Ever since I started research on my DH89 Dragon Rapide book while restoring the late lamented G-AJHO back in the mid-1980s – a book that eventually surfaced as an Aircraft Illustrated Special for Ian Allen, I have been mystified and slightly annoyed by my failure to locate any complete pictures of the DH92 Dolphin. With the assistance of Daryl Cott, BAe Hatfield photographer, he and I trawled through the entire Hatfield archive over a lot of weeks, and only located the two incomplete pictures that have appeared in numerous sources.
Today I was looking through our photo-files for something else and came upon a picture taken in the finishing hangar at Hatfield sometime in late 1936. I’d seen it many times before, but something caught my eye. There are Dragons, Rapides, Dragonflies, Hornet Moth G-AEWY and in the middle of the picture what first appeared to be an unmarked Dragonfly. But the more I looked at it, the more I was not sure – was it a Dragonfly nose profile?, why did it appear to be missing the characteristic lower fuselage ‘strake’ or ‘line’ that Dragonflies have where the shape changes? It just did not look exactly like a Dragonfly!
I’m still not sure. so I decided to post three images on my Flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gms_enterprises/
So, I’ll put it ‘over to you’ to see what members think!
By: RPSmith - 19th November 2008 at 00:39
Yep, sorry, I’d fall into the “it’s a Dragonfly” camp too. Agree with John the rear cabin window extends far beyond the trailing edge and look at the difference in gap between the cockpit and forward cabin windows.
Roger Smith.
By: Consul - 18th November 2008 at 21:40
Looks like a Dragonfly to me when compared to the known Dolphin shot on the left.
Tim
By: John Aeroclub - 18th November 2008 at 21:21
I would venture a “No” as the window pattern does not match. Note, on the Dolphin, a window projects beyond the trailing edge, and window numbers differ.
Also the engines do not project far enough, it’s a 90 IMO.
John
Sign In
November 18, 2008 at 9:09 pm