De Havilland D.H. 89

De Havilland D.H. 89 Dragon Rapide (Dominie)

The aviation department of Tata Sons Ltd. received a few D.H. 89 Dragon Rapide 6-8 passenger commercial aircraft in 1937 and a small number of four engine D.H. 86s the following year, the aircraft being flown on the Karachi-Bombay-Madras-Colombo sector. Requisitioned by the Government in 1939, these biplane passenger liners were almost entirely turned over to No. 2 (Bombay) Coast Defence Flight early in 1941 for convoy reconnaissance and coastal patrol duties. Although the West Coast flights saw no action in the Arabian Sea during the two years of their existence, thousands of hours of recon-naissance and escort patrol were carried out. Stationed at what was at the time the busiest port in India, the Dragon Rapides from Bombay carried out deeper and more regular patrols than the other flights on the West Coast. In autumn 1942, Dragon Rapides transported troops to Hyderabad (Sind) during the Hurs operations.

One example of the D.H. 86 was given to the Cochin Flight and this patrolled the waters off Cape Comorin and the Malabar, at the time a haunt of Japanese submarines. The patrols included the Laccadives, 200 miles from the mainland and supplemented the work carried out by R.A.F. Catalinas.

Some Dragon Rapides, suitably modified to serve as navigational trainers, later served with the S.F.T.S. Ambala and Navigational Training Flight during the remaining years of the war.

Notes:

Production of the Dragon Rapide commenced in 1934 and a total of 697 D.H.89s, powered by two 205 h.p. de Havilland Gipsy-six engines, were produced till 1946. During the war, a number of D.H.89 airframes were converted for the R.A.F. as radio and navigational trainers and named the Dominie. The D.H. 86, powered by four 204 h.p. D.H. Gipsy-six engines, carried 10-16 passengers and was essentially a feeder line transport.