Here be Dragons

A takeoff was attempted with the rudder lock still in. Groundloop successfully achieved, bent RH main gear the only apparent damage. Anyone out there know of a spare Dragon’s leg that could be bought, traded, stolen, lent or otherwise acquired???

😮

Now that would be sporting!

wouldn’t it? Too sporting for my tastes as is the 168 for the Dragon. I think the caption I saw in a reproduction poster advertising DH aircraft says it all though “Ah de Havilland” they really knew how to build good looking machines I my opinion.

What the news on Stan’s Dragon…!

With the Auster this required a dive to 200 mph.

😮

Now that would be sporting!

Yes Paul, thought that might have been the case. When we were on renewable CofA’s we had to carry out a VNE check. With the Auster this required a dive to 200 mph. That sure tested the fabric. This was later reduced to 160 as the J5F Aiglet trainer had to have its VNE reduced to comply with the aerobatic certification and as this was perceived to be the standard trainer for the Empire (Commonwealth??) then all Austers were also reduced to make life easy.

G’Day Stan,

I was trying to crack a funny (probably not successfully!).

Anyhoo, she’s a beautifully turned out machine and excellent to hear that she has the NZCAA’s blessing for another year. I hope I can get to go for a ride in her sometime when I am next in your part of the world.:)

Best regards,

Paul

Hi Avian,
The 168mph placard is the Vne. (Velocity never exceed). This is the maximum speed that the aircraft was stressed to in the design stage and is only achievable in a dive ( often in some cases also requires a bit of help from the engines),
Normal cruise in AXI is about the 95 mph mark. Again if any of you are out in NZ we are a fully certified Air Transport Operator and are available for Charter ops. We just completed out C.A.A. audit yesterday so are good for another year.

Had a pretty cool Dragon Rapide display over our house 2 weeks ago, arranged for the wake of our pub landlady, bless her.

http://youtu.be/EQuIqvRSiJo

Cheers, Scott.

Always has been a really handsome type, in all its variations.

I’ve flown in a Dominie and loved every second

Moggy

I love the DH pre-war twins including the Dragon and Rapide and Dragonfly, and the big brother Express.

Sir Geoffrey certainly extracted the best performance he could from such large bi-planes with his streamlining etc.

But it is sobering to compare the first flights of these types against some of their contemporaries and consider the rapid design and technology changes that were underway in the mid 1930s.

We are indeed fortunate a number of Dragons are still airworthy (surprising given how few survive in total) along with the more numerous Rapides to allow us to still experience this by-gone day in the air.

DH 83 Fox Moth – March 1932
DH84 Dragon November 1932
DH86 Express January 1934
DH89 Dragon Rapide / Dragon Six – April 1934
DH90 Dragonfly August 1935

Boeing 247 February 1933
Douglas DC-1 (DC-2) July 1933
Douglas DC-3 December 1935

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Gee, Stan’s starting to look a bit grey on it……..

Glass cockpit and fly by wire(s)!
Great shots of a lovey aeroplane!

Glass cockpit and fly by wire(s)!
Great shots of a lovey aeroplane!

Another pict – this time more from the rear!

Another pict – this time more from the rear!

I knew I had some picts of ‘Puff the magic Dragon’ somewhere – just had to locate them. These show the dismantling after the accident. I’m not sure who the photographer was – they came to me from the late Capt Mike Russell – he may well have taken them!

I knew I had some picts of ‘Puff the magic Dragon’ somewhere – just had to locate them. These show the dismantling after the accident. I’m not sure who the photographer was – they came to me from the late Capt Mike Russell – he may well have taken them!

Lovely pics thank you 🙂

Lovely pics thank you 🙂

Great shots – beautiful classic aircraft…
Thanks for sharing.

Great shots – beautiful classic aircraft…
Thanks for sharing.