The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.

Design and development

Designed by the de Havilland

De Havilland

The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...

 company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon

De Havilland Dragon

|-See also:-References:Bibliography ISBN 0-85177-813-5...

, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the four-engined DH.86 Express

De Havilland Express

The de Havilland Express was a four-engined passenger aircraft from the 1930s manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:...

. It shared many common features with the larger aircraft including its tapered wings, streamlined fairings and the Gipsy Six

De Havilland Gipsy Six

|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens, 1986, p. 50. ISBN 0-75094-479-X.* Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...

 engine, but it demonstrated none of the operational vices of the larger aircraft and went on to become perhaps the most successful British-built short-haul commercial passenger aircraft of the 1930s.

Prewar operations

The prototype aircraft first flew at Hatfield on 17 April 1934 and 205 were built for airlines and other owners all around the world before the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Originally designated the "Dragon Six" it was first marketed as "Dragon Rapide" although later it was popularly referred to as the "Rapide". With the fitting of improved trailing edge flaps from 1936, they were redesignated DH.89As.

The type entered service with UK-based airlines in the summer of 1934 with Hillman Airways Ltd being first to take delivery in July. Railway Air Services

Railway Air Services

Railway Air Services was a British airline formed in March 1934 by four railway companies and Imperial Airways. The airline was a domestic airline operating routes within the United Kingdom linking up with Imperial's services....

 (RAS) operated a fleet of Rapides from August 1934 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 and (eg) "Star of Lancashire".

Isle of Man Air Services

Isle of Man Air Services

Isle of Man Air Services Ltd was a small airline, based at Ronaldsway Airport Isle of Man, which operated scheduled flights to the English mainland between September 1937 and January 1947.-Formation:...

 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 their aircraft had been transferred to them after operation by Railway Air Services.

One famous incident involving the use of a DH.89 was in July 1936 when two British MI6 intelligence agents, Cecil Bebb

Cecil Bebb

Captain Cecil Bebb was a British MI6 officer and freelance pilot who flew General Francisco Franco from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco in 1936, a journey which was to trigger the onset of the Spanish Civil War.-Events of July 1936:...

 and Major Hugh Pollard

Hugh Pollard (Major)

Major Hugh Bertie Campbell Pollard was an author, firearms expert, and a British SOE officer. He is chiefly known for his intelligence work during the Irish War of Independence and for the events of July 1936, when he and his SOE colleague Cecil Bebb flew General Francisco Franco from the Canary...

, flew Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

 in one from the Canary Islands

Canary Islands

The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

 to Spanish Morocco

Spanish Morocco

The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...

, at the start of the military rebellion which began the Spanish Civil War

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

. You can see today in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain

Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain

The Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain, in Spanish Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica o Museo del Aire, is a aviation museum located in the outskirts of Madrid at Cuatro Vientos Airport, Spain. The museum was founded in 1981 and offers 6 exhibition galleries and it has 130 aircrafts on...

.

World War Two

At the start of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 many (Dragon) Rapides were impressed by the British armed forces and served under the name de Havilland Dominie. They were used for passenger and communications. Over 500 further examples were built specifically for military purposes, powered by improved Gipsy Queen engines

De Havilland Gipsy Queen

|-Survivors:Of the 11 Gipsy Queen-powered de Havilland Doves on the British register, only two remain airworthy .-Engines on display:Preserved de Havilland Gipsy Queen engines are on public display at the following museums:*de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre...

, to bring total production to 731. The Dominies were mainly used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for radio and navigation training.

Other civilian Rapides continue to fly for UK airlines as part of the Associated Airways Joint Committee (AAJC). The AAJC co-ordinated the UKs wartime scheduled services which were entirely operated on over-water routes.

Many ex RAF survivors entered commercial service after the war, and 81 were still flying on the British register in 1958. Dominie production was by both de Havilland and Brush Coachworks Ltd

Brush Traction

This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...

, the latter making the greater proportion.

Postwar operations

The DH.89 proved an economical and very durable aircraft despite its relatively primitive plywood construction and many were still flying in the early 2000s. Several Rapides are still operational in the UK and several suppliers still offer pleasure flights in them. A Rapide can be seen in the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

. Two Rapides are still airworthy in New Zealand. There is a Dragon Rapide flying with the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...

