de Havilland airliner aircraft from the 1930s

Four de Havilland bi-planes that were used as airliners during the 1930s are shown here during a display at the Classic Fighters airshow held at Omaka Aerodrome, Blenheim, New Zealand.
The aircraft shown are the de Havilland Dragon, Dragonfly and Dominie. Many similar aircraft were used in New Zealand during the 1930s to pioneer the domestic air routes of this country.
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Copyright © 2014 Historical Aviation Film Unit
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[@billrandell4641]

Thank God..No music..just engines..lovely

[@TheFlyingBusman]

The Learjet or Cessna Citation of their day. Great aircraft with real style and character. To see several fly together is a great spectacle.

[@charleshetrick3152]

Gary Cunningham, I really wish they made designs like this these days. I’d happily pay, if I could, to have one of these made of modern materials and modern power plants with proper range around 3000 nm.

[@davidchristensen6908]

They are just beautiful planes. They even sound beautiful. Loved this video

[@philm9593]

A great little aircraft. Did my first parachute jumps from one of those. Netheravon, Oct 1972. Hampshire, England. Happy days!

[@markkover8040]

Amazing aircraft! Great to see so many still flying. Had the privilege of riding in a Dragon Rapide a few years ago. It was one of the smoothest flights I've ever experienced. DeHavillian had an amazing capability to built great fabric covered aircraft.

[@MrDaiseymay]

I envy you , I almost, enjoyed a flight in one twenty years ago, at the great Duxford Airshow in the UK. Two of them had been taking paying passenger's up for hours, when I plucked up the courage and joined the Que. I was one trip away, when they had to abandon further flights, as very low cloud swept in.

[@markkover8040]

@@MrDaiseymay That would definitely be disappointing. I volunteer at the Military Aviation Museum here in Virginia Beach, Virginia where we have one liveried in the British Royal family colors. It is a very popular plane here. You definitely want to jump at it if you ever get the chance again.

[@Mygg_Jeager]

Fabric? It looks metal in the video.

[@markkover8040]

@@Mygg_Jeager It is fabric. That's how they were originally built. Wooden spars, stringers, and spacers too. The only metal parts were around the engines, landing gear, wiring, control cables and aileron controls. They were amazing, well built aircraft.

[@Mygg_Jeager]

@@markkover8040 According to what I've read that's true, but every surviving model I've seen online is clad in aluminum.

[@stranraerwal]

what a beautiful plane ! And great pilots...look at those soft-shoe landings !

[@rancidpitts8243]

Thank you for saying what I thought. Those truly are Beautiful.

[@johnjephcote7636]

My first flight. Hendon airshow 1957 (the last one). 20 minutes around north London for 10 shillings. In the early sixties I had another, longer flight (G-AJGJ) from de Havilland's grass field at Christchurch (UK). Lovely, lovely 'planes.

[@timothyfoster4714]

My first flight was in a Rapide in 1950 when I was 9 years old. It was owned and operated by Don Everall Aviation out of Wolverhampton's Pendeford airfield. It cost me 10 shillings (50p) for a 10 minute flight.

[@stephenburgess5109]

i was lucky as a fifteen year old to have flown in a De havilland Rapide in the 70s on a joy ride at a local airshow ten minutes that i will remember for ever

[@SmokeFlame1]

Maybe I'm dreaming, but I sometimes get the impression that New Zealand has more antique aircraft flying (per capita) than any other nation. I was at one of their very fine museums about 12 years ago when I visited New Zealand and was very impressed. The Dragon Rapide is such a beautiful aircraft. Saw my first one when I was about five years old when my dad had to fly to Montreal from Northern Quebec. That was about 78 years ago. I'm 83 now.

[@jellybean3731]

Happy days SmokeFlame1.

[@gordanmilne7034]

I'm late to the party but great footage. I had the joy of a pleasure flight in Dragon G-ADDI from Booker UK in the late sixties. There is a Rapide in the UK with my initials G-AGTM which I think should be donated to me (I wish).

[@michaelbolton7790]

'Tango Mike' was the regular jumpship of the Army Parachute Association based at Netheravon in Wiltshire. It was later sold to Air Atlantique & based a Coventry Airport.

[@mickles1975]

I've flown in a Dragonfly at the Duxford airshow. It was great.

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

Music to my ears for sure!!

[@pcka12]

These aircraft provided the passenger service to and from the Isles of Scilly for years until a helicopter took over!

[@velcroman11]

There is another one. I saw it in TV series Torchwood S1 E10. It is a beautiful variant of the DH 89

[@MrDaiseymay]

GREAT VID, FROM THE BOYS WHO KNOW HOW TO DO IT PROFESSIONALLY. MY FAVOURITE 30'S PASSENGER PLANE. LOVE THAT ART DECO LOOK..TYPICAL STYLISH DE HAVILLAND

[@michaelstamper5604]

There's just something about 1930s machines. Elegance was inbuilt and seemingly effortless. Whether its an SS100 Jaguar, a De Havilland aircraft or the Queen Mary or SS Normandie. Last echoes from a better, gentler time. *sigh*

[@daddybob6096]

I was born at Westport in 1940, during my school years i fondly remember the Rapides servicing Westport Airport regularly as they flew over North Beach when arriving and leaving our town. There was a rumour that Heaphy Dobson, an older boy fired an arrow or a stone from a shanghai and allegedly struck the mail plane, at North Beach. Lol.

[@rightmarker1]

I did my first static line jump from a Rapide. Happy days.

[@jockm7940]

Author Nevil Shute (Norway) "Town Like Alice", "No Highway" etc Aero designer/computer for De Havilland on these aircraft as well as on the R-101 airship (the private venture ship that did not crash) Autobiography titled "Slide Rule", a great read for inside background on these aircraft as well as the tragic fatally flawed U.K. government run airship project R-100 crashed killing most on board including the Secretary of State for War Lord Thompson. "The Millionth Chance, the story of the R-101" James Leasor.

