The RAE Scarab was a light single-engined single-seat parasol winged modification of the de Havilland Humming Bird, flying in the United Kingdom in 1932.

Both aircraft had flat sided fuselages built up from four longerons in the usual manner of the time, with rounded decking.

Given the small gap between the top of the fuselage and the underside of the parasol wing, a mid chord cockpit would have been inaccessible and have restricted the pilot's view severely.

A pair of lift stuts extended in a V from the lower fuselage longerons on each side to the two wing spars[3] at the point where these were thickened[8] for the compression struts of the DH.53.

[3] The Scarab's undercarriage was also new, a split axle unit with the main legs going to the upper longerons and bracing to the lower ones.