De Havilland DH89A Dragon Rapide G-AKNV

This is in 1934 that the first DH89 was produced as a successor to the DH84 Dragon. The new machine was a much cleaner design and incorporated the tapered wing and undercarriage of the four engined DH86 Express. Shortly afterward the Dragon Six, as the aircraft was then named was fitted with trailing edge flaps to reduce the landing speed, and became the DH89a Dragon Rapide. Build almost entirely of wood and powered by two 200 HP Gipsy Six engines, the prototype made its first flight from De Havilland’s new factory at Hatfield on 17 April 1934. The success was soon coming and many companies and private owners purchased the Rapide in Europe and in the British Empire as an airliner.

A military version was already elaborated in 1935, incorporating a nose machine gun, a gun mounting in the rear of the cabin and bomb racks under the fuselage. Although this version failed the official trials in favour of the Avro Anson, some militarised Dragons were sold abroad.

The Dragon Rapide had the first page in many newspapers in 1936 when General Franco was carried in a Dragon for his escape from Africa to Spain at the start of the Civil War.

With the outbreak of war, military orders for the RAF, reached the factory for a 8 seats communication and transport version. The Dragon entered also service as a navigation trainer. Many civilians Dragons were impressed in service. The military version was named Dominie within the RAF.

In 1942, the annual output reached 185 machines but the Hatfield factory was required for the production of Mosquitoes. The Dominie production line was then transferred to Brush Coachwork Ltd at Longhborough.

The last 100 production aircraft, produced too after the end of World War 2 and not delivered to the RAF were fitted to civil standards by the De Havilland repair unit at Witney. Hundreds of surplus Dominies were also disposed after the end of the conflict and presented an ideal opportunity for civil operators to start again operations.

The Dragon returned to its civil duties everywhere in the world. As an airliner, the Rapide pioneered air travels in many of the more remote regions of the world, paving the way to more modern types. Dominies were also used in Congo by civilian operators as Air Brousse and in Belgium by the Belgian Air Force.

In 1995, 62 Rapides were know to exist and a handful was still flying. In 1934, a Rapide cost £3,750 but in 1991, a Rapide in flying condition was sold at £ 64,000.

The aircraft was build in 1939 (construction number 6458) for the RAF with the serial R5922. After a variety of assignments and accidents, the Dragon was sold to the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation as G-AKNV in 1947. End 1953, the aircraft was sold in Eire and received the registration EI-AGK but came back in the UK with Derby Aviation in 1955. Avions Fairey bought the aircraft in September 1955 and rebuild the fuselage with enlarged windows and a moulded canopy. In Belgium, the Dragon flow under the registration OO-AFG. The ownership changed again when Air Affairs acquired the DH89. In 1964 the registration changed to OO-CNP. The aircraft stayed in open storage in Wevelgem for many years and was donated to the Museum in 1973. A first restoration team started the refit of the fuselage to the original configuration. Since 1993, a new team has taken over the work and in 2001 the cabin is fully refurbished as well as most of the cockpit.

The project is to present the aircraft in the standard configuration as when used by Lancashire Aircraft Corporation.

If you flow the Dragon Rapide, your testimony about this aircraft can be published here 

Span 14,63 m / 48 ft

Height 3 m / 10 ft 3 in

Length 10,51 m / 34 ft 6 in

Wing area 31 M2 / 336 Sq Ft

Tare weight 1293 kg / 3276 lb

All up weight 2268 kg / 5500 lb

Maximum speed 265 km/h / 157 mph

Cruising speed 220 km/h / 132 mph

Range 930 km / 578 miles

Ceiling 5940 m / 19500 ft

Engine 2 x 200 hp Gispy Six / Queen

Produced by De Havilland Hatfield

Total : 728 exemplars

Nicolas Godfurnon