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De Havilland Dove

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Top speed
  
370 km/h

Wingspan
  
17 m

Manufacturer
  
Length
  
12 m

First flight
  
September 25, 1945

De Havilland Dove Oldprops De Havilland Dove

The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. It was a monoplane successor to the prewar de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane. The design came about from the Brabazon Committee report which, amongst other aircraft types, called for a British-designed short-haul feeder for airlines.

Contents

The Dove was a popular aircraft and is considered to be one of Britain's most successful postwar civil designs, in excess of 500 aircraft being manufactured between 1946 and 1967. Several military variants were operated, such as the Devon by the Royal Air Force, the Sea Devon by the Royal Navy and the type also saw service with a number of overseas military forces.

De Havilland Dove httpsiytimgcomvituCDz4v9fhYmaxresdefaultjpg

A longer four-engined development of the Dove, intended for use in the less developed areas of the world, was the de Havilland Heron. A considerably re-designed three-engined variant of the Dove was built in Australia as the de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover.

De Havilland Dove FileDe Havilland DH104 Dove 7XC DIFSA Hahnweide 2011jpg

Development and design

De Havilland Dove de Havilland Dove Wikipedie

The development team for the Dove was headed by Ronald Eric Bishop, the creator of the de Havilland Mosquito, a wartime fighter-bomber, and the de Havilland Comet, the first commercial jet aircraft in the world. It had been developed to meet the Type VB requirement issued by the Brabazon Committee. In concept, the Dove was developed to be the replacement of the prewar de Havilland Dragon Rapide. It was also required to be competitive with the large numbers of surplus military transports in the aftermath of the Second World War, such as the Douglas DC-3. Unlike the Dragon Rapide, the Dove made use of a structure entirely of metal. It also featured other innovations of the time, including constant-speed propellers, flaps, and a retractable tricycle undercarriage.

De Havilland Dove De Havilland DH104 Dove Devon light transport

In 1946, aviation magazine Flight praised the qualities of the newly developed Dove, noting its "modernity" as well as the aircraft's load-carrying capacity, safe engine-failure performance, and positive maintenance features. Considerable attention was paid to aspects of maintainability, many of the components being designed to be interchangeable and easy to remove or replace, such as the rudder, elevator, and power units; other areas include the mounting of the engines upon four quick-release pickup points, the routing of cables and piping, and detachable wings and tail cone. The extensive use of special Redux metal-bonding adhesives reduced the need for riveting during the manufacturing process, reducing overall weight and air-skin friction.

While standard passenger versions of the Dove would carry between eight and eleven passengers, the cabin was designed to allow operators to convert between higher and lower density seating configurations. Features such as a single aircraft lavatory and an aft luggage compartment could be removed to provide for increased seating capacity. Various specialised models were produced for other roles, such as aerial survey, air ambulance, and flying classroom. A strengthened cabin floor structure was used to enable concentrated freight loads to be carried as well. The Dove could also serve as a dedicated executive transport, and in such a configuration it was capable of seating a total of five passengers; the executive model proved to be popular with various overseas customers, particularly those in the United States.

The crew typically consisted of a pilot and radio operator. However, rapidly removable dual flight controls could be installed for a second flying crewmember instead. A combination of large windows and a transparent perspex cabin roof provided a high level of visibility from the cockpit. From a piloting perspective, the Dove was observed for possessing easy flying qualities and mild stall qualities. A TKS anti-icing system was available for the Dove, involving an alcohol-based jelly delivered via porous metal strips embedded on the leading edges of the wings and tail.

In September 1945, the first Dove conducted its maiden flight; in December 1946, the first in-service flight for Central African Airways took place. Production of the Dove and its variants totalled 542 units, including 127 military-orientated Devons and 13 Sea Devons. The first deliveries to customers took place in Summer 1946, while the final example of the type was delivered in 1967. Initial production of the Dove was performed at de Havilland's Hatfield factory, but from the early 1950s onwards, the majority of aircraft were built at the company's Broughton facility near Chester.

Operational service

The Dove first flew on 25 September 1945. From summer 1946 large numbers were sold to scheduled and charter airlines around the world, replacing and supplementing the prewar designed de Havilland Dragon Rapide and other older designs.

The largest order for the Dove was placed by Argentina, which ultimately took delivery of 70 aircraft, the majority of which were used by the Argentine Air Force. LAN Chile took delivery of twelve examples and these were operated from 1949 onwards until the aircraft were sold to several small regional airlines in the United States in 1954.

In excess of 50 Doves were sold to various operators in the United States by Jack Riley, an overseas distributor for the type. De Havilland later assumed direct control of U.S. sales, however did not manage to match this early commercial success for the type.

