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About de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide
de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide Aircraft - photo wallpapers; Megawallpapers.org : The deHavilland DH89A
Dragon Rapide has a straightforward early history. DeHavilland's
chief designer wanted a 'bigger Tiger Moth' so that he could
transport himself and his family to Hamble on the weekends, in turn
so that they could maintain their position within British Clubland's
yachting set. His resulting airframe was the DH. 83 Fox Moth,
essentially the dynamic elements of the Tiger Moth wedded to a new
fuselage with pilot sitting out back, and a small passenger space
behind the engine, able to seat three people in relative comfort. Its
range was that of the Tiger Moth, and it quickly found favour with
the Clubland set, securing many sales, and having its fame boosted
somewhat by HRH the Prince of Wales buying one for his nascent Royal
flight in 1932. Mr. Hillman, owner of the successful Hillman's bus-lines, soon bought
a small fleet of Fox Moths to augment his bus business, in a sort of
air taxi service. Happy with his purchase, but feeling that it was
possible to do more with aeroplanes (since there was always demand
for more seats than he had Fox Moths), he approached deHavilland's in
early 1932, asking whether a 14 seat airliner based on the principle
of the Fox Moth (that is to say - simple to fly, comfortable ride,
and the same sort of engines that the Fox Moth used) could be built.
DeHavilland's replied in the affirmative, and work began at Stag Lane
to build and fly a prototype. This flew that year on the 24th of
November. After trials flights and some minor fettling, the first DH
84 Dragon was delivered to Mr. Hillman just before Christmas that
year, on the 24th of December 1932. The second was delivered in
February. By the middle of 1933, Hillman was doing roaring trade, and ordered a
third. Other small operators bought the Dragon, and so...