Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Light commuter airliner and charter aircraft

Power Plant:

(Dove 7)

Two 298 kw (400 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-2 six-cylinder in-line Inverted supercharged air-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was designed at the end of World War II to replace the superseded DH.89 Dragon Rapide. By the time production ended in 1967, two prototypes and some 542 production aircraft had been built. The prototype G-AGPJ (c/n 0400/1) made its first flight on 25 September 1945 powered by two new de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70 ngines with three-blade de Havilland hydromatic feathering and reversible-pitch propellers. The Dove was the first British transport aircraft to employ braking with propellers.

The Dove was developed in a range of variants, being known as the Devon in RAF and RNZAF service, and as the Sea Devon in Royal Navy service. The initial models were the Dove 1, which seated eight to eleven as a commercial transport, and the Dove 2, which was a six-seat executive transport. These were fitted with 246 kw (330 hp) Gipsy Queen 70-3 engines, and later the Dove 1B and Dove 2B with 254 kw (340 hp) Gipsy Queen 70-4 engines.

The next two variants were the Dove 5 and Dove 6, with 254 kw (340 hp) Gipsy Queen 70 Mk 2 engines. The Dove 5A and Dove 6A were then produced for the American market, and the Dove 6BA was a development of the Dove 2 with up-rated engines. The Dove 7 was basically the Dove 5 with the Gipsy Queen Mk 3 engines and a de Havilland Heron style cockpit canopy. The Dove 8 was similar to the Dove 7 but had a five-passenger executive interior. For the US market the type was known as the Dove 8A or Dove Custom 800.

In October 1946 a Dove Mk 1 demonstrator arrived in Sydney, NSW where it became VH-AQO (c/n 04002) when it was test flown. On 25 March 1947 Airlines (WA) Ltd took delivery of its first Dove Mk 1 which was test flown as VH-AQP (c/n 04012). However, on 17 March that year, whilst on a familiarisation flight from Guildford aerodrome, WA, it made a wheels-up landing and the company’s first route flights had to be made by VH-AQO, the first service to Kalgoorlie and Norseman taking place on 29 June 1947. The company subsequently took delivery of VH-AZY (c/n 04091 – later to become VH-AWD).

On 15 October 1951 VH-AQO crashed near Kalgoorlie after a wing failure and the type was grounded whilst investigations were made. For a short period Avro Ansons replaced the Doves until the suspension was lifted. Later the company obtained further Doves, having a total of five between 1946 and 1955. This was the first company to operate the Dove on regular services.

Some 30 Doves have been registered in Australia over the years. The main operator was the Northern Territory Medical Service, with other operators including the NSW Department of Health, Southern Airlines, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Central Australian Airways Pty Ltd, and Airlines (WA) Ltd.

All Australian registered Doves except VH-ABK (c/n 04113) and VH-ABM (c/n 04097) of Central Australian Airways were powered by Gipsy Queen engines. These two exceptions were Riley conversions, carried out by McAlpine Aviation in the United Kingdom. In the USA a conversion known as the Carstedt Starliner was offered to operators, having a lengthened fuselage and 451 kw (605 ehp) Garrett AiResearch TPE 331 turboprops.

In military service with the RAF the Dove was known as the Devon C-1. Thirty examples of the Devon model (NZ1801 to NZ1830) were obtained in 1952 by the RNZAF for communication duties, navigation training, etc. The first NZ1801 (c/n 04050) at one stage carried the registration ZK-AQV. The others (NZ1802 to NZ1830) had c/ns from 04169 to 04428 but not consecutively. The Devon continued in service until the late 1970s when it was replaced by Cessna 414s.

Former Commonwealth Department of Health Dove VH-DHK (c/n 04508) in 1961 for a period operated with Bay of Plenty Airways on lease as ZK-BZP. The Northern Territory Medical Service aircraft proved the type was a useful and reliable machine serving for 20 years until they were withdrawn.

One VH-FDV (c/n 04091 – ex VH-MMO), which later became VH-RUN, was exported to the Solomon Islands in June 1969 as VH-PAL, flew some 26,000 hours in Australian service. One VH-WST (c/n 04509 – ex G-APVX), whilst operating with Skyways Airlines of Wee Waa, NSW, was lost when it collided with Piper PA-30-160 VH-WWB near Bankstown, NSW on 13 March 1974.

One of the last operators of the type was Rudge Air which operated three, VH-DHD (c/n 04104 – ex VH-MMN, VH-AWA, VT-CQY), VH-JGZ (c/n 04533 – ex G-ASMG), later VH-DHQ, and VH-DHI (c/n 04110 – ex G-AMXZ, XJ324), but when VH-DHD crashed at Essendon, VIC on 3 December 1993 the aircraft were sold.

The Dove had a bit of a revival in this region in later years. In the late 1980s two appeared on the Australian Civil Aircraft Register, being  Riley conversions, but at the turn of the century eight appeared on the Register, being used as private aircraft and for charter operations.

In New Zealand 11 ex-RNZAF Devons have survived, a couple airworthy, others in storage.  A couple have survived in museums, including the RNZAF Museum, the Wanaka Transport Museum, and the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society. In addition three Dove 1Bs have been airworthy.