An initial batch of 30 Devons was delivered to the Royal Air Force, these aircraft were used as VIP and light transports for over 30 years. The Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired 30 Devons between 1948 and 1954 and these remained in service for VIP, crew-training and light transport duties into the 1970s.

The Biafran Air Force operated a single Dove during the Nigerian Civil War, the aircraft was lost and subsequently found in 1970 on the premises of a school in Uli. A second US-registered Riley Dove N477PM delivered in 1967 to Port Harcourt from Switzerland never reached Biafra because it was stopped by Algerian authorities.

A few Doves and civilianised Devons remain in use in 2011 in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and elsewhere with small commercial firms and with private pilot owners.

Variants

  • Dove 1 : Light transport aircraft, seating up to 11-passengers. Powered by two 340 hp (254 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-4 piston engines.
  • Dove 1B : Dove Mk 1 aircraft, fitted with two 380 hp (283 kW) Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines.
  • Dove 2 : Executive transport version, seating up to six passengers. Powered by two 340 hp (254 kW) Gipsy Queen piston engines.
  • Dove 2B : Dove Mk 2 aircraft, fitted with two 380 hp (283 kW) Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines.
  • Dove 3 : Proposed high-altitude survey version. Not built.
  • Dove 4 : Military transport and communications version.
  • Devon C Mk 1 : Transport and communications version for the RAF.
  • Devon C Mk 2 : Transport and communications version for the RAF. Re-engined version of the Devon C Mk 1.
  • Sea Devon C Mk 20 : Transport and communications version for the Royal Navy.
  • Dove 5 : The Dove 5 was powered by more powerful engines. The aircraft was fitted with two 380-hp (283-kW) Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines.
  • Dove 6 : Executive transport aircraft. Uprated version of the Dove 2, powered by two 380 hp (283 kW) Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines.
  • Dove 6B : Stressed for operations at a maximum weight of 8,500 lb (3,856 kg).
  • Dove 7 : Uprated version of the Dove 1, fitted with two 400 hp (298 kW) Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines.
  • Dove 8 : Uprated version of the Dove 2, fitted with two 400 hp (298 kW) Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines.
  • Dove 8A : Five seater version of the Dove 8 for the U.S. market.
  • Dove Custom 800 : A customized version of the Dove, carried out by Horton and Horton in Fort Worth, Texas. Typically outfitted with removable bulkheads, various custom interiors were available, including airliner-orientated configurations.
  • Carstedt Jet Liner 600 : Conversions of the Dove, carried out by Carstedt Inc, of Long Beach, California, USA. The aircraft were fitted with two 605 ehp (451 kW) Garrett AiResearch TPE331 turboprop engines. The fuselage was lengthened by 87 inches to accommodate 18 passengers.
  • Riley Turbo Executive 400 / Riley Turbo-Exec 400 / Riley Dove 400 : Conversions of the Dove, carried out by Riley Aeronautics Corp in the United States. The aircraft were fitted with two 400 hp (298 kW) Lycoming IO-720-A1A flat-eight piston engines. Some of the Riley conversions were fitted with a taller swept vertical fin and rudder. During the late 1960s, Riley Aeronautics, located at the Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, did interior refitting work on both the De Havilland Dove and the Heron.
  • Civil operators

     Australia
  • Airlines of Western Australia
  • Bay of Plenty Airlines
  • MacRobertson Miller Airlines
  • Mandated Airlines
  • Northern Territory Medical Service
  • Royal Flying Doctor Service
  • Southern Airlines
  •  Bahrain
  • Gulf Aviation
  •  Belgium
  • BIAS
  • SABENA
  •  Burma
  • Union of Burma Airways
  •  Chile
  • LAN-Chile
  •  Gambia
  • West African Airways Corporation
  •  Germany
  • LTU
  •  Ghana
  • West African Airways Corporation
  •  India
  • Airways (India) Limited
  • Indian National Airways
  • Government of Madras
  •  Iraq
  • Iraq Petroleum Company
  •  Japan
  • Nippon Helicopter and Aeroplane
  • Far East Airlines
  •  Nigeria
  • West African Airways Corporation
  •  Southern Rhodesia
  • Central African Airways
  •  Portugal
  • SATA - Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aéreos
  • Portuguese Angola

  • AERANGOL - Aeronaves de Angola
  • ETASA - Empresa de Transportes Aéreos do Sul de Angola
  • SATAL - Sociedade Anónima de Transportes Aéreos
  • Portuguese Cape Verde

  • ACCV - Aero Clube de Cabo Verde
  • TACV - Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde
  • Portuguese Mozambique

