De Havilland Dragon Rapide (HBN691)

Maybe it's my nostalgia but this was a favourite aircraft of mine in the 50's and 60's when I often saw them at a local airfieled in the UK. I was also lucky enough to see one of the 4-engined lookalikes, the DH86, long since extinct. The Dragon Rapide/Dominie is a classi but sadly I never got to fly in one. Closest I got was a similarly aged DH82A

@John Moffitt

You can fly in these at Duxford when they have their open/air days!

Elegant!

Our National Airline in New Zealand flew these A/C on domestic runs in remote areas of both islands up to mid 1970s

Many the time I flew in one of my fathers Rapides on the Highland then Scottish Airways route from Inverness to Kirkwall during the war. I sat on a cushion in the cockpit doorway with a magnificent view. We always flew just above or just under cloud if there was a suggestion that enemy aircraft might be about and if there was no cloud then we flew low over the moors and valleys. Modern rules and regulations would not allow this to day. A magnificent and economic aircraft to run and the noise of those gypsy major engines will never be forgotten.

In 2005 one of these (G-AIYR) caught fire at start-up at Duxford. Pilot and passengers were able to safely escape.

I want one!

Beautiful shot - beautiful airplane. One can only wonder how well it flew on one engine . . . .

Sir De havilland was a genius.. Nice picture

I was very lucky. As a child of eight in 1952 my parents took me to Butlins holiday camp, Skegness for a week. My treat was a flight in one of these which cost 10/6d (which is £0.55 sterling in todays money!) Mum, Dad & I all had a 20 minute flight to Louth & back over the Lincolnshire wolds. It was my first flight and awakened my interest in aeroplanes and flight. I'm 75 now and can still remember how I felt, especially as the pilots "Helper" took me up forward to the pilot who let me sit in the co-pilots seat for a couple of minutes whilst he explained the controls. Of course there was no barrier between the passengers and the pilots in those days which was great as we could look out through the windscreen over the pilots seats as well as looking out of the side windows.