03 Sep 2026
Posted at 12:24
in London Colney
After years of painstaking work, volunteers at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum near London Colney, recently completed the final assembly of its de Havilland Rapide.
Built in 1945, it is one of 729 Rapides manufactured at Hatfield and elsewhere. With an all-wood construction, it could carry up to eight passengers. The Museum’s example arrived in 1993 in a very poor condition. Rather than a cosmetic make over, it was decided to restore the exhibit to flying condition.
Terry Pankhurst, formerly deputy chief instructor at Hatfield, led the project and, appropriately, supervised the reattachment of the wings. This example is finished in the livery of Hillman’s Airways which operated from Maylands Airport in Romford in the 1930s.
