Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Five-seat business and executive aircraft

Power Plant:

Two 97 kw (130 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Major I four cylinder in-line inverted air-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

The de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly, the prototype of which E.2 (c/n 7500 – later G-ADNA) was first flown on 12 August 1935, was designed as a twin-engine business and executive transport seating five. Construction took advantage of techniques developed for the DH.88 Comet series of racing monoplanes, with a monocoque shell of pre-formed ply stiffened with longitudinal spruce stringers across the tops and down the sides. The tapered biplane wings, slightly swept back, had a cantilever centre-section on the lower wing between the engines and a faired undercarriage, this giving sufficient strength to eliminate wire bracing in the inner of two bays.

The prototype was entered in the King’s Cup Air Race at Hatfield in Hertfordshire on 10 July 1936 and, flown by Captain de Havilland and his son Geoffrey, came 8th at an average speed of 231.33 km/h (143.75 mph). The second prototype flew in February 1936 and was fitted with two 106 kw (142 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Major II engines, becoming known as the DH.90A.

In all 67 Dragonfly aircraft were built, production ceasing in 1938. The type saw service with operators around the world, one being used for pilot training and communications by the Swedish Air Force; two going to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for customs and surveillance; and others going to Argentina, Belgium, The Netherlands, India, Nigeria, and South Africa. Power of the DH.90 series was provided by two de Havilland Gipsy Major I engines which provided 97 kw (130 hp) at 2,100 rpm driving two-blade fixed-pitch propellers.

Eight examples have been registered in this area. Two VH-UXB (c/n 7513) and VH-UTJ (c/n 7562) saw service with Qantas from 1936, being camouflaged and flown under charter to the USAAF during World War II. VH-UXB was registered to Qantas on 23 October 1936 and saw service in Queensland. It was damaged in an accident at Longreach, QLD which involved the breaking of the centre-section main spar. It was rebuilt and operated with Connellan Airways from 1947 to 1950 when it was sold in Queensland and survived until retired in September 1951.

VH-UTJ, a DH.90A, was registered in 1938 to North Western Airlines Ltd, being used on the company’s New South Wales routes from Sydney to Walgett, Moree and Tamworth on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It suffered an accident on 16 January 1940 whilst taking off from Moree when the port tyre collapsed and the port undercarriage gave way, allowing the aircraft to fall heavily on the port mainplane, causing extensive damage.

Tugan Gannet VH-UVU was leased for six weeks whilst repairs were effected to VH-UTJ and then ownership was transferred to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd on 5 October 1940, Qantas requiring it to replace the DH.86 VH-USF which had been impressed by the RAAF. It was damaged in a ground-loop accident in Queensland and on 18 October 1946 it became part of the E J Connellan / Connellan Airways fleet at Alice Springs, NT. It caught fire on the ground on 9 January 1948, the mainplanes, nose section and fuselage cabin being damaged. It was repaired but was destroyed by fire at Tennant Creek, NT on 9 August 1955 whilst being refuelled, responsibility being accepted by the Shell company. It was replaced by a Beech 18.

Others DH.90s registered have included: VH-ADG (c/n 7516 – ex G-AEDG – ‘Spirit of Flanders’) which was flown to Australia by J V Fairbairn, Australia’s first Minister for Air, becoming VH-ADG in October 1937. For the ferry flight it was fitted with a fuselage fuel tank, this later being installed in VH-UXA. It entered service with Airlines (WA) Ltd in October 1939 as ‘Murchison’, later being re-named ‘Port Hedland’. It was damaged beyond repair at Guildford, WA on 1 December 1947.

VH-UXA (c/n 7533) was owned by Mr John Henry McEvoy who, with his family and pilot Frank Neale, left Sydney on 24 May and flew to Hong Kong, returning on 7 July 1937. During July and August 1937 the aircraft was chartered to the Mackay Aerial Reconnaissance Expedition of Northern Territory and Western Australia. It was flown from a base at Tanami and was modified to carry extra fuel, the 272 litre (60 Imp gal) wing tanks being supplemented by a 114 litre (25 Imp gal) tank in the rear of the cabin. Radio equipment was installed, being supplied by a 350 volt Carter Genemotor and having a 15 watt output on telegraphy and 5 watts output on telephony. The aircraft later returned to Sydney and operated with Mr McEvoy’s company, Fostars Shoes Air Transport. It later went to the United Kingdom where it became G-AFTF with E E Noddings, later becoming RD149 with the Royal Air Force.

