Basil Smith: H.M.A. Dorado DH86 Airplane

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1984
Image Size: 7 by 6 inches
Overall Size: 10 by 9 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

At the turn of the century, a letter traveling from Hong Kong to London took almost thirty days. The mail had to journey via either Canada or the Suez Canal, according to the whim of the Chinese Post Office. Several British businessmen got together in 1933 and decided they should seek an arrangement with the British Overseas Airway Corporation -- which regularly served an area from London to Australia -- to extend airmail service to Hong Kong. In August of 1935, Imperial Airways (Far East) Ltd. was created. Based in Australia, the parent company was well known for its reliable service. Included in the preparations for the new service was the creation of the Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong ... two developers -- Sir Kai Ho Kai and Mr. An Tak -- filled in part of the Kowloon Bay and built on it. A special airplane -- the de Havilland Model 86 was developed for the long flight. Four engines with two hundred horsepower apiece powered the first plane, the H.M.A. Dorado DH86, making it a fast and powerful aircraft. The Dorado's flight from Pinang, Malaysia to Hong Kong was a day long event, but it shaved the total travel time for a letter from Hong Kong to London down to less than ten days. The flight record of the new service was also excellent for the de Havilland Airline Company ... in its many years of service, through the monsoon seasons and over extremely rugged terrain, the Dorado and other de Havillands 86s never experienced a forced landing and carried the mail with surprising regularity.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® Trains & Boats & Planes & More Collection Description Card for the H.S.M. Dorado DH86.

Artwork Copyright © 1984 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB08981

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