Prince of Wales private aircraft 1933-dragon

[Ginny]

Hi, I am new to this, and am seeking a pic of the interior mostly,or exterior of a plane once owned by the Prince of Wales back in 1933. This so far is the only information I have recieved; We have at Hendon an exhibition of Royal Flight aircraft models, of which one of G-ACGG forms a part. I am sure there may be photographs of the interior in some book or other, I think the publishers Air Britain have produced a book on the Dragon series. As to G-ACGG itself, the aircraft (according to sources from the internet) was first registered in 1933 as a ViP craft for the Prince of Wales, but was sold to Australia in 1937 and registered VH-AAC. In 1941 it was impressed by the Royal Australian Air Force for War service, being released back to the civil register in 1944. It was purchased for use in Papua New Guinea, where it crashed on 29th January 1951. Its remains were purchased by Territory Airlines in 1952 for rebuild but never was, and instead parts were incorporated into sister craft VH-AIA. So, a rather ignominious end for a once Royal bird!
With much thanks for any info or pics at all. Ginny

[Mike Murphy]

Hello Ginny -

I have both Hamlin's and Dodd's volumes on the De Havilland Dragon and Dragon Rapide series. Both books were purchased through Luchtvaart Hobby Shop's website. Luchtvaart provides excellent service and fast delivery.

AviationMegastore.com

'The Story of the DeHavilland Dragon Types' by Colin N. Dodds.
'The DeHavilland Dragon / Rapide Family' by John F Hamlin.

I've posted two photos and a color profile of A-ACGG below. There are only 2 interior photos of the DH 84 Dragon in either book (both in Dodds). Likely these will provide only a little help since A-ACGG had a De Luxe interior.

Paraphrased text follows and then the photos:

"DH 84 Dragon serial 6025 The 26th Dragon off the assembly line was delivered to the Prince of Wales on June 12, 1933. G-ACGG was the 2nd Dragon to be outfitted with the 'De Luxe Scheme 8' luxury interior which included a separate toilet, wash basin and luggage compartment (costing 190 pounds). The first Dragon with the Scheme Eight interior was purchased by William Lindsay Everard, MP registered as G-ACEK.

The interior was also outfitted with leather armchairs that used an aluminum frame with taller back, padded leather with red and fawn piping. (did you say your model was going to be 1/72nd scale......forget the piping). Anyway, the interior upholstery followed the red and fawn leather scheme with red fittings and bulk heads; there was also a clock and 'aneroid' mounted on the cabin bulkhead. The passenger compartment was sound proofed and air ducts were provided for each seat.

The fuselage was painted in the Guards Regiment scheme of deep red and dark blue, which was the Prince's favorite. The wings and tail were silver. The aircraft was sold in 1935 to Richard Shuttleworth who later created the Shuttleworth collection of historic aircraft.

Hope this helps.

Mike

DH 84 Dragon A-ACGG






DH 84 interior with leather and rataan seats. A-ACGG used a similar seat frame, but with a taller back and cushioned, all leather coverings.


DH 84 instrument panel.

[Wurger]

A nice stuff guys.