The Rapide was developed from the four-engined DH 86 which in turn had sprung from the earlier De Havilland Dragon. The original Dragon was designed to a requirement from Hillman Airlines for an aircraft that could carry 6 passengers and luggage from London to Paris in some comfort. It is a sign of the times that the total journey time from the centre of London to the centre of Paris in 1933 was very similar to today’s journey time. This is a reflection of the extra road traffic and check-in times that are the norm in the 21st century. When the Rapide took to the skies for the first time on 17 April 1934, plans were already in hand for series production and once again Hillman Airways were an early customer.

The Rapide inherited the graceful tapered wings of the DH 86 and the trademark De Havilland fin and rudder shape. This represents the closed wings of a moth, chosen no doubt as Sir Geoffrey de Havilland was a keen lepidopterist. The fuselage was a basic wooden box structure with a plywood covering. The wings followed a similar pattern with fabric covering and metal parts were kept to a minimum, being used mainly for bracing the various structural elements of the airframe. The Rapide is powered by two 200 hp Gipsy Six engines developed from the famous Gipsy Major which had been the engine of choice for most light aircraft in the 1930s.

After the initial trials had taken place at Martlesham Heath, the Rapide was very quickly cleared for service and the prototype was sold to Ostschweiz AG for services between St Gaul, Zurich and Berne. Another early Rapide was entered for the 1934 England to Australia air race and despite some adventures it eventually finished in a respectable 5th in the speed section of the race. The Rapide quickly became a favourite with private owners and small airlines alike. It is believed that it was the first British airliner to operate at a profit and without a government subsidy. It also found favour with the Royal Family and the Prince of Wales had two which were used as the “executive twins” of the day.

With war clouds gathering in 1939, the Rapide was quickly assimilated into the Royal Air Force, initially as a communications aircraft. However when strategic materials such as aluminium became harder to come by, the Rapide with it’s wood and fabric structure was ordered in it’s own right as the Dominie. There were two versions. The Mark 1 was a wireless and navigation trainer and the Mark 2 was the light transport and communications version. These military aircraft worked very hard, often flying four details a day. The student radio operators had to reel in and out a 250ft trailing aerial and if they forgot to reel it in on landing they were fined 2/6 (12p) for the lead weights on the end of the line. The cable apparently was not charged for! Operations were not restricted to the United Kingdom and Rapides were to be found all over the World in the service of Air Forces of the former Empire.

When hostilities came to an end a great many of the surviving Dominies were made available to charter companies and “start-up” airlines after a conversion which basically involved new paint, soundproofing and better seats. Indeed British European Airways, later merged with BOAC to form the present British Airways, had a fleet of Rapides for the short distance over-water routes in Scotland, Scilly and Channel Islands. The types’ continuing versatility led to it being used worldwide for tasks such as aerial survey, oil exploration, ambulance flights, parachute dropping and to bring the wheel full circle, pleasure flying.