What plane did I see?
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JoePublic

Original Poster:

220 posts

192 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
Apologies to anyone who was on the outskirts of Bishops Stortford on Sunday as I may have been sat at the entrance to a roundabout gazing up at the sky. smile

Above was what looked like a 1930s airliner. It was a twin engined, enclosed cockpit bi-plane. I used to be quite into planes as a kid and had a vague recollection that it was a De Haviland of some sort, but it was bigger than I remember them being. It must have been about the size of an Islander or something I'd guess.

Beautiful machine - quite a way to travel. Incidentally anyone see that documentary on early commercial airflight on BBC4 last night? nerd

Lefty Guns

18,299 posts

218 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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Sounds like a De Havilland DH89 Dragon Rapide.
It could possibly be a De Havilland DH84 Dragon but they are MUCH rarer.

DH 84 Dragon



DH89 Dragon Rapide/Dominie



Edited by Eric Mc on Thursday 29th October 09:55

Lefty Guns

18,299 posts

218 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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Too slow this time Eric.

Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
Lefty Guns said:
Too slow this time Eric.
It's because I wanted to post up some pictures and I wanted to show the older DH84 as well - so there.

Lefty Guns

18,299 posts

218 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
I'll go back and edit my post to add pictures if it makes you feel better old chap?

wink

JoePublic

Original Poster:

220 posts

192 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Sounds like a De Havilland DH89 Dragon Rapide.
It could possibly be a De Havilland DH84 Dragon but they are MUCH rarer.

DH 84 Dragon
I think we have a winner!

I would have recognised the Dragon Rapide's elegant silhouette, even though I wouldn't have remembered the name - it wasn't a DH89. That greenhouse dumped on the front of the DH84 looks very familiar though. It was even in the same silver - maybe it was that example? I don't know if they're rare enough for that to be a likelihood...

Good work gents!

Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
JoePublic said:
Eric Mc said:
Sounds like a De Havilland DH89 Dragon Rapide.
It could possibly be a De Havilland DH84 Dragon but they are MUCH rarer.

DH 84 Dragon
I think we have a winner!

I would have recognised the Dragon Rapide's elegant silhouette, even though I wouldn't have remembered the name - it wasn't a DH89. That greenhouse dumped on the front of the DH84 looks very familiar though. It was even in the same silver - maybe it was that example? I don't know if they're rare enough for that to be a likelihood...

Good work gents!
There may only be one airworthy DH84 in the UK.

In 1986, Aer Lingus restored one to flight status (EI-AFK - painted as EI-ABI, Aer Lingus' first aeroplane) but I'm not sure if it is still being flown.

Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
Lefty Guns said:
I'll go back and edit my post to add pictures if it makes you feel better old chap?

wink
I'm not concerned about that - really smile

I just thought that there was the off chance that it MIGHT have been a DH84 as opposed to the much more common DH89 and I wanted to track down a decent picture of a DH84 to help the OP.

RizzoTheRat

26,975 posts

208 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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There used to be a Dragon Rapide based at Farnborough 15 or so years back. Lovely lookng machine. Dunno if it's still there.

Lefty Guns

18,299 posts

218 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Lefty Guns said:
I'll go back and edit my post to add pictures if it makes you feel better old chap?

wink
I'm not concerned about that - really smile

I just thought that there was the off chance that it MIGHT have been a DH84 as opposed to the much more common DH89 and I wanted to track down a decent picture of a DH84 to help the OP.
I know, I was only pulling your plonker. I hadn't thought of the 84 I must admit.

Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
De Havilland built a number of different small airliners around the same basic general arrangement starting with the DH84.

There was also the DH86 Dragon Express



and the DH90 Dragonfly




Lefty Guns

18,299 posts

218 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
Beautiful, simple designs.

Kelly Johnson said something the lines of "If it looks right, it'll fly right".

Doesn't apply to the F117!

He knew what he was talking about, won 2 Collier Trophies and worked on the F104, P38, Electra and Constellation, one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built in my humble opinion:



Oh, and the SR71.




Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
It's not altogether true, though, is it.

De Havilland built some gorgeous aircraft but which were real bhes in the air. The DH88 Comet racer was a prime example. How Campbell and Black flew one all the way to Australia I don't really know.


Lefty Guns

18,299 posts

218 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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What was the problem with it? Instability?

Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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It was prone to wing tip stall - apparently. This can occur with highly tapered wings where the outer section of the wing can stall whilst the rest of the wing still provides lift.
De Havilland built a number of designs with these sharply tapered wings but the Comet was especially prone to this phenomenon. Not many DH88s were built and they all suffered various accidents in their flying careers.

Edited by Eric Mc on Thursday 29th October 11:55

eharding

14,549 posts

300 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
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Eric Mc said:
It was prone to wing tip stall - apparently. This can occur with highly tapered wings where the outer section of the wing can stall whilst the rest of the wing still provides lift.
De Havilland built a number of designs with these sharply tapered wings but the Comet was especially prone to this phenomenon. Not many DH88s were built and they all suffered various accidents in their flying careers.

Edited by Eric Mc on Thursday 29th October 11:55
You've probably done so already, but I highly recommend reading A.E.Clouston's "The Dangerous Skies" which describes his time in the Comet, as well as many other episodes in his career. I seem to remember on one record-breaking attempt in the Comet he had a journalist as a passenger, carrying a typewriter in the cockpit which eventually doubled as vomit receptacle. Nice.

Eric Mc

123,961 posts

281 months

Thursday 29th October 2009
quotequote all
I read it when I was about ten years old. I still have the edition I bought from a second hand stall in Dublin ca. 1967. It's one of those old 2/6 Pan paperbacks.

Just around the corner from where I live in Farnborough is "Clouston Road" which is almost definitely called after A E Clouston.