, and another one based in Yolo County, California

Yolo County, California

Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....

. Two are operated by Classic Wings for pleasure flights in UK.

Variants

D.H.89: Twin-engined light transport biplane. First production version.
D.H.89A: Improved version, fitted with a landing light in the nose, modified wingtips and cabin heating.
D.H.89A Mk 4: One D.H. 89A aircraft, powered by two de Havilland Gipsy Queen 2 piston engines, fitted with constant speed propellers.
D.H.89A Mk 5: One D.H.89A aircraft, powered by two de Havilland Gipsy Queen 3 piston engines, fitted with variable-pitch propellers.
D.H.89A Mk 6: One D.H.89A aircraft fitted with Fairey X5 fixed-pitch propellers.
D.H.89M : Military transport version. Exported to Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

 and Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

.
D.H.89B Dominie Mk I: Radio and navigation training version.
D.H.89B Dominie Mk II: Communications and transport version.

Civil

• Zonas Oeste y Norte de Aerolíneas Argentinas (Z.O.N.D.A.)

• Australian National Airways
  Australian National Airways
  Australian National Airways was Australia's predominant carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s.-The Holyman Airways Period:On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.II VH-UEE Miss Launceston between Launceston, Tasmania and Flinders...
  
  
• Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
  Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
  The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
  
  

• Arco-Íris
  Viação Aérea Arco-Íris
  Viação Aérea Arco-Íris S.A. was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. In 1948 operations ceased.-History:Arco-Íris was founded in March 1945 and the first flight was operated on July 12, 1946 between São Paulo-Congonhas and cities within the states of São Paulo and Paraná, being the first carrier to...
  
  
• OMTA
  Organização Mineira de Transportes Aéreos
  Organização Mineira de Transportes Aéreos – OMTA was a Brazilian airline founded in 1946. In 1950 it was sold to Transportes Aéreos Nacional, which eventually incorporated the airline in 1957.-History:...
  
  
• Varig
  Varig
  VARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline...
  
  

 Canada

• Canadian Pacific
  Canadian Pacific Airlines
  Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986...
  
  
• Quebec Airways

• Aero Oy operated two aircraft.

• Air Iceland
  Air Iceland
  Air Iceland is a regional airline with its head office on the property of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík, Iceland. It operates scheduled services to domestic destinations and to Greenland. Its main bases are Reykjavík Airport and Akureyri Airport...
  
  

• Air India
  Air India
  Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...
  
  
• Indian National Airways
• Tata Airlines
  Tata Airlines
  Tata Airlines, a division of Tata Sons Ltd. was founded by J. R. D. Tata in 1932 as Tata Sons.It was started as a mail service between Karachi, Bombay and Madras.-The beginning:...
  
  

 Iraq

• Iraqi Airways
  Iraqi Airways
  Iraqi Airways Company, operating as Iraqi Airways , is the national carrier of Iraq, headquartered on the grounds of Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad. One of the oldest airlines in the Middle East, Iraqi Airways operates domestic and regional service...
  
  

• Aer Lingus
  Aer Lingus
  Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
  
  
• Aer Turas
  Aer Turas
  Aer Turas Teoranta was an Irish airline and later a freight operator based in Dublin, Ireland from 1962 until May 2003.-History:Aer Turas started operations in 1962 as an air taxi service from Ireland to the UK with a single de Havilland Dragon Rapide....
  
   operated one aircraft.

 Latvia

• Valsts Gaisa satiksme

• Middle East Airlines
  Middle East Airlines
  Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. , more commonly known as Middle East Airlines , is the national flag-carrier airline of Lebanon, with its head office in Beirut, near Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport...
  
  

• Borneo Airways
  Borneo Airways
  Borneo Airways is a former airline based in Brirish Borneo . There were two separate companies: Borneo Airways Limited , and Borneo Airways ....
  
