de Havilland DH.84 Dragon
de Havilland · United Kingdom · first flew 1932 · airliner
The de Havilland DH.84 Dragon is a small twin-engined biplane airliner that carried six to ten passengers on short-haul routes.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 10.52 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Twin-engined biplane with an enclosed passenger cabin
- Two de Havilland Gipsy Major inline engines
- From the Dragon 2, individually framed cabin windows and faired undercarriage struts
A small twin-engined biplane with a boxy cabin and two inline engines. It is much smaller than the later Dragon Rapide.
Specifications
- The de Havilland DH.84 Dragon has a length of 10.52 m (35 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.43 m (47 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 206 km/h (128 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Dragon first flew on 12 November 1932 and entered service in April 1933. It proved very attractive as a short-haul, low-capacity airliner and was soon in service worldwide.
Variants
From the 63rd aircraft in late 1933 the Dragon 2 added individually framed windows and faired undercarriage struts. Military versions served as transports and trainers.
Where you'll see it
202 were built. Besides airline use, Dragons served as military transports and trainers, and Commercial Air Hire used them to give searchlight crews practice at locating aircraft.
Related aircraft
- Cierva C.24
- De Havilland DH.81 Swallow Moth
- de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth
- Tiger Moth
- Airspeed Ferry
- Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta
- Bratu 220
- Fiat G.2
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.