Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Commercial airliner / VIP Transport /  military navigation trainer

Power Plant:

Two 1,828 kw (2,450 ehp) Rolls Royce Dart 550-2 turboprops

Specifications:

History:

Intended as a replacement for the Douglas DC-3, and a direct competitor to the Fokker Friendship for civil and military use, the HS-748 was designed by A V Roe and Company (later part of the Hawker Siddeley Group) as a 36-seat commercial airliner. Two prototypes were built, with the first G-APZV (c/n 1534) being flown on 24 June 1960, and the second G-ARAY (c/n 1535) on 10 April 1961. Eighteen Series I production aircraft with Rolls Royce Dart RDa 10 Mk 514 engines were built before production began of the Series II, with up-rated RDa 7 Mk 531 engines and increased weight, began. The prototype of the Series III was flown on 6 November 1961.

A number of variants were built for specific purposes, including: the Avro 748M military freighter; the Andover, with a strengthened floor and a large freight door, operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) as a military freighter; the Series 2C with a strengthened floor and an internal cargo hoist; and the Coastguarder for anti-submarine patrol and coastal surveillance. Production of the series in the United Kingdom and India concluded in 1988 after a total of 380 examples had been delivered.

Twelve HS-748s were purchased for the Australian armed forces, ten for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and two for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Two of the RAAF machines, known as the Model 229 A10-595 (c/n 1595) and A10-596 (c/n 1596), were attached to No 34 Squadron at Fairbairn, ACT. They were fitted with a convertible VIP cabin similar to that in the RAF Queen’s Flight HS-748s. The other eight, known as Model 228s serials A10-601 to A10-608 (c/ns 1601 to 1608), were based at East Sale, VIC where they were used as navigation trainers.

The two Model 228s, operated by the RAN, serials N15-709 and N15-710 (c/ns 1709 and 1710), served at ‘HMAS Albatross’, Nowra, NSW, being received into service in January and March of 1973. They were used as navigation trainers and attached to VC851. In 1979 they were converted at Manchester, New Hampshire in the United States of America to carry electronic warfare equipment for training Australian Defence Force personnel. Each aircraft logged about 24,000 hours and travelled throughout Australia and abroad.

In 1971 Connair of Alice Springs sought to obtain two HS-748s for its Northern Territory routes, these aircraft to be part passenger / part freight and to have cargo doors and a crane to lift containers in and out of the aircraft. A deal was arranged with Hawker Siddeley, the aircraft to be based at Alice Springs, NT. One was to move freight that had been shipped by rail to Alice Springs on to Katherine and then to centres of population in the Territory within a 483 km (300 miles) radius. The railways were to provide capital for the second aircraft and provide necessary infrastructure. However, the Federal Minister rejected the proposal, indicating the capacity of the aircraft was above that which should be operated by Connair, and the aircraft were not imported.

In later years the RAAF HS-748s were retired and sold. One was converted to civil freighter standard as VH-IMG (c/n 1604 – ex A10-604) with Horizon Airlines of Condell Park, NSW where it joined VH-IMI (c/n 1736); VH-IMJ [c/n 1799] which was obtained from Nepal (ex 9N-ACX); and VH-IMK (c/n 1737). Further HS-748s were obtained for spares. These aircraft were based at Bankstown, NSW. However, Horizon ceased operations in 2004 and the aircraft were offered for sale, a few being exported to the United Kingdom.

One example of the HS-748 G-BCOE (c/n 1736) was obtained and operated by Impulse Airlines, ownership being transferred to the company on 17 June 1975 but it was not registered in Australia at that time, eventually becoming VH-IMI with Horizon.

Others were imported, including N-ACX, N333C, and N339C, the latter being cannibalised and later taken to RAAF Amberley, QLD for firefighting training. After the demise of Horizon one ex-Air Madagascar aircraft was painted as VH-IPA.

Further ex-RAAF HS-748-2A-228s did in fact receive registrations, including VH-AMQ (c/n 11605 – ex A10-605) and VH-AYS (c/n 1608 – ex A10-608) with the IAP Group of Warriewood, NSW; and VH-POZ (c/n 1602 – ex A10-602) with Edge Aviation (Aust) of Sale, VIC. One ex-RAN HS-748 (N15-609), which had been allotted the registration VH-IMB, was presented to the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown, NSW in 2004 but in 2019, after the museum closed, it was dismantled and removed from Bankstown.

The HS-748 has also been operated extensively in New Zealand with Mount Cook Airlines. In 1968 the airline obtained, as a Douglas DC-3 replacement, the HS-748 Series 2A ZK-CWJ (c/n 1647), which was later exported to South Africa as ZS-OCF, to allow for increased passenger demand. Services commenced in 1970, and reached Rotorua and Auckland in 1973. This airline, which commenced as the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company in 1952 with a Dakota (ZK-NAD), eventually operated a fleet of eight of these airliners for its main tourist routes, operating throughout the two islands, particularly to Mount Cook aerodrome, where tourists made flights on the company’s ski planes to the glaciers.

The other examples were also from the Series 2A line and included: ZK-MCA (c/n 1712) exported to the United Kingdom (UK) as G-OTBA; ZK-MCB (c/n 1767)  exported to the UK as G-BGMO;  ZK-MCF (c/n 1697) exported to the UK as G-OSOE;  ZK-MCH (c/n 1791) exported to the UK as G-OJEM; ZK-MCJ (c/n 1661) exported to Canada as C-FYDY; ZK-MCP (c/n 1694) exported to Canada as C-FYDU, and ZK-DES (c/n 1689) exported to the UK as G-SOIE. They operated in New Zealand in the commercial airliner role until replaced by ATR-72-212s in 1995/1996 and, as noted, were exported overseas. ZK-MCF operated the last scheduled Mount Cook flight.

Air Marshall Islands also used the type (V7-8203).