Dehavilland Dragon Rapide

G-AKIF

The type was used extensively as a short haul civilian passenger carrying aircraft leading

up to WWII, at which point it served with the RAF in a number of roles; namely as a

navigational training aircraft and operationally as a communications aircraft. Post war, many

military variants were converted back to civilian where the aircraft was once more taken on

by many commercial operators throughout the world.

This aircraft, ‘G-AKIF’ was built in 1944 and served with the RAF from January 1945 until

it’s military retirement in 1947. Today the aircraft is operated by a highly respected Vintage

aircraft operator based at Duxford in the UK.

Manufacturer

Dehavilland

Model

DH89A Dragon Rapide

Registration

G-AKIF

Serial Number

6838

Year Constructed

1944

Airframe Hours

6396

Engine

Gypsy Six 1A

Engine Hours

234/295

Propeller

Fairey Reed FR61186A/X9

Livery

Presented in dark blue with silver stripes

Avionics

Trig TY96 8.33 khz VHR Radio

Trig TT21 Mode S Transponder

Equipment

NIL

History

Built in late 1944, the aircraft was delivered in January 1945 to the Royal Air Force, Halton Station Flight as NR750 and was coded "THA-F".

Following retirement from military service in 1947, the aircraft

was sold to 'A Hamson & Son’. Not long after, it was sold to

Manx Air Charters Ltd (which later changed to Manx Airlines),

on the Isle of Mann. From there it changed hands several times with various domestic airlines and operators.

The aircraft was operated in Norway between 1971 - 1973,

before coming back to the UK where in 1974 it made a TV

appearance in ‘South Riding’ (dressed in costume as G-ADAE).