  • DETA - Divisão e Exploração de Transportes Aéreos
  • Portuguese Timor

  • TAT - Transportes Aéreos de Timor
  •  Sierra Leone
  • West African Airways Corporation
  •  South Africa

  • Comair (South Africa) operated 2 aircraft.
  • South African Airways
  •  Sudan
  • Sudan Airways
  •  United Kingdom
  • BOAC (for training and communications)
  • Bristow Helicopters
  • British Midland
  • British Westpoint Airlines
  • Channel Airways (scheduled services)
  • Dan-Air (scheduled services)
  • Hunting-Clan Air Transport
  • Macedonian Aviation
  • Morton Air Services
  • Olley Air Services
  • Silver City Airways
  • CAA Flying Unit
  •  United States
  • Air Wisconsin
  • Apache Airlines
  • Catalina Airlines
  • Golden Isles Airlines
  • Midwest Air Charter
  • National Test Pilot School
  • Superior Airlines
  • Military operators

     Argentina
  • Argentine Air Force
  • Argentine Coast Guard
  • Argentine Federal Police
  •  Belgian Congo
  • Force Publique
  •  Biafra
  • Biafran Air Force - One Riley-converted Riley 400 was abandoned at Port Harcourt by Bristow Helicopters at the outbreak of civil war in 1967 and seized by Biafran mercenaries.
  •  Brazil
     Ceylon
  • Royal Ceylon Air Force - Six series 5 delivered between 1955 and 1958.
  •  Egypt
  • Egyptian Air Force - Six series 1 delivered between 1947 and 1948.
  •  Ireland
  • Irish Air Corps - 4, one series 1B in 1953, one series 5 in 1959, one series 7 in 1962, and series 8 modified for radio and radar calibration in 1970.
  •  Ethiopia
  • Imperial Ethiopian Air Force - 3, two former Ethiopian government series 1 transferred to air force in 1952 and one new series 7 in 1965.
  •  India
  • Indian Air Force - 20
  • Indian Naval Air Arm
  •  Iraq
  • Royal Iraqi Air Force - 7 - One Series 1 for the Royal Flight delivered in 1947 followed by six Series 1 in 1948.
  • Royal Flight
  • No. 3 Transport Squadron
  •  Jordan
  • Royal Jordanian Air Force - 6 - Two Series 1 transferred from Jordan National Airlines, two aircraft intended for Jordan National Airlines converted to Series 5 and transferred to air force, two new Series 7s deliverd in 1965
  • Royal Flight
  •  Katanga
  • Force Aérienne Katangaise - 6
  •  Kuwait
  • Kuwait Air Force - Two series 5 transferred to the air force in 1962.
  • Kingdom of Laos
  • Royal Lao Air Force
  •  Lebanon
  • Lebanese Air Force - One series 1 delivered in 1951, a further aircraft on order was not delivered.
  •  Malaysia
  • Royal Malaysian Air Force- 5 - Three series 8 delivered in 1061 followed by two former RNZAF Devon C.1s delivered in 1968
  •  New Zealand
  • Royal New Zealand Air Force - 30
  • No. 42 Squadron RNZAF
  •  Pakistan
  • Pakistan Air Force - Two, one former Government of Sind series 1 used until 1962, a new VIP series 2 delivered in 1949.
  • No. 12 Squadron
  •  Paraguay
  • Paraguayan Air Force- One former Argentine Air Force series 1 delivered in 1963.
  •  South Africa
  • South African Air Force - Nine series 1 delivered in 1949.
  • No. 28 Squadron
  •  Sweden
  • Swedish Air Force - One Series 1 delivered in 1947 and sold in 1967.
  •  United Kingdom
  • Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
  • Empire Test Pilots' School
  • Royal Aircraft Establishment
  • Royal Air Force- 30 series 4 aircraft as the Devon C.1 from 1948.
  • No. 21 Squadron RAF
  • No. 26 Squadron RAF
  • No. 31 Squadron RAF
  • No. 32 Squadron RAF
  • No. 60 Squadron RAF
  • No. 207 Squadron RAF
  • Bomber Command Communications Squadron
  • Coastal Command Communication Squadron
  • Maintenance Command Communications Squadron
  • Metropolitan Communications Squadron
  • Northern Communications Squadron
  • Queen's Flight
  • Southern Communications Squadron
  • Technical Training Command Communications Flight
  • Western Communications Squadron
  • Royal Radar Establishment at Pershore
  • Fleet Air Arm - Ten former civil aircraft delivered in 1955 as the Sea Devon C.20, later another three were bought.
  • 781 Naval Air Squadron
  •  Venezuela
  • Venezuelan Air Force - One former civil series 2A transferred to air force in 1968.
  •  Yugoslavia
  • SFR Yugoslav Air Force - Two former Jugoslav Air Transport series 2B transferred to air force.
  • Aircraft on display

