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The de Havilland Aircraft
Association of South Africa
The de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly
Type c/n Reg History
DH.90 Dragonfly 7523 ZS-AHV DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7523 [CofA 5653 issued 12.9.36 to Vacuum Oil Company Ltd; flown out late 9.36 by Capt Walters]. Regd ZS-AHV 9.2.37 to The Vacuum Oil Co of South Africa Ltd. Impressed as SAAF 1403 3.40.
DH.90 Dragonfly 7526 ZS-CTR G-AEDU N190DH CR-AAB DETA Mocambique 'Beira' 14 October 1936 Sold to South Africa September 1961
DH.90 Dragonfly 7535 ZS-AIK DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7535 [CofA 5704 issued 4.11.36 to DH South Africa] Regd 18.12.36 to Witwatersrand Technical College. Impressed as SAAF 1408 .40. Restored as ZS-AIK. Crashed Rustenburg 31.5.51.
DH.90 Dragonfly 7564 ZS-ANM DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7564 [CofA 6261 issued 29.4.38 to Miss M Reynolds] Regd 28.6.38 to Miss M Reynolds. Impressed as SAAF 1404 .40. Restored as ZS-ANM .46. Crashed Pietersburg 18.8.49.
The 12 images below are of DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7526 ZS-CTR
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de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7523 SAAF 1403
Photograph: John Illsley
de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7523 SAAF 1403
Photograph: John Illsley
de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly c/n 7523 SAAF 1403
Photograph: John Illsley

DH90 Dragonfly 7526 ZS-CTR with owner Arthur Mechin.
Photo taken by Paul Laufer circa early 1970s

Paul Lufer wrote on 25 November 2020.

"Hi John

 

I came across your page today and wanted to send you a picture I took of Arthur Mechin in the early 70s.  He owned the aircraft then, as well as a Staggerwing and Tiger Moth ZS-BSF.  He kept the Moth at Grand Central and the Dragonfly and Staggerwing at Rand or sometimes Baragwanath.  

 

He and my late father, Peter Henman-Laufer, were close friends and manufactured the RSA-200 together.  I recall flying in all the aircraft with him, as well as others.  He was a superb pilot and wonderful man. 

 

I do know he took the de Havilland course and served in North Africa during the war. https://www.dhaetsa.org.uk/dhaets/documents/100799_dhaets_photographs.pdf

 

You'll find him on page six, second from the left, second row from the back.

 

I also came across this article on the internet: http://www.a2oxford.info/Pages/rhodesia/pages/arthur_mechin.html

 

The text says RSA 100, but it was always the 200.

 

All the best, Paul Laufer"