Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Commercial airliner

Power Plant:

(Series 2) Four 187 kw (250 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Queens 30 Mk 2 six-cylinder in-line air cooled engines

(Series 2E/A1) Four 216 kw (290 hp) Lycoming IO-540-B1A5 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

Basically a development of the de Havilland Dove, and originally known as the DH.114, the Heron, during the main part of its production life, became known as the Hawker Siddeley Heron when de Havilland became part of the Hawker Siddeley Group in the United Kingdom. Designed with emphasis upon simplicity of construction and maintenance, the prototype of the Heron, the Series 1, flew for the first time on 10 May 1950. The initial model of this feeder-liner had a fixed undercarriage.

A prototype and 51 production Mk 1s were built. The prototype G-ALZL (c/n 10903 – ex LN-BDH, OY-DGS) was eventually brought to Australia in the 1970s for Altair Pty Ltd, WA as VH-CJS, and was later flown with other operators. After becoming derelict, in 1999 it was obtained by the RAAF Association Museum of Western Australia at Bull Creek for restoration. This aircraft had seen service with British Empire Airways, Morten Airways, Japan Air Lines, Braathens SAFE, Airlines (Jersey) Ltd, Emerald Airways, and Cimber-Air of Denmark before coming to Australia. The restoration did not take place and eventually the aircraft was obtained by the Moorabbin Aviation Museum, VIC and placed on display.

Some 149 Herons were built for civil and military operators, and were supplied to over 30 countries.

On 14 December 1952 the prototype of the Series 2 Heron was flown for the first time. The Series 2 had a retractable undercarriage, thus increasing the cruising speed by 32 km/h (20 mph) but adding 75 kg (165 lb) to the empty weight. This model replaced the Series 1 on the production line, with some 97 Series 2s being built.

Fourteen Herons have received Australian registrations over the years and, in addition to VH-CJS, these have included: VH-AHB (c/n 14006) and VH-ARB (c/n 14034), both of Butler Air Transport which, after the take-over of that company, were sold overseas; VH-GVI (c/n 14012) and VH-GVH (c/n 14033), both operated with Southern Airlines, later Qantas, and then Fiji Airways; VH-CLS (c/n 14067 – ex G-ATFE, VT-DHE), VH-CLR (c/n 14070 – ex VT-DHH), VH-CLT (c/n 14071 – ex VT-DHI), VH-CLX (c/n 14098 – ex G-ANPV, G-5-24), VH-CLW (c/n 14108 – ex CR-GAT, G-ASFI, CA+01, G-5-15) and VH-CLV (c/n 14124 – ex G-ASCW, CA+02) all of Connellan Airways of Alice Springs, NT.

Eight Herons were converted to Series 2E/A1 configuration (known as the Riley conversion) by the installation of four Lycoming IO-540-G1A5 engines, these providing an improvement in payload and cruising speed. The first conversion to this configuration was a Heron owned by the Bank of Mexico, which company found that at the 3,353 m (11,000 ft) altitude of Mexico City Airport the performance of the Heron was found wanting. Four 254 kw (340 hp) Lycoming GSO-480 engines from crashed Aero Commanders were installed, complete with the latter aircraft’s engine mounts and Hartzell propellers.

Connellan Airways had Jack Riley at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the help of the designer of the Heron, Mr Herrod-Hempshall, and two de Havilland designers, prepare drawings and certify the conversion of the Heron to Lycoming IO-540 engines, the aircraft being certified to a gross weight of 5,670 kg (12,500 lb), which was the maximum allowed for commuter aircraft in the United States. However, as Connellan was an airline by that stage and required a gross weight of 6,124 kg (13,500 lb), the certification process had to be again carried out.

The conversion of the aircraft took place in the company’s workshops at Alice Springs. E J Eddie Connellan in his autobiography ‘Failure of Triumph’ said, “The Lycoming Heron, which we sponsored development of, became the finest aircraft of its size in the world, and also the most economical. It was a honey to fly, and it was quite impossible for any pilot to do a bad landing with it”. The Lycoming Herons continued in service for many years, eventually passing the fatigue life of 15,000 hours when they would have had to have new spars installed in the wings to extend their life.

