faster version of the Rapide, a smaller, lighter and externally cleaner version, designated as the DH.90 Dragonfly, emerged; first flying in August 1935, the DH.90 failed to achieve a similar rate of sales to the Rapide and production was terminated in 1938 after 67 aircraft had been completed. British training aircraft had names with educational associations, and dominie is a Scots term for a school teacher. Capable of accommodating 6–8 passengers, it proved an economical and durable craft, despite its relatively primitive plywood construction. Hundreds of additional Dominies were also constructed during the war. He flew this aircraft to London on his accession as king in 1936, making him the first British monarch to fly.[10]. [12], Furthermore, while the final production Rapide was completed in November 1941, de Havilland instead produced the military-orientated Dominie variant exclusively. [15] By 1960, the Royal Navy still had a fleet of 14 Dominies, although under normal circumstances only three would be actively used at any one point in time, while the others were stored at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland. New Zealand - March 21, 2010. Take a vintage De Havilland Dragon Rapide flight over London! During 1938, British operator Airwork Limited placed an initial order for nine Rapides to serve as navigation trainers. [3] K4772 was later used by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in automatic landing trials before being broken down for spares. Take to the skies for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure steeped in nostalgia, history and glorious sightseeing, with this de Havilland Dragon Rapide Flight for One. The Rapide is perhaps the most successful British-built short-haul commercial passenger aircraft to be produced during the 1930s. She was sold at the end of 1947 to Universal Flying Services, flying taxi & charter flights until 1949 before becoming the company communications aircraft for Blackburn Aircraft at Brough. Review of Classic Wings. [7], In the summer of 1934, the type entered service with UK-based airlines, with Hillman Airways Ltd being first to take delivery in July. Take to the skies in one of a number of original vintage aircraft at IWM Duxford with our on-site partners, Classic Wings. [16] Additionally, various third party companies offered and performed their own conversion schemes, including Field Aircraft Services, Airwork Limited, Air Enterprises, W.A. On 17 April 1934, the prototype aircraft first flew at Hatfield. In Flight. [17] Various British airlines also became prolific users of the type; British European Airways (BEA), formed on 1 January 1946, took order 39 Rapides during February 1947. She joined the Classic Wings Duxford fleet in 2015 alongside her fellow Rapides G-AIYR and G-AKIF. Ours are two of the very few Dragon Rapides left flying and are completely restored to comply with modern regulations - the last word in [13], Other Dragon Rapides were impressed into service with the British armed forces as communications aircraft and training aircraft; Australian Rapides were also impressed by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). [6] The order had been motivated by policy changes within the British Air Ministry, which sought to expand this capability. G-AHXW, is under repair following its 2018 crash. G-AKIF and G-AIYR, a pair of DH89A Dragon Rapides, are airworthy and based at Duxford, England airfield for tourist flights. Other duties they were used for included passenger and communications missions. The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a 1930s short-haul biplane airliner developed and produced by British aircraft company de Havilland. classic wings acquires 3rd dragon rapide by Geoff Jones Classic Wings flights from Duxford in a Dragon Rapide whether simply pleasure flights over some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain or in formation with a Supermarine Spitfire have become an institution at the Imperial War Museum’s airfield in … Repeat orders were placed by Airwork in the lead up to the Second World War, upon which point the firm's fleet of Rapides were all taken on by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Take a pleasure flight in a 1930s airliner designed by de Havilland, the Dragon Rapide. [13], Postwar, the Dominie continued to be used for some time by Royal Naval air station flights as communications aircraft. [13], Throughout the course of the war, civilian Rapides were progressively replaced by Dominies as the type became available in greater quantities. [2] Flown by senior de Havilland test pilot H.S. Biggin Hill is about 12 miles from central London and from the airport there is a … There were 727 de Havilland Dragon Rapide aircraft produced, and over 500 of those were the Dominie military variant. [17] Mk 1 aircraft were those constructed pre-war, while Mk 2 and Mk 3 Rapides were ex-military conversions to a six-passenger cabin and eight-passenger cabin respectively. Some of its aircraft had been transferred to it after operation by Railway Air Services. G-AGTM, a DH89A, is airworthy and was operated by the Classic Air Force before it closed in 2016. Take a trip back in time with our classic Dragon Rapide Flight over Cambridge! [2] While having achieved an average speed of 158 MPH, G-ACPM had to be withdrawn from the race during Heat 9 of Round 2 when the wing sustained damage caused by hail while flying over Waddington, Lincolnshire. Another purpose-built Rapide, ZK'-ACO, was entered into the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race; fitted with three additional fuel tanks within the fuselage to extend th… From a short hop around our historic airfield and museum to a sightseeing tour over London or Cambridge in the beautiful art deco De Havilland Dragon Rapide, experience for yourself the excitement of flying. [4] Further Canadian sales of the Rapide would occur both during and after the end of the Second World War. Those Rapides that were re-engined with a pair of de Havilland Gipsy Queen engines, were referred to as Mk 4s. Choose from 3 routes starting and ending at Duxford. Plane, the de Havilland Dragon Rapide replacement, the DH84 Dragon under repair following its 2018 crash of! 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