Here be Dragons...

[PeteP]

A small collection of DH Dragon Rapides from the Michael Harries Collection, all copyright the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Trust.

G-AHGD at Shoreham, 24 June 1979 and still on the UK register.




G-AIDL at Shoreham, May 1979 and, as far as I know, still going strong with Air Atlantique.




G-AKNN at Biggin Hill, 4 April 1963, withdrawn from use August 1969.


G-APSD at Shoreham, August 1963, just 11 months before its demise. Scrapped, July 1964!




Pete

[cstorey]

Lovely, Pete. Still one of the most beautiful aircraft ever made, and the virst aeroplane I ever went in , in about 1949.

[PeteP]

Goodness, that was a quick response, Chris. Are you like me and can't sleep-in these days?
PP

[DaveB]

Oh deary me.. I feel my paint box opening again! A Flying Jack Rapide!! What a Splendid sight

Lovely Pete. Thanks a zillion Colour phots of this old girl are not in an abundance

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Garry Russell]

Nice Pete

Is 'HGD 1979 as it was painted like that for 25 years of BEA CI in 1971 and by the mid seventies it was ion British Airways livery......so eithere a repaint or a misdate????

Might be a repaint as I don't recall it being that all blue underneath in BEA but maybe???

Interesting :think:

Garry

[PeteP]

so eithere a repaint or a misdate????

Hi Garry,
Michael changed from Ektachrome to bog-standard, pre-paid Kodachrome in the mid-70s. The advantage of this is that the card slide mounts are stamped with a processing date. On the two shots of GD, the stamp is "JUL 79" so the date of 24 June 1979 is probably correct. A repaint for some reson, then?
Pete

[PeteP]

A Flying Jack Rapide!! What a Splendid sight

I had a feeling you'd enjoy these Rapides, Dave. Just a pity there aren't any more. :-(
PP

[Garry Russell]

Hi Pete

I think it is a repaint and the blue is from it's BA paint time.

Perhaps the owners had a fondness for that and repainted it :think:

Sorry Dave B.

I saw it at the time of the celebrations and tried to ignore it as I found it looked a bit out of place

But sure it was in the FJ green

Garry

[DaveB]

FJ green.. BA blue.. both work for me mate. I was looking forward to getting this one painted up for VA use but on checking our registrations.. the only one out of those 4 we have is AIDL and I have her in AA already Never mind.. I might change the reg of my personal Rapide to GD and fly at my own expense!

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Garry Russell]

Hi Dave

She wasn't in BEA service like that at all....privately owned and painted up and it toured the stations sponsored by BEA.

Could have it based somewhere giving pleasure flights

Garry