  

• KLM

• Air Travel (NZ) Ltd
  Air Travel (NZ) Ltd
  Air Travel Ltd was the first airline in New Zealand to fly scheduled air services. Founded by Bert Mercer in 1934, and based in Hokitika, the company flew a number of De Havilland biplane aircraft, servicing areas on the West Coast...
  
  
• Mount Cook Airline
  Mount Cook Airline
  Mount Cook Airline is an airline based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is wholly owned by Air New Zealand and operates scheduled services throughout the country under the Air New Zealand Link brand...
  
  
• National Airways Corporation
  National Airways Corporation
  National Airways Corporation was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartered in Wellington...
  
  
• Cook Strait Airways Ltd

 Palestine (mandate)

• Palestine Airways (British Mandate of Palestine)
• Aviron
  Aviron flying school
  Aviron flying school was established in April, 1936 in Palestine under the British Mandate . The school was based in kibbutz Afikim, in Northern Israel.-History:...
  
  

• Aerocarga Asociados ACA

 Kingdom of Romania

• LARES
  TAROM
  S.C. Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A., doing business as TAROM Romanian Air Transport, is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania. The brand name is an acronym for...
  
  

 South Africa

• Comair (South Africa)
  Comair (South Africa)
  Comair is an airline based in South Africa. It operates scheduled services on domestic trunk routes as a British Airways franchisee and an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. Its main base is OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, with hubs at Cape Town International Airport...
  
   operated 2 aircraft.

• Iberia

 Switzerland

• Swissair
  Swissair
  Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
  
  

• Air Charter Limited
  Air Charter Limited
  Air Charter was an early post-World War II private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline formed in 1947. The airline conducted regular trooping flights to Cyprus as well as worldwide passenger and freight charter flights from its bases at Southend Airport and...
  
  
• Air Atlantique Classic Flight
  Air Atlantique Classic Flight
  Air Atlantique Classic Flight has re-branded itself as ClassicFlight.com, but still retains the Air Atlantique heritage by using the Air Atlantique name in its logo. It is the operational part of the Air Atlantique Group historic aircraft operation based at Coventry Airport in Coventry, West...
  
  
• Airviews Ltd
• British European Airways
  British European Airways
  British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
  
  
• Classic Wings
• British Westpoint
• Crilly Airways Ltd
  Crilly Airways Ltd
  Crilly Airways Ltd was founded by entrepreneur Frederick Leo Crilly. The airline operated passenger services between several cities in England in the mid 1930's. The airline started with a capitalization of 12,000 pounds....
  
  
• Hillmans Airways
• Isle of Man Air Services
  Isle of Man Air Services
  Isle of Man Air Services Ltd was a small airline, based at Ronaldsway Airport Isle of Man, which operated scheduled flights to the English mainland between September 1937 and January 1947.-Formation:...
  
  
• Jersey Airways
  Jersey Airways
  Jersey Airways was an airline that operated air services to and from the Channel Islands from 1933 until 1947, when it became part of British European Airways.-History:...
  
  
• Lancashire Aircraft Corporation
• Mayflower Air Services
• Melba Airways
• Olley Air Services
• Railway Air Services
  Railway Air Services
  Railway Air Services was a British airline formed in March 1934 by four railway companies and Imperial Airways. The airline was a domestic airline operating routes within the United Kingdom linking up with Imperial's services....
  
  
• Scillonia Airways
• Scottish Airways
• Sivewright Airways
• Starways
  Starways
  Starways was a British airline from 1948 to 1963.-History:The airline was formed in 1948 to undertake freight and passenger charters from Liverpool Airport...
  
  
• Trans European Aviation
  Trans European Aviation
  Trans European Aviation was a British charter airline which operated from 1959 until closure in 1962. With the introduction of the larger Lockheed Constellation to its services, the airline name was changed in 1961 to Trans European Airways.-History:...
  
  
• Westward Airways (Lands End)

 Kingdom of Yugoslavia:

• Aeroput
  Aeroput
  Aeroput was the national airline of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which was founded on 17 June 1927 in the palace of the Adriatic and the Danube bank in Belgrade as Drustvo za Vazdusni Saobracaj A D – Aeroput ...
  