[@Purlee100]

You have the numbers the wrong way round. R101 was the airship which crashed, R100 was the private venture machine and was relatively successful and with which Neville Shute Norway was involved.

[@jockm7940]

Yes, my mistake,you are correct, the R-101 G--FAAW was the UK government built ship. They had to stretch the ship to insert additional gas bags to compensate for increase in gross weight caused by very heavy hydraulic assist steering among other unnecessary add ons. Nevil Shute visited Cardington to view the R-101 and discovered that the ship "skin" fabric had failed owing to the mis-timing of the "dope" application. The crew was bullied into departing unprepared without a full airworthiness certificate for India by Thomson in his quest to arrive in time for the

[@lancecaldwell3874]

So very well put together. Love that sound. One crashed at the Abotsford Air show; and I hope they can rebuild it. It would also be nice too see one on floats. Job well done on video! Thanx.

[@GIAMPIEROPIERI56]

Aerei come questi hanno ancora un forte fascino

[@JakesMusicPalace]

Awesome job thanks for sharing. I’m building a large scale RC model as we speak of the Dragon. The green color scheme is very cool. Love to fly one, center seat to a fantastic view, and you get paid to fly it👍👍

[@historicalmachines]

Sounds great! Lots more like this on Historical Machines TV (www.historicalmachines.tv)

[@brando6BL]

My first ever flight was in a Dragon Rapide out of London airport in 1955!

[@silviotrentin769]

Excelente vídeo, belas imagens. Toda máquina voadora é fascinante, desde um simples avião de papel até a complexidade de um UFO.

[@LCC389]

Gorgeous

[@barkon]

Love the Dragon. I wonder which one of those was in the Torchwood episode...

[@butlerproman]

They need a class at the Reno air races for hopped up Dragon Rapides. There could be two subclasses; one with just the pilot and one with passengers.

[@davejob630]

My Father used to fly a Dragon out of Ceduna in Central Australia for the Bush Church Aid Society....Navigating the outback day and night with a compass and dead reckoning.... Years later as a small boy I would sometimes accompany him when he went to check out other pilots in the 'aircraft . A magnificent machine. I wonder if the Dragon shown here is of British or Australian origin.

[@idleonlooker1078]

Note the one with clipped wing tips? I wonder if this is original, and how it affects performance.

[@ccaaproduction105]

Excellent

[@johnthompson6550]

These are the coolist looking machines,,,,,,, wow DH was ahead of the pack,,,,,,,,safe construction and streamlining to boot!!!! Took a real MAN to handle two engines with a tailwheel...........rethink all your V1 cuts, with underpowered and rudder feel for control................not 1/10 of airline pilots today could get it around the pattern on one engine from V1 failure............

[@granskare]

In a book I have about ww2 bombers, I see a Dominie from which the pilot was walking.

[@fishingshallowminded8600]

GREAT LOOKING RIG

Please more PBY-5a and C-47 take-offs and flybys.

[@ottavva]

what's that litle third prop (0:35 on) on the left wing ?? some kind of aux power like that in A-320 ??

[@MarwayBonnici]

It was common in that era to have a wind driven generator on wings even in in the first word war planes

[@guypotts324]

Great video. There was a 4 engined D.H. aircraft. It was the D.H. 86. I t was a flawed aircraft with dangerous low speed control problems. Qantas lost one on a delivery flight flight & Holyman Airways lost two, one in Bass Strait near Wilsons Prom. & another off Flinders Is. Guy Potts.

[@londonwestman1]

I think, in the end almost all the dh86s crashed But my grandparents survived flying in one to Nigeria in the 1930s - when whole trip by air from the UK via Ciaro took a week. My grandmother disliked the experience so much she drove home by car and ferry. The trips both ways must have been ridiculously dangerous by todays standards.

[@corvette724]

Still so much of them existing? And in such excellent condition.Thumbs up. You have the absolute feeling to film it in a way to give us the feeling to be with. I´ve made a video about formation flight of vintage airplanes. Buecker 131, Tiger Moth and an rare Klemm 107. Maybe you want to see it? I´ve made one about HandProping and flight in an 1947 AeroncaChampion too. May you like it?

[@user-oy2kl3pm9t]

デ・ハビランド「ドラゴンラピード」が４機もフライアブルで残っているとは。

[@MiscVids731]

When was this footage taken?

[@historicalmachines]

2007.

[@rob379lqz]

Superb! I’d give my baby mama’s eye-tooth for a flight.

[@royalmaster203]

keep the design sorta, make one from carbon and fit with rotec radial, r3600, might work

[@royalmaster203]

reallyu a good looking plane

[@adrianlarkins7259]

I seem to remember this aircraft as the RAPIDE, pronounced RAPEED. There was a 4 engine version also. Anyone like to comment?

[@adrianlarkins7259]

Yulian Baskoro What does that mean?

[@inekemateman273]

Adrian Larkins There was no 4 engined Rapide, you probly mean the Havilland Dove!

[@adrianlarkins7259]

Ineke Mateman I know there was no 4 engined Rapide. I since found out it was the Express. Looks very much the same as the Rapide

[@guypotts324]

Ineke Mateman The Dove was twin engined aircraft. The 4 engined one was the Heron

[@adrianlarkins7259]

guy potts Interesting. Where does the Express fit into the equation with the Heron? I lived in Kenya in the 1950's and there were two DH Radipes still flying. I had a ride in one over Nairobi. I've never seen the four engined version but I had a cigarette card depicting one when I was a school boy.

[@mookins45]

hipster plane!