Hotel Dragon Rapide Replica

[thepaperplane]

It is with a good deal of sadness I have to report that the old Dragon Rapide replica, a part of the Liverpool skyline for well over a decade at the old Liverpool Airport terminal building, is finally meeting its end.

After having been removed from the dais at the front of the hotel some years ago, it languished at the back of the hotel gradually falling to pieces.

Now, members of Speke Aerodrome Heritage Group are taking it apart at the behest of the hotel, as the money was not going to be made available to rebuild it. I have saved a nacelle front and a propeller and plan to save the cockpit, which is due to be cut off on Saturday.

Its original colour scheme was all-over silver with black reggies with a red and green cheat line along the fuselage and nacelles to represent the aircraft (G-AEAJ) of Railway Air Services, which carried out the first schedule service from the-then new terminal building in the 1930s.

The replica was built at Hooton Park in 2001 and it was hoped that it would have been cared for by the hotel and last for many years, but, sadly this was not to be.

[ian531]

Thanks for the update, seems a real shame

But, if the funds are not available it is inevitable

Good to hear you are going to some parts of it

Ian

[viscount]

A great deal of searching through photofiles, and I've found shots of all three colour schemes worn while on gate duty at the former terminal, reincarnated as a hotel, operated initially as a Marriott and later as a Crowne Plaza Hotel.



Initial scheme to represent a 1930s Railway Air Services aircraft, G-AEAJ. Although RAS aircraft did carry an individual name on the nose, 'NEPTUNE' is not accurate, but reflects the developers who undertook the change of use of the building from the 1939 completed Terminal and Control Tower to a 2002 good quality hotel. In my view the most attractive of the three schemes worn, however the silver did not weather particularly well. The photo credit should read 'Tom McDonald' and is scanned from a print.



This photo appears to be dated July 2005, by which time the green G-ANZP 'Federated Fruit' scheme of the later 1950s and just into the '60s had been adopted to cover the streaked, weathering and damaged silver fabric. 'Feds' did not name their aircraft, but at this time Neptune Investments were still contributing to the upkeep.



Overpainting the Federated Fruit green and cream was a challenge when the Dragon Rapide was restored again. The answer was an even darker colour, with the Maroon and cream scheme worn by Cambrian Airways's G-AJCL during the 1950s. This shot appears to be dated August 2010, by which time the aircraft is already looking a little down at heal, with a lack of air in the tyres.



The end has been a long time coming. After storm damage, the aircraft was removed from infront of the hotel. In a dismantled state she has been in external 'storage' for some years. This photo appears to be dated July 2014. So the end has been looking somewhat inevitable for some while.

She made a striking and unusual feature at the hotel entrance and was absolutely appropriate given the history of the building as the Airport terminal 1939-1986. The hotel entrance looks naked without the eye catching and talking point of the Dragon Rapide full scale model between car park and entrance. The hotel industry is too driven by the financial bottom line to have any interest in history if it is going to cost them money. Shame.

[Beemer]

Shame. This is it looking pristine 10 years ago in July 2009.

G-AJCL/BAPC.280 DH.89 Dragon Rapide by Beemer328i, on Flickr

[Deleted]

I met Paul Gallon, the manager of the hotel, recently when I stayed there overnight. He told me that Intercontinental Group send 'style consultants' round periodically, to ensure that hotels are totally up to date with trends in colours, design etc. He said that they recommended among other things, that he took down the BOAC art deco posters which adoon the walls in the foyer because they were too 'old fashioned'. He pointed out to them that the building was erected in the art deco area and this the reason for the posters. They weren't very happy, but he said that as long as he is manager, they will stay there.

I imagine that, on that basis, the Rapide would never have stayed there forever. I didn't discuss that with him, but I can imagine that a combination of budget and corporate image would eventually have seen it confined to the apron at best. I particularly liked it in the Federated colours, because it's real cousin was the aircraft I first flew in, although I don't remember it ever being called Neptune. A few names at times, but never Neptune!

[griff]

Pity one of the BAPC groups could not take it on??