VH-URE de Havilland D.H.84 Dragon
(c/n 6029)
Seen above is a very nice image from the Geoff
Goodall collection showing VH-URE at Archerfield
in
1939 when it was working for Airlines
of Australia. First registered in
August of 1933, it went to
WA
Airways Ltd of Perth. WAA's
founder Norman Brearley flew the
Dragon that same month on
its
first airline service up the WA coast to
Derby, and reported it was "the
nicest machine I have ever
flown.
The convenience of being able to
converse with passengers during flight made a wonderful
difference". Like several
other of WAA's machines it then went to
Adelaide Airways before being
transferred to Australian National
Airways who named it 'Yanana'.
Immediately below is a photo
from the Civil Aviation Historical Society archives (via Phil Vabre)
showing it in ANA markings,
while at the foot of the page is another Goodall image showing the
aircraft at Port
Hedland, circa
1934 while it was with
WA Airways. By 1940 it was flying with Australian Aerial Medical
Services
(NSW
Section). This organization became the Flying Doctor Service of
Australia in 1942 at which
time the
Dragon was re-registered VH-FDB
and operated out of Broken Hill,.
NSW. In November
of
1956 it went to Muir Airlines of Darwin, NT and was re-registered
VH-DMA. It was written
off in a crash
a year later (November 1957). A photo of the wreckage (from
the CAHS archives)
can be seen below.
