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"Flying with the Olley Air Service"
by Walt Drohan
A de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide flown by Olley Air Service loads passengers somewhere in the Channel Islands.
Olley Air Service was set up by Gordon Olley, a former pilot with Handley Page Transport and Imperial Airways, in January, 1934. Primarily a charter airline, Olley Air Service was the nucleus of a complex group of companies, including subsidiaries Isle of Man Air Services and Channel Air Ferries (which took over Olley's scheduled routes), formed in 1935 and 1936 respectively.
Another Olley Group member was Blackpool & West Coast Air Services, founded in 1933 but bought by Olley in 1935. It operated between Ireland and the UK jointly with Aer Lingus under the marketing name Irish Sea Airways. Its other services were transferred to Isle of Man Air Services in 1937, after which the airline shortened its name to West Coast Air Services.
Timetable dated Summer 1938
In 1938, Great Western & Southern Air Lines was formed as a joint venture between the Olley Group and two railway companies. It took over the routes of Channel Air Ferries in 1939.
Gordon Olley later wrote an autobiography -- A Million Miles in the Air - published in London by Hodder & Stoughton, 1934.
de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
The Dragon Rapide was created as a larger more comfortable version of the DH.84 Dragon (hence the original name Dragon Six). The prototype flew on 17 April, 1934, and the first production models were delivered in July. An improved model, the DH.89a, featured improvements, including flaps outboard on the lower wings, and was introduced in March 1937. The Rapide proved popular on the basis of reliability and economy and almost 200 had been delivered to civil operators by the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. Canadian operators added floats and skis. A military variant, the DH.89M was developed for the reconnaissance role in 1935, but was unsuccessful in gaining an RAF contract - although two went to Lithuania, and three to Spain.
Pilot's view
2002 Wings Publishing