ZK-AFB (c/n 7560) arrived in New Zealand in October 1937 and was operated by Air Travel (NZ) Ltd on the South Island’s West Coast until September 1946. It then flew for the Canterbury Aero Club until August 1956 before brief operation in the North Island. After restoration by Arthur Bradshaw of Nelson it was sold to Brian Chadwick, trading as Air Charter, in May 1961. It was lost without trace on 12 February 1962 on a flight from Christchurch to Milford Sound and, despite a number of searches over the years, has never been found.

ZK-AGP (c/n 7566), which was the last Dragonfly off the de Havilland production line at Hatfield, was also used by Air Travel (NZ) Ltd from 2 November 1938 but crashed into the sea off Westport after losing a propeller on 21 December 1942.

VH-AAD (c/n 7508) saw service with Adastra Airways from 25 March 1938. This aircraft initially entered service on a subsidised passenger service from Sydney to Bega on the New South Wales south coast. However, it made a forced landing on Gerringong Beach, NSW on 20 January 1939. It was modified in August 1940 for aerial survey work, a camera hatch being installed forward of the pilot’s seat, and in June 1942 it was used on a photographic survey of the north coast of New South Wales for the Australian Army. In 1951 ownership was transferred to Bush Pilots Airways and in November that year it replaced a DH.89 Dragon Rapide operating as an air ambulance on lease to the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade from Cairns.

The aircraft was obtained by Kingsford Smith Aviation at Bankstown, NSW in 1954, and was sold to the Griffith Aero Club in June 1956. In August 1963 it was obtained by Charles Masefield and David Trefgarne and was flown from Sydney to the United Kingdom in December 1963 as G-AEDT ‘Endeavour’. It spent some time in the United Kingdom before, in July 1964, flying the Atlantic Ocean to join the Tallmantz collection in California as N2034. It had a couple of additional owners. It fell into a state of disrepair, was auctioned in Idaho, and shipped to the United Kingdom where it was restored by The Aeroplane Compamy at Sarisbury Green, Hampshire for Wessex Aviation & Transport Ltd of Henstridge in Somerset. In 1997 it was sold to New Zealand operator and restorer, Colin Smith of Mandeville, and was shipped out, becoming ZK-AYR on 1 April 1998.

VH-UXS (c/n 7546) was first operated by Southern Airlines and Freighters Ltd in 1937. It was impressed by the RAAF as A43-1 in January 1942 and was used as an air-ambulance by No. 2 Communications Flight. It also saw service with No. 34 Squadron. Damaged in a landing accident on 10 August 1942, lack of spare parts meant the end of its service with the RAAF and it was stored at No 3 Aircraft Depot (AD). It was released through the Commonwealth Disposals Commission and returned to its former owner, Mr McDonald of Cairns, returning to civil use in 1945. Subsequent owners included Mr R N Hunt, first of Steam Plains station via Conargo, NSW, and later Thononga station at Hay, NSW.

For some years VH-UXS was operated by a Mr R Healey and named ‘Sabrina’, and later Mr R Hilder at Aero Pelican at Belmont, NSW, until sold to an operator in Darwin, NT in 1974 to where it was conveyed for a rebuild. The Moorabbin Air Museum in Melbourne, VIC attempted to obtain the aircraft but was advised it was not for sale. It was removed from the Civil Aircraft Register on 17 July 1968. It fell into disrepair and one report stated it was wrecked by Cyclone Tracey. It was removed to a storage area at Darwin and was wrecked by vandals. Parts are believed to have survived in New South Wales.

One other DH.90 has survived in airworthy condition, this being G-AEDU (c/n 7526) in the United Kingdom. This aircraft operated for some years in Mozambique as CR-AAB and in South Africa as ZS-CTR.

Another DH.90 Dragonfly CX-AAR (c/n 7532), which was in the Museum Aeronautico in Montevideo, Uruguay, was destroyed, along with a number of other rare aircraft, in a catastrophic fire on 4 December 1997.