De Havilland's first venture into the field
of private-owner aircraft was the de
Haviliand D.H.37, a two-seat biplane
built to the specification of Alan Butler, a
well-known aviator and DH director. The
first of two aircraft flew in June 1922 and
the second in 1924, the latter being sold
to Australia. Butler's aircraft was used
extensively over the next five years, and
in 1927 its Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine
was exchanged for a 224kW
A.D.C. Nimbus, the aircraft being converted
to single-seat configuration for
racing as the D.H.37A. However, in
June that year it crashed while flying as a
two-seater, killing the passenger and injuring
the pilot.
The Australian D.H.37 had a longer
life, being used initially by the Controller
of Civil Aviation and later by the Guinea
Gold Company in New Guinea, being the
first aeroplane in that country. It crashed
in New South Wales in March 1932.