  

Military operators

• Royal Australian Air Force
  Royal Australian Air Force
  The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
  
  

• Belgian Air Force
  Belgian Air Force
  The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded in 1909, it is one of the world's first air forces, and was a pioneer in aerial combat during the First World War...
  
   (Seven operated from 1946)

 Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force
  Royal Canadian Air Force
  The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
  
  
  • No. 418 Squadron RCAF
    No. 418 Squadron RCAF
    No. 418 "City of Edmonton" Squadron RCAF was a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force, formed during World War II....
    
    

 Egypt

• Royal Egyptian Air Force

• Finnish Air Force
  Finnish Air Force
  The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
  
  

 Nazi Germany

• Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
   operated captured aircraft.

 India

• Royal Indian Air Force

 Iran

• Imperial Iranian Air Force

• Israeli Air Force
  Israeli Air Force
  The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
  
  

• Royal Jordanian Air Force
  Royal Jordanian Air Force
  The Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...
  
  

 Lithuania

• Lithuanian Air Force operated two D.H.89M aircraft.

• Royal Netherlands Air Force
  Royal Netherlands Air Force
  The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with four pilots...
  
   - four D.H.89B Mark II (transports)
  • No. 334 Squadron RNLAF (1944–1956)

• Royal New Zealand Air Force
  Royal New Zealand Air Force
  The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
  
  
  • No. 4 Squadron RNZAF
    No. 4 Squadron RNZAF
    No. 4 Squadron RNZAF was a New Zealand patrol bomber unit in the South Pacific during World War II.-History:Due to activity by German surface raiders, the squadron was hurriedly formed in October 1940, initially equipped with a range of hurriedly converted civilian airliners, the twin engined de...
    
    
  • No. 42 Squadron RNZAF
    No. 42 Squadron RNZAF
    42 Squadron of the RNZAF was formed at Rongotai in December 1943 to provide a communications service around New Zealand, initially using impressed civilian types. It was briefly officially disbanded in 1946, but its aircraft continued with general purpose operations at RNZAF Base Ohakea...
    
    

 Peru

• Peruvian Air Force
  Peruvian Air Force
  The Peruvian Air Force is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power...
  
  

• Portuguese Air Force
  Portuguese Air Force
  The Portuguese Air Force is the air force of Portugal. Formed on July 1, 1952, with the Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval united in a single independent Air Force, it is one of the three branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces and its origins dates back to 1912, when the military aviation...
  
  

 Southern Rhodesia

• Southern Rhodesian Air Force - Four aircraft.

 South Africa

• South African Air Force
  South African Air Force
  The South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
  
  

 Spain

• Spanish Republican Air Force
  Spanish Republican Air Force
  The Spanish Republican Air Force, , was the air arm of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939...
  
   operated three D.H.89M.

• Spanish Air Force
  Spanish Air Force
  -The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
  
  

• Royal Air Force
  Royal Air Force
  The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
  
  
  • No. 24 Squadron RAF
  • No. 173 Squadron RAF
    No. 173 Squadron RAF
    No. 173 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a communications unit in World War II.-Formation in World War II:The squadron formed on 9 July 1942 at Heliopolis, Egypt and equipped with the Hawker Audax and it went on to operate many other types of aircraft...
    
    
  • No. 225 Squadron RAF
    No. 225 Squadron RAF
    No. 225 Squadron RAF was formed on 1 April 1918 at Alimini, Italy from part of No. 6 Wing RNAS, and was equipped with Sopwith Camels. The squadron disbanded on 18 December 1918....
    
    
  • No. 271 Squadron RAF
    No. 271 Squadron RAF
    No. 271 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was operational for two periods; a few brief months between 27 September 1918 and 9 December 1918 operating flying boats to protect shipping from German U-boats, and between 28 March 1940 and 1 December 1946 No. 271 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was...
    
    
  • No. 510 Squadron RAF
    No. 510 Squadron RAF
    No. 510 Squadron was a Royal Air Force transport and liaison aircraft squadron that operated during the Second World War.-History:During 1942 it was decided that 24 Squadron was too large and the internal communication flight became no. 510 Squadron on 15 October 1942 at RAF Hendon...
    
