Russavia's Rapide 'How it left Duxford'

No it was always under restoration.

Dave

Did the DH53 ever fly whilst under Mike’s ownership?

The DH 2 when we first got it to Duxford and G-MOTH at Lasham. Both with my son in them. Mike flew my son at Lasham, he sat on my lap.

Dave

Sunday 6th July 1986 must have been one of Russavia’s best days. The Tiger Moth, Rapide, DH2/Gunbus, Chipmunk and Drone were all active – and I dare say ‘DragonRapide’ was too.

Certainly was! Was that the day we first hopped the DH2 on the Pobjoy engine? It went off for its film contract a little later, and came back with a bit more “oomph” – 125hp Kinner. And an extra seat, as it was modified to look like a Gunbus!

Mark, brilliant post – I’d forgotten you’d flown the Drone! Your account puts us right in the cockpit with you – wonderful reminder of a great time in my life.

Every once in a while this forum comes up with a real gem of a thread – and this sure is a gem. Not a Spitfire in sight………….

Just a friendly reminder, can we watch the overuse of the Quote Function on the forum as per the CoC? 🙂

Well done Mark, that was most illuminating. I’m pleased to hear the Drone is in good hands and might reappear. I must confess it was a real pain when Mike had it at Top Farm. Although it was dismantled, it rather got in the way when moving our aircraft and I don’t think anybody fancied the interview “with no tea and biscuits” if we’d damaged it while the movements were taking place.

Thanks Mark, very interesting ,amusing and informative write-up..Rgds

A lovely account, Mark . Thanks for taking the trouble.

The Vintage Aircraft Club produces a great little mag, which would be a natural outlet for this, with a few photos to compliment.

BAC Drone G-AEDB

Oh dear – I’m about to join the ranks of those who put a one-off flight of a new type in their logbook, and then write it up as a ‘legend in their own lunchtime’! However, I did volunteer to post an old few lines on flying Russavia’s BAC Drone…

The Drone had always interested me through its local connections at the pre-war Ely Aero Club. No less a luminary than John W.R. Taylor wrote a ‘Plane of the Month’ about it in one of the large format Model Aircraft magazines of the early 60s. JWRT depicted with his own Box Brownie photo the tricycle undercarriage then fitted to G-AEDB.

In 1986 I helped Mike Russell by spraying in some fabric repairs to the wing root ends. Surgery had taken place to probe the always troublesome wing fold arrangement. During that work I had long looks around the aeroplane to inform a decision on whether to fly it if Mike’s offer ever came good. He made so many such offers that the chances seemed reassuringly slim!

Sunday 6th July 1986 must have been one of Russavia’s best days. The Tiger Moth, Rapide, DH2/Gunbus, Chipmunk and Drone were all active – and I dare say ‘DragonRapide’ was too. Meanwhile I was coming and going in G-AGTO, giving Auster rides to some of the associated helpers. Mike in the Drone shared Duxford’s regular ‘Feeding the Lions’ slot with, of all disparate things, TFC’s first Thunderbolt. Then Peter Kirk (who was really the maestro of looking after G-AEDB) hopped in via a running change. Twenty minutes later I was bounced with the same opportunity!

I ended up flying for 40 mins, this long because I was unsure how to get down from the 3,000 ft to which I had eventually ascended! No longer because the ‘fuel depth gauge’ seemed to be sinking significantly.

My first impression while taxying was of enormous wings sprouting from behind and above either shoulder, not being familiar with a glider layout. The Drone responded well to rudder while turning into wind to await a Green from the Tower, but having paused the little wheels became stuck fast against a slight bump in the grass. Full chat plus slackening the harness and rocking bodily fore and aft proved just enough to get mobile again, but did precious little for self-confidence.

Takeoff, on the other hand, restored it. Easing the power buzzily through the gate – up from ‘Tortoise’ to ‘Hare’ – produced quite reasonable acceleration. While wondering whether the tail should be raised, my dilemma was solved by noticing that the Drone had lifted off and was climbing away happily at 53 mph. This I could not believe, having been conditioned to expect very marginal performance. In fact the upwind end of the aerodrome was passed at much the same height as I was used to from Auster flying with 3 POB. My light-ish 21 yr old weight was no advantage as it had needed to be supplemented for CG by a lead cushion.

