Airworthy Dragon Rapides- How many?

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 987

Does anyone here know how many Dragon Rapides are airworthy in the U.S. and around the world? Saw Jerry Yagen's DH-89A this weekend. Goregeous.

Cheers,
Chappie

CrewDawg · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 7:44 pm

I only know of 2 one at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford England which you can purchase a ride on

and this one that I saw at La Ferte Alais Air Show in France last Saturday. I don't know the who the owner is or what country it's based in.

ZRX61 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:16 am **Posts:** 2303

One in NZ...

3 Dominies/Rapides here:
http://www.classicflight.com/theAircraft

Nathan · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 8:37 pm

Wasn't there a gathering of them a few years ago? I just remember a whole bunch of them flying together.

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3328

Half a dozen in the UK

Three or four in the US (does the Creve Coeur one still fly, and what about the one in Washington?)

One each in Spain, France and Germany

A couple in NZ

Not sure how many in Australia - I think Roy Fox has one

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3328

Nathan wrote:

Wasn't there a gathering of them a few years ago? I just remember a whole bunch of them flying together.

Five (IIRC) flew together at Duxford's 'Flying Legends' show about 4 or 5 years back.

JDK · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:26 pm

I'd agree with Mike's count, and the la Ferte machine is based there and owned by the JBS guys, IIRC.

Mike wrote:

Not sure how many in Australia - I think Roy Fox has one

I was going to say 'none' in Australia - the local manufacture being the DH 84 Dragon, rather than the DH 89 Dragon Rapide, but there's three on the current civil registration, and I saw one flying a couple of years ago visiting Temora for the AAAA fly in there.

Jerry Yagen's recently restored and flown machine would, of course be a US example but currently in NZ where it was rebuilt - so you chose where it should be allocated in a count!

Interestingly, Roy Blewett's 'Survivors' of 2002 (must get the updated version) groups the 84, 89 and 90 (Dragonfly) together, but of these three types gives overall figures (for 2002) of 54 survivors, at 5% of production with 22 active 17 preserved, 7 in restoration and 8 stored.

I'm sure Mark Miller (of de Havilland Support and Rapide owner/driver) would have better figures than the above!

Mudge · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:40 pm

Mike wrote:

Nathan wrote:

Wasn't there a gathering of them a few years ago? I just remember a whole bunch of them flying together.

Five (IIRC) flew together at Duxford's 'Flying Legends' show about 4 or 5 years back.

Yeah, I think I remember 5 at Duxford in '06. Looked for the discs from '05, '06, and '07. Found '05 & '07. Weren't on either of those so it must have been '06.

Mudge the forgetful :rolleyes:

JBoyle · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:49 pm

There are also D.H. 90 Dragonflys...basicdally a light twin version of the Dragon/Rapides.

Tallmantz had one over here in the 60s...G-AEDT.
Anyone know where it is now? IT may be the opne in Washington as previously mentioned.

A couple of years back I was at Duxford and went for a ride in G-AIYR (cn 6676) ex RAF HG691.
It was a lot of fun and great to fly from such a historic aerodrome.
The emergency exit on the cabin ceiling consisted (in part) of a zipper....or perhaps it was an inspection panel in the headliner.

JDK · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 11:23 pm

Mudge wrote:

Mike wrote:

Nathan wrote:

Wasn't there a gathering of them a few years ago? I just remember a whole bunch of them flying together.

Five (IIRC) flew together at Duxford's 'Flying Legends' show about 4 or 5 years back.

Yeah, I think I remember 5 at Duxford in '06. Looked for the discs from '05, '06, and '07. Found '05 & '07. Weren't on either of those so it must have been '06.

Mudge the forgetful :rolleyes:

Looks like it was longer ago that we thought... I recently found my 2004 Legends programme. There were six Rapides and a Dragon listed for the show, celebrating the type's 70th birthday - Dragon G-ECAN, and Rapides -AGJG, - AIYR, -AIKF, -AEML, -AGTM, and -AIDL the last one I flew in out of Biggin Hill when it was doing pleasure flights from there in the early 'eighties.

DaveM2 · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 11:27 pm

James

Jerry's Rapide is already back in the US-it left after appearing at Wanaka. A 'Rapide' journey to say the least :lol:

Dave

JDK · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 11:33 pm

DaveM2 wrote:

Jerry's Rapide is already back in the US-it left after appearing at Wanaka. A 'Rapide' journey to say the least :lol:

Thanks Dave!

Eric Presten · **Posted:** Tue May 25, 2010 12:18 am

The Bud Field/John Reed ex-EAA Museum one flew here in California for the first time last week. The Washington Rapide (not the Washington Dragon) is the St. Louis one. So I think to answer the question there are three flyable rapides in the US. Fields/Reed, St Louis Museum, and Yeagen.

Bearcat SA · **Posted:** Tue May 25, 2010 12:31 am

There is a Rapide in South Africa, ZS-JGV.
It was in flying condition until about 10 Years ago until being dismantled for recover and deep maintenance.

flyride · **Posted:** Tue May 25, 2010 1:47 am

Is the California airplane staying in Calaveras or did it head somewhere else after the first flight?

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Airworthy Dragon Rapides- How many?

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