Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Light twin-engine commercial transport

Power Plant:

Two 388 kw (520 hp) Alvis Leonides 501/4 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

At the end of World War II Percival Aircraft Ltd produced a five-seat commercial aircraft known as the P-48 Merganser, which was of all-metal, stressed skin construction with fabric covered control surfaces. This led to the P-50 Prince, a medium range transport fitted with Alvis Leonides radial engines. The prototype of the Prince (G-23-1 – later G-ALCM) was flown for the first time on 13 May 1948. The first production machine (G-ALFZ – c/n P.50/2 – later PP-XEG, PP-NBA) flew on 18 January 1949 and subsequently embarked on a 40,225 km (24,000 miles) proving flight and sales tour of Africa, during which tropical trials were conducted at Khartoum, Nairobi and Accra. These two aircraft were Mk 1s.

The Mk 2 had accommodation for ten passengers, the first production machine (PP-NBA) being updated to Mk 2 standard and entering service with Aeronorte in Brazil, South America. In 1953 the Mk 3 appeared, this having 418 kw (560 hp) Alvis Leonides 502/4 engines and improved performance, cruising speed increasing to 341 km/h (212 mph). The Prince was later developed into the Hunting Percival Pembroke, which was bought in some numbers for the RAF.

Percival built a variant for survey work, to be operated by its associate company, Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd, and this was known as the P-54. It was operated by a crew of three and had an observer’s station and a lengthened nose, being fitted with vertical and oblique cameras. Two camera hatches with pneumatically operated doors were incorporated in the cabin floor, and the fourth window on both sides of the fuselage was replaced by a port for oblique cameras. The first such machine (G-ALRY – c/n P.54/8) carried out a survey of the Persian Gulf in February 1950.

A total of 26 examples of the Prince left the production line, the last being completed in 1953.  Accommodation in the Mk 1 was for a crew of two and eight passengers with a toilet at the rear. Main operators were Shell Refining & Marketing Co, South African Iron & Steel Industrial Corp, Standard Motor Co Ltd, Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd, Hunting Adastra Geophysics Ltd, and the British Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Five examples of the Prince have operated in this region, three being operated by the RAAF. These were C Mk 1s, equivalent to the civil Series 3C and were ordered for transport work at the Long Range Weapons Research Establishment to support the Woomera Rocket Range and the British atomic tests. They were fitted with Alvis Leonides 502/4 engines and were assigned RAF serials but arrived in Australia with RAAF Serials.

These were: A90-1 (c/n P.50/38) delivered to the RAAF Trials Unit on 8 March 1952.  It then served with the Department of Supply before being sold to the Royal Aero Club of NSW in 1957, becoming VH-RSX in January 1958, and being operated for a short period on twin-engine training. On 30 July 1959 it went to Polynesian Airlines Ltd (as ZK-BMQ). It was damaged in an accident at Faleolo on 3 December 1960. Flown by Reginald Barnewall, in December 1960 it burst a tyre, ran off the runway into a ditch and was wrecked, being cancelled from the register on 16 June 1961.

The second aircraft A90-2 (c/n P.50/39) joined the RAAF Air Trials Unit on 27 May 1952, and had a similar history to A90-1 until 1957 when it was also sold to the Royal Aero Club of NSW and was eventually broken up for spares at Bankstown, NSW. The third aircraft A90-3 (c/n P.50/40) was delivered to the RAAF on 14 June 1952 and had a similar history to the others. This Prince suffered a series of undercarriage problems during service and was taken over by No 2 Air Trials Units , being moved from Mallala to Salisbury, SA. Both A90-2 and A90-3 in RAAF service suffered undercarriage failures and were stored at Edinburgh, SA until sold to the Royal Aero Club of NSW.

The fourth aircraft which came to this region, VH-AGF (c/n P.50/43 – ex G-AMLW, YV-P-AEB), was first registered to Percival Aircraft Ltd, making its first flight on 26 May 1952. It thereafter operated with Shell (UK) and Shell (Venezuela) before being registered to Hunting Adastra Geophysics in August 1957.  It operated in this region from 1954 to carry out a series of mineral survey contracts, operating with its British registration until 1957 when it became VH-AGP.  It continued in service until February 1959 when it returned to the United Kingdom (as G-AMLW) and operated with the parent firm until sold to the French company Societe Protection Aeroportee of Le Bourget (as F-BJAE) in March 1959 with which it was used for airfield radar calibration duties.

The aircraft was later used by the College of Aeronautics at Redhill, UK making its last flight on 8 May 1968 when it was ferried from Leavesden to the College of Aeronautics at Shoreham, UK. It is believed to have been broken-up at Shoreham in 1975.

The two further examples imported to this region were both registered on 7 February 1961. ZK-BYM (c/n P.50/48 – ex G-AMPR ), a P-54 Prince 4E, was built with an extended nose with an extended glazed nose for aerial survey. It was registered VR-TBN Prince Hal in 1956 for the Tanganyikan Government and was used as an executive transport, being fitted with six seats, a cloak-room and a bar. It went to Samoa in February 1962 and was sold to Polynesian Airways, along with another Prince (ZK-BYO – c/n P.50/25 – ex VR-TBD).

Western Samoa in those days was governed by New Zealand, becoming independent in 1962. ZK-BMQ (c/n P.50/38 – ex VH-RSX) was registered on 4 July 1959 and flown from Bankstown to New Caledonia to Faleolo airport, arriving on 12 July. Named RMA Princess Maureen it made its first scheduled service on 7 March 1960 from Faleolo to Tafuna. However, on 12 December landing from Pago Pago in wet conditions it ran off the runway ripping off the nose wheels and buckling the fuselage. The aircraft was a write off and was stripped of anything usable.

ZK-BYN (c/n P.50/48 – ex VR-TBN, G-AMPR) and ZK-BYO (c/n P.50/25 – ex VR-TBD) were bought and flown from Tanganyika to Singapore where they were painted in Polynesian Airlines colours, entering service on 10 April 1961.  They operated for two years on scheduled services to and from Tafuna with major maintenance taking place at the TEAL base at Whenuapai in Auckland, NZ. On 1 August 1961 ZK-BYO burst a tyre on landing at Faleolo and suffered major nosewheel damage. It was repaired and for a period flew with the nosewheel locked down until repaired in Auckland.

ZK-BYO was eventually retired in March 1963 after flying 3,046 hours, ZK-BYN being retired in July that year after 3,059 hours, being replaced by Douglas DC-3 5W-FAA. The two Princes were offered for sale but there were no offers. The aircraft were stripped of usable parts and left in the open at Faleolo, the remains of one finally disappearing in March 1981. They were cancelled from the New Zealand Civil Register on 11 May 1965 and 13 May 1965 respectively, being replaced by a Douglas C-47B-30-DK which became ZK-AOZ (c/n 32895/16147 – ex 5W-FAA, NZ3537, 44-76563).