Level at a giddy 2,500 ft, soon to be an involuntary 3,000 ft in thermal activity, the overall Drone experience was very pleasant indeed, like something out of a Harald Penrose book. Splendid visibility and a genteel airflow around the cockpit compared to the full-on blast of the Tiger Moth with which I was familiar. Just a slightly queasy feeling from the rather poor windscreen optics. VNE if I recall was 70 mph and the cruise a good 60. Indicated RPM while cruising was 1150 so there must have been some ratio issue with the indication. The near 40 ft of wing felt a bit heavy and ponderous when disturbed by turbulence but the aeroplane turned on a sixpence with only a little rudder needed for a balanced turn.

On the downside were the dratted ‘Z’ type shoulder straps, obviously an addition, which slipped off the shoulders and then down each upper arm, restricting my movement. I didn’t stall it as I was nervous of the Bristol Cherub stopping with the throttle closed and not much inertia in the prop. Presumably from an engine airscoop on the side of the pylon came fearsome ‘slurping’ and spitting noises in my left ear whenever power was reduced towards idle. I therefore kept a nervous hand on the throttle (insufficient friction) and the other on the stick as I didn’t dare let go to fiddle with the bungee pitch trim device.

Ambling downhill took an age with the engine not fully throttled and an eye on VNE. Safely over the M11 the throttle could at last be closed ready for the life-changing experience of landing. Mike had said “don’t flare it” but I couldn’t stop myself, and ballooned slightly, like a big control line stunt model. While sorting this out I was also dealing with a crosswind component which had blown up while I was away, but was completely caught out by the further effect of rudder as I kicked it straight and countered insufficiently with into-wind aileron… and the into-wind wing rose! Despite a good basic training I had not up to that point fully understood the interaction between the control inputs required for a crosswind landing. I trickled on power, flew up the runway and landed shamefacedly using my new-found knowledge.

All this with no gliding experience, next to no briefing and possibly no valid licence! Or it may have been only later that ‘Self Launching Motor Glider’ on a PPL ceased to mean what it said.

G-AEDB was acquired in 2012 by Martin Honeychurch. Like his late restorer colleague Ben Cooper, Martin has a real empathy for aeroplanes of the pre-war Hanworth Air Park. For sure we have not seen (nor heard!) the last of The Drone!

After one of the flights Mike had in the Drone. He taxied back and stopped the engine. There was a big smell of hot burning wood. One of the bolts holding the propeller had broken. The prop had move in the boss making it very hot. Mike also flew the Drone from Duxford to the London gliding club for a vintage glider rally.
Mike sold the Drone to Peter Kirk, Peter got my father to recovered the wings and straightened the trailing edge. Dad painted wings with silver dope ready for Peter to put the reg back on. I always remember dad making me tie the wings on the open trailer (as he did with all the wings he recovered) then taking the wings to Top farm? I was always worried about the wings falling of the trailer, but they never did.

Dave

I like the reference to “Garden Ford” as the engine in the description under the photograph. Seems appropriate as the engine installation does look a bit agricultural.

After a bit of Googling ….

[ATTACH=CONFIG]224398[/ATTACH]

The website I found it on claims that it was G-AEKT.

http://www.aer.ita.br/~bmattos/mundo/ww2/british/pages/bacdroneluxe.htm

Calling Snapper, I know he has a couple of photos of the 609 Drone

Thank you. I’m glad the memory hasn’t completely gone.

Yes, No. 609 Sqdn had a Drone Deluxe coded “PR-?”. It was written off after P/O Hill landed in a strawberry field on 16 April 1941. The civilian identity remains a mystery. The squadron did retain the rudder as a souvenir but I don’t know what happened to it. I do believe it was duck shooting that they used it for …

See page 11 …

http://www.609wrsquadron.co.uk/Archives/Biographies/PDF_Files/Alfred%20Ogilvie.pdf

and for a photo of the rudder take a look at page 43 of this one …

http://www.609wrsquadron.co.uk/Archives/Photo_Galleries/Biggin%20Hill.pdf

I’m not sure how true it is but didn’t some RAF officers use a Drone as an airborne platform to go grouse-shooting? Judging by Mike’s “hands-off” pass it certainly looks stable enough.

Dug out some more of the negatives I took on that November day 32 years ago …

Mike doing a low fly-by “hands-off” !

Low winter sun

… still some parts on it which had DH 53 stenciled on it.

Dave

I know that the Shuttleworth Collection borrowed the tail feathers back in the 1950’s when they were restoring G-EBHX. Harold Best-Devereux told me that the rudder carried the serial of one of the R-33 test machines when he built the Martin Monoplane at Denham but could not remember which.

Last time I saw the Martin monoplane was about 4 years ago. It was quite safe near Henlow. Some Germans had just bought a Kranich 1 glider from the same storage place. I asked he would sell it and was told no.Their was still some parts on it which had DH 53 stenciled on it.

Dave