De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
Israel Air Force
Number 100 Squadron
Israel, 1948

This is my banged together version of an Israeli Dragon Rapide.  All I did was slap some markings on Karel 'Karel' Chvojka's very cool model.  All his great work can be found here: 
 
http://eawhostsite.0catch.com/karel.html  

The package is a "snapshot" and will install a British nationality craft in whatever slot you wish. You can also just use the files as you normally would.




A little history:

The Dragon Rapide, first flown on April 17th, 1934, was developed as a scaled down version of the D.H.86 Dragon four engined airliner. The first Rapides in Palestine was operated by Misr Airlines, an Egyptian airline based at Lod airport. Beginning in 1936, the airline flew the Rapides (SU-ABC, SU-ABQ) all over the Middle East, its destinations including Cairo, Beirut and Nicosia. In the late 1930s Jewish airlines also begun operating in Palestine and in September 1939 a Rapide (VQ-PAC) entered service with "Palestine Airways", a joint British and Jewish airline. The aircraft was operated on the Tel-Aviv-Haifa route, at times also flying on to Beirut. "Palestine Airways" ceased operating at the outbreak of World War II and its aircraft were impressed into service with the RAF. VQ-PAC was given the military registration Z7188 and was operated in the Middle East, ending up in Egypt after the war.

 In December 1946 another Rapide was purchased in Britain for "Aviron", another Jewish airline. The aircraft, VQ-PAR, arrived in Palestine in early 1947. When the IAF's predecessor, the "Shirut Avir" (air sevice), was formed in late November 1947, the Rapide joined its ranks along with "Aviron"'s other aircraft. The Rapide was the service's sole twin engined aircraft and also the largest aircraft in service with Jewish forces at the outbreak of Israel's War of Independence on November 30th. On December 13th 1947 the entire "Shirut Avir" fleet left Lod Airport for Tel-Aviv's Sde-Dov, the Rapide flown by Emanuel Tzur, "Aviron" chief pilot and flight instructor.

Other Rapides were meanwhile acquired overseas. In early 1948 a single example was purchased in Britain and by March it had already arrived in Italy on its way to Palestine. Two more Rapides were acquired in South Africa by a pair of Haganah agents but only one made it to Israel. The other had left South Africa on April 20th but was impounded by the British on April 29th, while in Cairo. Another example, funded by the Jewish Agency, was purchased in Britain by Emanuel Tzur and arrived at Sde-Dov on May 5th 1948. One Rapide however, apparently VQ-PAR, was destroyed by an Egyptian Air Force strike against Sde Dov on May 15th, a day following the Israeli declaration of independence. These Rapides and others that joined them later in the war were in service with the "Shirut Avir"'s first squadron, first at Tel-Aviv and later in Ekron. At first serialed S.71 - S.78, the Rapides was later given serials in the 1300+ range.

The Dragon Rapides played an important part in the War of Independence, not only in the transportation role but also as light bombers. Their contribution was most important in the early stages of the war, when Israel possessed the most rudimentry of air forces and no real bombers of its own. During this period Rapides actively participated in nearly all major operations of the war, bombing enemy forces and delivering supplies to besieged and outlying settlements. Rapides continued to carry out bombing missions even after the arrival of the IAF's B-17s, as they were found to be very effective against small targets.

The following are some examples of various Rapide missions during the war:
      
25/03/48 Ammunition and supplies dropped to Atarot and Neve-Yaacov,two besieged settlements in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Rapide flown by Tzur, Baltita & Shprintzak 

28/03/48 Rapides drop supplies and ammunition to the men of a Jewish convoy ambushed and besieged by Palestinians on the previous day. 05:00 - first bombs, then supplies, dropped by Tzur, Bukshtein & Tolchinsky. 08:00-08:30 - Tzur & Rapoport drop ammunition and water. 

29/03/48 Tzur, Bodilevsky & Ben-Or drop supplies to besieged Kibbutz Yehiham in the Galilee region. Ten passes are carried out before the drop is complete.
 
12/05/48 Briar & Shatkay drop ammunition to the defenders of Gush Etzion.
 
12/05/48 Tzur delievers 16*25kg bombs to Nir-Am, home to the "Shirut Avir"'s Negev Squadron.
 
21/05/48 Three aircraft, including one Rapide, bomb the airfield and railway station at Gaza.
 
01/06/48 Rapide participates in the bombing of the Jordanian capital Amman.
 
02/06/48 Led by Uri Briar, two (3?) Rapides attack Amman again.

04/06/48 A single Rapide participates in an attack on Egyptian vessels bombarding Tel-Aviv.
 
28/10/48 IDF launches operation "Hiram" to destroy Palestinian and Lebanese forces in northern Israel. 17:45 - one Rapide bombs Sasa. 18:15 - three Rapides attack Sasa again.
 
29/10/48 Second day of operation "Hiram". 06:40 - Ein-Abel attacked. 06:45 - Rapide bombs Malkia. 18:10 - one Rapide bombs Malkia while another attacks El-Rama. 


Unlike many other types, Rapides continued to serve with the IAF long after the end of the War of Independence. The type was operated by the 100th light squadron, primarily out of Ekron (Tel-Nof) AFB. There were still 6 Rapides in service during July 1950 and three or more in 1953.

Rapides were also operated by other nations in the Middle East. On September 22nd 1948 an Avia S.199 intercepted and shot down a Jordanian Rapide which refused to accompany the fighter to a landing in Israel. During 1950 another Jordanian Rapide was routinely spotted making its way from Jordan to Egypt over the Negev desert. Initial attempts to intercept it failed but on June 13th a pair of 101st squadron Spitfires training in the Negev spotted the aircraft and forced it to land. The aircraft was impounded and entered service with the IAF. Some sources indicate this Rapide was the same aircraft impounded by the British in Cairo on April 29th 1947, apparently transferred to a Jordanian airline after serving with an Egyptian one.
IAF Rapides were finally withdrawn from service in 1957, most of them joining Arkia airlines. One airworthy example resides in the IAF Museum at Hatzerim, purchased in England in 1978. 

Specification: de Havilland D.H. 89A Dragon Rapide
Type: six/eight-passenger airliner/ short-medium range transport.
Powerplant: two de Havilland Gipsy Six six-cylinder air-cooled engines.
Performance: max speed - 157mph, cruising speed - 132mph, climb rate - 1000ft/m, ceiling - 19,500ft, range - 578 miles.
Weights: empty - 3346lb, max takeoff - 5500lb.
Dimensions: span - 48ft, length - 36ft 6", height - 10ft 3".
Armament: 16 * 20kg bombs.

