De Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide

I am looking to find photos of DH Rapide G-AIDL, currently with Classic Flight at Coventry, as she appeared in the 1950's whilst owned by Foxs Glacier Mints Ltd. She was based at Staughton -Leicester airfield, I believe. I am an aviation artist and require reference photos of this a /c for a painting. I believe she was silver grey with blue registration markings including the top wing surface and blue fuselage flash and top of nose. She was used by Foxs Mints along with DH Dove G-AMFU. If any body can help it would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks. Jon

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A friend's parents took me to an Airshow at Cardiff in about 1935 and they paid for John and I to have a joy flight in a Dragon Rapide. My first flight, aged seven, and I have maintained an interest in flying both full size and model,ever since! My parents arrived at the airport later only to be told that their son was flying!! During that Airshow a 'Bleriot 'type plane crashed into a garden next to the field after the pilot lost his helmet which broke the propeller!

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Like Terry, we used to jump from these beautiful aircraft down in Thruxton in the late 60's. Used ex USAF parachute gear, so remember some Hard landings!
Flying in the plane was one heck of an experience.
Also jumped Jackaroose, the converted Tiger Moth, great times all round -:))

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Well, i readed many good times for people flying on this plane, but i think nobody knows, a very asshole did it and make alot of damage to the freedom. Thanks to this plane the spanish dictator Franco came to the power and Spain have a fascist governament for 40 years, how you can see i do not like this plane at all, and the plane and his passenger should had a big crash to die both, the proyect and the asshole.

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I served in the Fleeet Air Arm from 1949-1956 and worked on the Station Flight whilst serving at H.M.S Gannet which was at Eglington near Londonderry Northern Island, I had the pleasure of working on the engines of a Dominie, HG 694, and have the pictures to prove it. After a major service on the starbourd engine I flew from Eglington to Anthorn, a Royal Naval Air station near Carlisle, and back. Of all the engines I worked on during my service the Gipsy Six was my favourite. Cliff

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We used a Rapide at Sennelager Germany 1970 for sport parachuting. It was stored at RAF Guterslow (?) every evening and was flown by an RAF Sgt. We showed up at the field one mornig and were surprised that our jump aircraft wasn't there. We were told that it had been inspected and found that the tail was only held on by the doped fabric (?) By the way, Rothmans Tobacco sponsered this aircraft.

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The Rapide was the favoured aircraft for sport parachuting in the early days, the 1960's. Exit was easy and safe. The usual practice was for less experienced jumpers to exit at lower hights to lighten load, leaving perhaps four to get to perhaps 10,000 feet. Happy days!

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I flew in a Dragon Rapide from LHR to LHR in the early 1950's when you "catch" a sightseeing flight from the spectators area-fenced in in front of the ATC Tower. We flew over Feltham and the gravel pits and back to LHR, if I remember correctly about 20-25 minutes, can'r recall the cost. Even more importantly I have lost the registration of same and cannot locate anyone remembering these days.

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In the 1950s Cambrian Airways flew Rapides from Staverton airport (Cheltenham) to Rhoose (Cardiff) and Whitchurch (Bristol), where passengers changed on to larger aircraft (Dakotas /Herons?) for flights to the Channel Islands and Paris. I had to weigh passengers and baggage so that the C of G could be maintained by the correct distribution of weight. It was rather difficult when we had only one particularly heavy passenger! The Rapide I remember was G-AJCL (Charlie Love).

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I've flown on a Dragon Rapide at Duxford in July 09. I have to say, it's a beautiful aircraft

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I had a short flight in the Rapide at Duxford, operated by Classic Wings who are based at Duxford. Great views over Cambridge and a lovely experience - appreantly they fly over London too so I might try that one day. My boyfriend had a flight in the Tiger Moth and we spent all day at Duxford so he was very happY!

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Agree with Zoltan2 - G-AIYR was a most pleasant flight from St Just, Cornwall. At that time, it was operating a tregualr service to the Scilly Isles. I had the seat behind the pilot and he allowed me to put my hand over his hand to sense the flying motion of the aircraft. He then allowed me to 'hands on' the stick while he put his hand over mine That WAS a real thrill - for about half a minute, I got to 'fly' an antique twin. It was sometime in the 70s I believe and I have a photo taken by the aircraft after the flight. MalcolmL rcav8or@gmail.com

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This aircraft was my first experience of flying in 1952. I was seated near the back and was trilled by the whole experience. In 2007 my friend and I had the same expeience as Steve Kimberley and flew in a Rapide at Duxford. This time every passenger was weighed before boarding and my friend and I were both seated at the front, we were both big lads weighing in at over 20 stones each. As the pilot glided down the final approach he kept throttling up and raising the nose. After a couple of times he looked back at me and said "Oh it's you!" I've no idea what he meant but the flight was a wonderful peice of nostalgia.

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I flew in a Dragon Rapide from Duxford near Cambridge UK in summer 2007. Nice, relaxed experience: far better than a modern airliner howling along at 30,000ft! Pleasure flights are available:
www.duxfordflying.co.uk /index.php?pageid=588

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I flew the DH89 in the ex-Belgian Congo (Zaire) in the late 60's doing mosquito abatement fogging. We loaded up the seatless cabin with 55 gallon drums of straight, uncut DDT from which led copper tubing through the fuselage side and into the exhaust collector of each engine. I would then fly up and down the streets of Kinshasa (Leopoldvile) in the early am and the late afternoon when winds were nil. That was all before I had read Carsons's "Silent Spring". I was in my twenties, invincable, and building time for a later airline career. My "checkout" involved the Chief Pilot standing in the cockpit doorway behind me, giving verbal instructions. I never saw a manual. When I had mastered taxing after twenty minutes or so (no tailwheel lock), we took to the air.. in the same instructor configuration. The Dragon flew remarkably well. I had no more than an hour of such "dual" before being turned loose to go after those mosquitos.

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Dragon Rapid C-FAYE is located at Sault Ste Marie,Ont-CAN
a /c is stored at
www.bushplane.com

needs TLC

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Wife and I,had a joy flight in a Rapide in 1966 when it was based at St. Just Airport (Cornwall). The pilot appeared to hand-prime the engines from the cockpit before takeoff. In the cabin were `Break-out' points to assist exit in case of a crash. The fabrick appeared to be wood and canvas! The aircraft was very comfortable, very slow with graceful ups and downs with the turbulance around Lands End.

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