    
  • No. 526 Squadron RAF
    No. 526 Squadron RAF
    No. 526 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a British Second World War calibration and communications squadron.-History:No. 526 Squadron was formed on 15 June 1943 at Longmans Airport, Inverness, Scotland from the calibration flights of Nos. 70, 71 and 72 Wing RAF to carry out calibration duties in...
    
    
  • No. 527 Squadron RAF
    No. 527 Squadron RAF
    No. 527 Squadron RAF was a radar calibration unit of the Royal Air Force between 1943 and 1958.-Formation:No. 527 Squadron was formed from various calibration flights at RAF Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire on 15 June 1943 for radar calibration duties with Bristol Blenheims and Hawker Hurricanes...
    
    
  • No. 614 Squadron RAF
    No. 614 Squadron RAF
    614 Squadron was originally formed on 1 June 1937 as an army co-opeation squadron unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. It served during the Second World War first in this role and later as a bomber squadron...
    
    
• Fleet Air Arm
  Fleet Air Arm
  The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
  
  

 United States

• United States Army Air Force

 Uruguay

• Uruguayan Air Force
  Uruguayan Air Force
  The Uruguayan Air Force is one of the three main branches of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the Uruguayan Ministry of Defense. The current head of the force is General of the Air Enrique A...
  
  

 Kingdom of Yugoslavia

• Royal Yugoslav Air Force - One aircraft impressed into military service in 1940.

Accidents and incidents

• On 2 October 1934 G-ACPM of Hillman's Airways
  Hillman's Airways
  Hillman's Airways was a 1930s British airline that later became part of British Airways.The company was formed in November 1931 as Hillman's Saloon Coaches and Airways Limited by Edward Henry Hillman who was a coach operator in Essex. His previous business had been sold to London Transport...
  
   crashed into the sea
  1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash
  The 1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash occurred on 2 October 1934 when a de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide of Hillman's Airways crashed into the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent, killing all seven people on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled...
  
   off Folkstone, Kent
  Kent
  Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
  
   causing the death of the pilot and the six passengers.
• On 26 January 1935, G-ACPO of Hillman's Airways, operating a mail flight from Aldergrove Airport, Belfast
  Belfast
  Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
  
   to Stapleford Aerodrome
  Stapleford Aerodrome
  Stapleford Aerodrome is an airfield in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England near to the village of Abridge. It is about south of North Weald Airfield and north of Romford...
  
  , Abridge
  Abridge
  Abridge is a village in Essex, England. It is on the River Roding, southwest of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the district of Epping Forest and in the parliamentary constituency of Brentwood & Ongar...
  
  , Essex
  Essex
  Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
  
   via Speke Airport, Liverpool
  Liverpool
  Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
  
  , Lancashire
  Lancashire
  Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
  
   crashed at Derbyhaven
  Derbyhaven
  Derbyhaven is a hamlet near Castletown in the southern parish of Malew, Isle of Man. It is located on the isthmus connecting Langness Peninsula to the rest of the island, on the bay of the same name, and also on Castletown Bay on the other side of the isthmus.In the 17th century it was a...
  
  , Isle of Man
  Isle of Man
  The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
  
  , whilst attempting to divert to Ronaldsway Airport during bad weather.
• On 28th June 1946 VP-KCU Crashed landed out of fuel near Lamu Kenya. No loss of life.
• On 15 April 1947, G-AHKR of British European Airways
  British European Airways
  British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
  
   crashed into Slieu Ruy whilst operating a scheduled passenger flight from Speke Airport, Liverpool
  Liverpool
  Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
  
  , Lancashire
  Lancashire
  Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
  
   to Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man
  Isle of Man
  The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
  
  . There were only minor injuries amongst the six people on board.
• On 10 June 1948, G-AIUI of Hargreaves Airways crashed at Cronk ny Arrey Laa
  Cronk ny Arrey Laa
  Cronk ny Arrey Laa is a hill in the SW of the Isle of Man. It may be confused with a hill of a similar name in the parish of Jurby, further north along the west coast of the island....
  
