07/09/2003. Remarks by
Dave Simpson: "The plane was bought by Canadian Airways in 1937, and imported to the west coast of Canada where it spent most of its life. It was written off when it stalled on take off in Pentecost Quebec, Canada, on March 19, 1947.
The easy way to tell DH.84s from DH.89s and DH.89As is to check the wings, outer wing tips and the landing gear. All DH.84 pictures I have seen, show the planes had square wings and wing tips, with the landing gear never having any fairings attached. The DH.89s and DH.89As all had a tapered wing and tips and the landing gear is always covered up by streamlined fairings. As the plane is on Fairchild Canada licensed and built EDO floats, one can only check the wing shape and whether trailing wing flaps are evident, which the DH.89A introduced in 1937.
There are also other subtle clues not easily seen in pictures. These are items such as the different engines, the DH.84 had two 130 hp Gipsy Majors, as compared to the DH.89's two 200 hp Gipsy Six engines, cabin window variations and small dimensional differences 6 inches in wing span and 2 inches in overall height.
Initially the DH.89 aircraft were built in 1934 as the DH.89 Dragon Six but production aircraft were soon renamed Dragon Rapide for some reason, with a total of more than 737 being built up to 1944. Later versions in WW II were called Dominie Mk.I (radio training) and Mk.II (communications)."