    Argentina
  • F-12 of the Argentine Air Force is on display at the Museo Nacional de Aeronautica de Argentina (National Aeronautics Museum), Moron Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • India
  • Aircraft with tail number HW-201 is on display at the HAL Aerospace Museum at Bengaluru, India.
  • South Africa
  • ZS-BCC a Dove 6 of South African Airways is on display at the South African Airways Museum, Rand Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • United Kingdom
  • D-IFSB a Dove 8 is on display at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, London Colney, England.
  • G-AHRI a Dove 1 is on display in Iraqi Petroleum markings at the Newark Air Museum, Newark-upon-Trent, England.
  • G-ALCU a Dove 1 is on display as G-ALVD in Dunlop markings at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.
  • G-ALFU a Dove 6 formerly of the Civil Aviation Flying Unit is on display at Duxford Aerodrome, England.
  • G-ANOV a Dove 6 is on display at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, Scotland.
  • G-ANUW a Dove 6 is on display at the Aeropark at East Midlands Airport, England.
  • G-AREA a Dove 8 in British Aerospace markings is on display at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, London Colney, England.
  • VP967 a Devon C.2 in Royal Air Force markings is on display at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, England.
  • Accidents and incidents

  • On 13 May 1948, a Dove 1 G-AJOU of Skyways Limited crashed near Privas, France, all four of the people on board killed, including the Earl Fitzwilliam and Kathleen Cavendish, the second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy.
  • On 1 December 1954, a Dove 2B VH-DHD of De Havilland Australia crashed at Narellan, near Camden, Australia. Reginald Adsett, a chief examiner of airman for the Australian Civil Aviation Department was killed. Two other were seriously injured.
  • On 15 January 1958, Dove G-AOCE of Channel Airways crashed on approach to Ferryfield Airfield, Lydd, Kent, United Kingdom, both engines having stopped due to fuel starvation due to fuel mismanagement. All seven people on board survived.
  • On 13 April 1966, Abdul Salam Arif, the President of Iraq, was killed when the Iraqi Air Force de Havilland DH.104 Dove 1, RF392, he was onboard crashed in southern Iraq. The loss of the aircraft was suspected to be due to sabotage by Ba'athist elements within the Iraqi military.
  • On 11 April 1968, Dove 1 Z-900 of the Egyptian Air Force was lost over the Sahara desert following instrument failure. The aircraft was not found until 1 June 1971, all nine occupants had died of starvation.
  • On 28 January 1970, TAG Airlines Flight 730 crashed over Lake Erie after having suffered an inflight structural failure, killing all nine people aboard.
  • On 9 July 1983 a privately owned Dove, G-AMYP, suffered engine failure on takeoff at Shoreham Airport, crashing into the banks of the River Adur. The pilot and sole occupant, Keith Wickenden, died on impact.
  • On 3 December 1993, a Dove VH-DHD chartered dinner flight lost engine power during takeoff, resulting in the aircraft crashing into five houses in Essendon - a suburb containing the original airport for Melbourne Australia. There were no fatalities amongst either the ten occupants of the Dove nor anyone on the ground, but all aboard the aircraft and one pedestrian were taken to hospital.
  • On 3 February 2006, New Zealand based Devon, ZK-UDO (ex-RNZAF Devon 21) suffered a hard landing at RNZAF Base Ohakea due to an asymmetrical flap deployment on approach. All passengers and crew survived with only minor injuries; the aircraft was damaged beyond economical repair.
  • Other

    A de Havilland Dove featured prominently in the Gavin Lyall adventure novel Shooting Script.

    Specifications (Dove 7)

    Data from Flight International, Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67

    General characteristics

  • Crew: two
  • Capacity: eight passengers
  • Length: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
  • Wingspan: 57 ft 0 in (17.40 m)
  • Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.06 m)
  • Wing area: 335 sq ft (31.1 m²)
  • Empty weight: 6,325 lb (2,869 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 8,950 lb (4,060 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 × de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70 Mk 3 6-cylinder in-line inverted air-cooled engine, 400 bhp (289 kW) each
  • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 230 mph (200 knots, 370 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 187 mph (163 knots, 301 km/h) at 8,000 ft (2,440 m) (econ cruise)
  • Stall speed: 74 mph (64 knots, 119 km/h)
  • Range: 880 mi (765 nm, 1,415 km)
  • Service ceiling: 21,700 ft (6,610 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,135 ft/min (5.8 m/s)
  • References

    De Havilland Dove Wikipedia