  , Isle of Man
  Isle of Man
  The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
  
  . Seven of the nine people on board were killed. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Speke to Ronaldsway.
• 10 July 1951, G-ALXJ of the Air Navigation and Trading Company crashed into the sea off Laxey
  Laxey
  Laxey is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'.The village lies on the A2, the main Douglas to Ramsey road. Laxey Glen is one of the Manx National Glens, with Dhoon Glen being located close by...
  
  , Isle of Man
  Isle of Man
  The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
  
  , killing the pilot. The aircraft was operating a scheduled cargo flight from Squires Gate Airport, Blackpool
  Blackpool
  Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
  
  , Lancashire
  Lancashire
  Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
  
   to RAF Jurby
  RAF Jurby
  Royal Air Force Station Jurby was a former RAF station built in the north west of the Isle of Man. It was opened in 1939 on of land acquired by the Air Ministry in 1937, under the control of No. 29 Group, RAF...
  
   instead of its normal destination of Ronaldsway Airport, which was fogbound.
• 19 February 1954, G-AFMF crashed into Simonburn Common near Hexham. Pilot and 7 passengers escape with minor injuries.
• 29 June 1957, G-AGUE of Island Air Services crashed on take-off from Ramsgate Airport
  Ramsgate Airport
  Ramsgate Airport was a civil airfield at Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom which opened in July 1935. It was briefly taken over by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War, becoming RAF Ramsgate. The airfield was then closed and obstructed to prevent its use...
  
  , Kent
  Kent
  Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
  
   on a local pleasure flight. The aircraft was written off but all on board escaped uninjured.
• 16 July 1960, OY-DZY of Zonens Redningskorps
  Falck (Denmark)
  Falck A/S is a Nordic-based organisation with activities in most areas of Europe and representation on three continents. The four business areas: Healthcare, Assistance, Training and Emergency together make up Falck’s business...
  
   crashed shortly after take-off from Copenhagen Airport
  Copenhagen Airport
  Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
  
  , Denmark
  Denmark
  Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
  
  . The aircraft was chartered by the Danish Football Association
  Danish Football Association
  The Danish Football Association is the governing body of football in Denmark. It is the organization of the Danish football clubs and runs the professional Danish football leagues and the men's and women's national teams. It is based in the city of Brøndby and is a founding member of both FIFA...
  
   to transport soccer players to a test match in Jutland
  Jutland
  Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
  
  . All eight passengers are killed; the pilot survives but has one leg amputated.

Specifications (Dragon Rapide)

Notable appearances in media

A de Havilland Dragon Rapide, the Sky Gypsy, appears in Out of Time

Out of Time (Torchwood)

"Out of Time" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on 17 December 2006. It is the tenth episode of the first series.- Synopsis :...

, an episode of the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 television series Torchwood

Torchwood

Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...

, in which one is accidentally flown through a "transcendental portal

Cardiff Rift

The Cardiff Rift is a fictional wormhole in the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Torchwood, one end of which is located in Cardiff Bay, Wales. The other end is apparently floating freely through spacetime, and matter and radiation can pass through the Rift, allowing extraterrestrial...

" and travels from 1953 over 50 years into its passengers' future. Aircraft registered as G-ACZE appears in the 1990 BBC production Agatha Christie's Poirot

Agatha Christie's Poirot

Agatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was originally made by LWT and is now made by ITV Studios...

, "Peril at End House". Dragon Rapides appear in several films including The Maggie

The Maggie

The Maggie is a 1954 British comedy film. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick and written by William Rose, it is a story of a clash of cultures between a hard-driving American businessman and a wily Scottish captain.It was produced by Ealing Studios, at a time when rural Scotland was seen as a...

, The Captain's Paradise

The Captain's Paradise

The Captain's Paradise is a 1953 British comedy film starring Alec Guinness and directed by Anthony Kimmins. It is set in Gibraltar and northern Morocco, and on a ship that travels between them....

, Fathom, and the 1995 film adaptation

Richard III (1995 film)

Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, starring Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood and Dominic West....

 of Shakespeare's Richard III

Richard III (play)

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...

.

A 1986 Spanish film, Dragon rapide, covers its historical use by Generalissimo Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

.

See also

External links

• Fighter Factory's de Havilland Dragon Rapide