The DGA-11, powered by a nine-cylinder 450 horsepower (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior radial engine, was purportedly the fastest four-seat civil aircraft of the late 1930s, able to achieve a top speed of about 200 miles per hour (320 km/h).

These aircraft were a direct developments of the famous Howard racing plane Mister Mulligan.

The DGA-6's racing success brought the DGA series much attention, and in its various permutations, differentiated mainly by different powerplants, the DGAs -8, -9, -11, -12 (and later DGA-15) emerged as coveted aircraft, owned by corporations, wealthy individuals, and movie stars, such as Wallace Beery, who was himself a pilot.

The Howard was and is an excellent instrument platform, very stable and solid, especially compared to modern light aircraft.

A number of these aircraft still fly, and another example of a DGA-11, restored by Jim Younkin, can be seen in the Arkansas Air & Military Museum.