Six Herons were converted and, after retirement from Connellan, they saw service with other operators. They included: VH-ASH (c/n 14111) of Associated Airlines, which was first registered in May 1957, and was sold in the USA as N210FA in May 1968; VH-KAM (c/n 14123 – ex DQ-FAF, VQ-FAF, G-ASVC, EC-AOF) of Kendell Airlines (VH-CLW also flew with this airline); and VH-CLH noted at Mascot in the 1960s in Fiji Airways colours and with that registration, although it was never officially allotted, and was probably either ex-VH-GVI or VH-GVH.

Herons were also used on the Sydney – Lord Howe Island route, initially by Connellan Aiways, and later by AvDev Airlines. In later years Heron Airlines operated on tourist flights from Bankstown, NSW for a period, operating two Herons, VH-NJP (c/n 14072) and VH-NJI (c/n 14061), the latter being an ex Royal Navy aircraft (ex XR443) imported to Australia in 1992. This operator obtained a third aircraft from Fiji for spares, which later went to the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown, NSW.

Other operators of the type in this region have included Airlines of Tasmania, which operated five (VH-CLT, VH-CLF, VH-CLX, VH-CLZ and VH-KAM). VH-CLV, a former Airlines of Tasmania Heron, has been placed on display at the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston, TAS.

A number of Herons have appeared on the New Zealand register, most being operated by New Zealand National Airlines Corporation (NZNAC), including: ZK-AYV (c/n 14001 – ‘Matuka’), a Heron 1B which crashed on its delivery flight to a new operator in Italy in February 1958; ZK-BBM (c/n 14011 – ‘Matpouri’) operated by Air North Ltd of Rotorua from November 1975; ZK-BBN (c/n 14012 – ‘Matuhi’), later VH-GVI with Southern Airlines and Qantas, and VQ-FAX in Fiji, being damaged beyond repair at Nausori in April 1967; ZK-BBO (c/n 14033 – ‘Mako’) which later became ZK-BEQ, later VH-GVH with Southern Airlines and Qantas, and VQ-FAL with Fiji Airways, crashing at Tavenui on 11 December 1965; and ZK-EKO (c/n 14044) which was destroyed by fire (vandals being suspected).

Air Raratonga had one ZK-TAJ (c/n 14131 – exYV-284P) in the Cook Islands.

Fiji Airways, later Air Pacific, obtained three of the NZAC Herons. These aircraft included: VQ-FAB (c/n 14068); VQ-FAC (c/n 14075); VQ-FAE (c/n 14122); VQ-FAF (c/n 14123); VQ-FAL (c/n 14033); VQ-FAX (c/n 14012); and VQ-FAY (c/n 14011). Initially registered in the VQ block, Fiji was later granted the DQ registration. In 1986 Fiji Airways obtained further examples, these being DQ-FED (c/n 14061 – ex N15FB); DQ-FEC (c/n 14078 – ex N14FB); and DQ-FEE (c/n 14057 – ex N507FW). One DQ-FEC was lost in a crash at Vanuabalavu on 11 September 1987.

Sunflower Airlines, also in Fiji, had three DQ-FDY (c/n 14056 – ex VH-CLW) and DQ-FEF (c/n 14056 – ex N414SA – ‘Marama Ni Ua’), the third being lost in an accident on 28 December 1986.

It is interesting to note probably the largest fleet of the type was operated by Garuda Indonesia Airways, with a fleet of 14.

One survivor at Bankstown was shipped to the United Arab Emirates in 2003.

In Canada a number of Herons were converted by Saunders Aircraft Corporation Ltd to ST-27 and ST-28 configuration, the ST-27 being a conversion of the airframe by the installation of a 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) plug forward of the wing and another 0.91 m (3 ft) plug aft of the trailing- edge, a 45.7 cm (18 in) extension of the nose to accommodate weather radar, providing accommodation for up to 23 passengers, and the installation of two 533 kw (715 ehp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turboprops, the prototype of this model (CF-YBM-X) first flying on 28 May 1969, some 13 examples being converted.

In 2013 a museum was set up at Tooraweenah, QLD at the Arthur Butler Memorial Aerodrome and two aircraft were obtained initially. This aerodrome for the period 1934 to 1960 saw operations by Butler Air Transport and the aircraft were to be painted in Butler colours, they being Douglas DC-3 VH-BPN and de Havilland Heron VH-NJI. However, by March 2017 the Museum at Tooraweenah had closed down and the Heron was donated to the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) at Albion Park, NSW and conveyed to the museum’s annexe at Parkes, NSW where it has been assembled and placed on display.

In late 2019 the Heron VH-CLX was noted in western Sydney, engineless, in a car yard having been placed on the market for sale.