Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Three-seat ight sport and touring biplane

Power Plant:

One 201 kw (270 hp) Rolls Royce Falcon twelve-cylinder VEE liquid cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

In October 1921 Mr Alan S Butler approached the de Havilland company with a view to it building an aircraft to his specifications. He required a fast touring and sport aeroplane, easy to maintain, and capable of carrying a pilot and two passengers, with luggage, a distance of 805 km (500 miles).

Two aircraft were constructed, the fuselage being built up with longerons and cross members, the whole covered with plywood, this being a form of box construction which was extremely strong and light. The wings had laminated spars and plywood-covered leading-edges. Fuel was carried in two 182 litre (40 Imp gal) tanks, one in the centre-section feeding by gravity, the other in the fuselage ahead of the front cockpit. The engine was the Rolls Royce Falcon, which was produced during World War I.

The first aircraft G-EBDO (c/n 43) named ‘Sylvia’ first flew in June 1922 and performed to the company’s expectations, cruising at 169 km/h (105 mph) and climbing to 3,048 m (10,000 ft) in 11 minutes. It was entered in the 1922 Aerial Derby in the UK being a race around London sponsored by the Daily Mail newspaper but had engine trouble. However, the first lap was completed at 174 km/h (108.1 mph). The DH.37 was also entered in the King’s Cup Air Race, a two-day annual handicap cross-country event over 1,304 km (810 miles), coming fifth.

G-EBDO was entered in a number of other racing events, and made flights to the continent, including to Sweden and Czechoslovakia. On two occasions the aircraft made flights in the hands of Alan Cobham (later Sir), one to Constantinople and another to Morocco, the latter in June 1925.

Eventually the aircraft was fitted with a 224 kw (300 hp) ADC Aircraft Nimbus engine, this giving an extra 48 kw (65 hp) and being lighter. However, on 4 June 1927 whilst flying near Bournemouth the aircraft crashed and was destroyed.

The second DH.37 came to Australia. Named ‘Old Faithful’ this aircraft G-AUAA (c/n 105) had the Rolls Royce Falcon III engine which provided 205 kw (275 hp) and was operated by the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of Defence, arriving in Australia on 14 April and being registered on 15 May 1924. In October 1926 it was flown by Capt Edgar Johnson on a trip to Normanton, North Queensland from Melbourne, VIC in one day.

Upon being declared surplus to the department’s requirements, G-AUAA was purchased by Guinea Gold NL and freighted to Rabaul in New Britain on board the Burns Philp vessel ‘Melusia’. It was assembled and test flown on 26 March 1927, and on 29 March it was successfully test flown with a full load. It was flown from Matupi aerodrome on 30 March 1927 by A E ‘Pard’ Mustar, with engineer A W Mullins on board with a load of 527 kg (1,162 lb), 39 kg (85 lb) overload, to Lae, PNG covering the 644 km (400 miles) in 5 hrs 19 mins. This flight ushered in the use of aircraft in the transportation role in Papua New Guinea.

Subsequently, the aircraft made many trips to Wau, PNG and in one week in April 1927 it made ten trips from Lae to Wau carrying 1,293 kg (2,850 lb) of cargo and 15 passengers. In its first six months of operations the DH.37 carried 3,629 kg (8,000 lb) of freight and 150 passengers. On 9 January 1928, on take-off from Lae with a full load of supplies for Wau it had an engine failure but landed safely in Kunai grass. The aircraft suffered damage, particularly to the engine as the propeller dropped off during the landing and was lost. There it lay for over a year until Guinea Airways engineer, J P Hammond, commenced a rebuild.

In April 1929 the DH.37 was sold to Frank Drayton and J P Hammond and they planned to enter the aircraft it in the Sydney to Perth Centenary Air Race scheduled for October 1929. However, repairs were not completed in time. Drayton sold his interest to H D L McGilvrey and it flew again, ownership being changed a number of times, owners including F T O’Dea of Roseville, NSW in July 1931 and Robert Wylie of Mascot, NSW in October that year. However, on 25 May 1932, whilst flying from Sydney to Port Macquarie, NSW, the pilot, Mr P Hall, flew close to the sea and hit a wave, crashing off Crowdy Head near Taree, NSW.