Aeroplane September 2017

86 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017

TECHNICAL DETAILS DE HAVILLAND DRAGON

emergency exit in the roof.

Various other doors and

hatches were added for

specialised roles. Military

transport Dragons usually had

fewer interior fittings and less

soundproofing. The Australian

production run developed a

full ambulance interior with

stretcher and attendant, basin,

lockers and alternate provision

for walking wounded.

At the outset, power came

from DH Gipsy Major Is of

130hp, without starter motors,

provided with Kygas primer

pumps, and powering a

two-blade wooden fixed-pitch

propeller each. The units were

mounted via rubber shock

absorbers on steel tube

mountings attached at four

points, with a metal and

asbestos fireproof bulkhead

behind. Two 30-Imperial gallon

fuel tanks were standard,

sitting on the extended engine

bearers above the wing centre

section and covered by wood

and fabric nacelles, with Smiths

fuel gauge and a fuel pump. A

2.25-Imperial gallon oil tank

was sited below each fuel tank.

de Havilland offered a

tailwheel steering stick and

stub-plane telescopic jack set

for ground handling and

undercarriage inspection.

SPECIFICATIONS: DH84 DRAGON (early)

POWERPLANTS

Two de Havilland Gipsy Major I four-cylinder air-cooled inverted

in-line piston engines, 130hp each

DIMENSIONS

Length: 34 ft 6in (10.52m)

Wingspan: 47 ft 4in (14.43m)

Width with wings folded: 25 ft 4in (7.72m)

Height: 10 ft 1in (3.07m)

WEIGHTS

Empty: 2,300lb (1,045kg)

Loaded: 4,200lb (1,909kg)

Maximum take-off: 4,500lb (2,041kg)

PERFORMANCE

Maximum speed: 12 8mph (111k t , 2 0 6 k m / h)

Cruise speed: 10 9mph (95kt, 167km/h)

Range: 46 0 miles (400nm, 740km)

ABOVE: A typical DH84 cockpit showing the type’s single-pilot Service ceiling: 12 ,500ft (3,800m)

configuration. STATE LIBR ARY OF QUEENSL AND

ABOVE: A demonstration of how the Dragon could be used as an air

ambulance is carried out with G-ACBW of Air Dispatch, which also

operated the ‘Paris Dawn Express’ service from Croydon. AEROPLANE

81-94_AM_DATABASE-Sept17_cc C.indd 86 31/07/2017 11:13