Dehavilland DHA-3 Drover questions for the folks from Oz...

[ProfromDover]

Just wondering where there may be an extant DHA-3 Mk III Drover. I perused the internet and came up with the below tally. I've had an intriguing interest in the Mk III Drover ever since I was back in school and saw some pictures of an RFDS ship in the outback.

DHA5001 VH-DHA Crashed at Sea
DHA5002 VH-BMU (G-APPP) (VH-CAT) VQ-FAD Crashed into mountain
DHA5003 VH-EBQ (G-ALLK) Crashed at Sea
DHA5004 VH-DRA (VH-FDQ) VP-PAG Status? Does it exist?
DHA5005 Crashed 8/54 in Fiji
DHA5006 Mk III VH-DRB VH-FDR Crashed Qld 6/66. Static Display,
displayed as early Mk, Queensland Air Museum
DHA5007 Mk III VH-DRC VH-FDS Crashed Trefoil Island Tas 3.7.73. Undergoing restoration - to static
or flying?, Complete a/c, Queensland Air Museum
DHA5008 VH-EBS VQ-FAQ Fiji AW Crashed 12/55 in Fiji
DHA5009 VH-EBT VQ-FAP VH-ADN Wfu 24.6.81 Flying - Bathurst, NSW
DHA5010 VH-DRD Crashed Mooraberrie Qld 11.1.52 Static - RFDS Base at Mount Isa, Qld
DHA5011 Mk III VH-DRE VH-FDT VP-PAP VH-EOO Wfu 4.2.75 Status? Does it exist?
DHA5012 VH-AZM VH-DRF VP-PAF VH-FDU R Lee Parkdale Vic Flying - Glenrowan, Vic, restored in RFDS colors
DHA5013 Mk III VH-FDC Wfu 28.11.69 Static
- Central Australian Aviation Museum in Alice Springs, NT
DHA5014 Mk II VH-EAZ VH-EAS G-APXX UK as 'VH-FDT' Static
outdoors at Lasham Airfield in the UK, http://f4phantom.co.uk/lasham/swwapsac.html
DHA5015 (VH-EAY) VQ-FAR Fiji AW wfu 10/67, Suva scrapped? 72
DHA5016 (VH-EAX) VQ-FAS Fiji AW wfu 7/67 ex (VH-EAX) to VH-PAC 6/66 scrapped?
DHA5017 VH-AZN Crashed Camooweal Qld 26.4.57 Written off. Does it exist?
DHA5018 Mk IIIb (VH-DRF) VH-AZS Wangaratta Museum Looks flyable, Museum shut down?
DHA5019 Mk IIIa VH-FDA VH-UNK VH-UMA ZK-DDD VH-FBC Wfu 3.9.93 Complete,
Flyable?, Bankstown Airport NSW http://www.aamb.com.au/
DHA5020 Mk IIIa VH-AHZ VQ-FAH VP-PAE VH-PAB VH-DHM Flying - NSW

The Mk III with the Lycomings would be quite supportable in North America...It would be fabulous to have one making the circuit here...

I wonder what the ultimate demise was of c/n 5004, 5011, 5015, 5016, 5017, 5018? Any aircraft available with or without engines?

[JohnB]

We must have used the same textbook. For years the only thing I know about the type was its use by the "Flying Doctors".

Last edited by JohnB on Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

[JDK]

Probably a few books with RFDS Drovers - the Drover was only really known for the Flying Doctors' work; rather as if only twenty Bell 47s and been built and ten used in M.A.S.H., they'd only be known for that (rather than 'mainly'!).

Currently there's four on the Australian civil register, AFAIK none flying currently overseas.
http://casa-query.funnelback.com/search ... rch=Search

I've seen VH-ADN, VH-FDU (with funny engines) and VH-DHM and know or seen them fly in the last few years. The last example at Wangaratta was Ron Lee's, FDU now in Queensland and ferried there in the last couple of years. Airworld Museum has long gone. The example in the UK, formerly Lasham is very rotten, a sad case of an aircraft wasted.

Others are better placed to evaluate the census you have; I'll point them here (looking at you, Mark Pilkington!).

As for sales, it's an historic aircraft from an Australian point of view, but the reality is it's a poor performer. Happy to ask around if you drop me a PM though.

See also:
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... humbnails=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilla ... A-3_Drover

Regards,

[Mark_Pilkington]

Just wondering where there may be an extant DHA-3 Mk III Drover. I perused the internet and came up with the below tally. I've had an intriguing interest in the Mk III Drover ever since I was back in school and saw some pictures of an RFDS ship in the outback.

DHA5001 VH-DHA Crashed at Sea
DHA5002 VH-BMU (G-APPP) (VH-CAT) VQ-FAD Crashed into mountain
DHA5003 VH-EBQ (G-ALLK) Crashed at Sea
DHA5004 VH-DRA (VH-FDQ) VP-PAG Status? Does it exist?
DHA5005 Crashed 8/54 in Fiji
DHA5006 Mk III VH-DRB VH-FDR Crashed Qld 6/66. Static Display,
displayed as early Mk, Queensland Air Museum
DHA5007 Mk III VH-DRC VH-FDS Crashed Trefoil Island Tas 3.7.73. Undergoing restoration - to static
or flying?, Complete a/c, Queensland Air Museum
DHA5008 VH-EBS VQ-FAQ Fiji AW Crashed 12/55 in Fiji
DHA5009 VH-EBT VQ-FAP VH-ADN Wfu 24.6.81 Flying - Bathurst, NSW
DHA5010 VH-DRD Crashed Mooraberrie Qld 11.1.52 Static - RFDS Base at Mount Isa, Qld
DHA5011 Mk III VH-DRE VH-FDT VP-PAP VH-EOO Wfu 4.2.75 Status? Does it exist?
DHA5012 VH-AZM VH-DRF VP-PAF VH-FDU R Lee Parkdale Vic Flying - Glenrowan, Vic, restored in RFDS colors
DHA5013 Mk III VH-FDC Wfu 28.11.69 Static
- Central Australian Aviation Museum in Alice Springs, NT
DHA5014 Mk II VH-EAZ VH-EAS G-APXX UK as 'VH-FDT' Static
outdoors at Lasham Airfield in the UK, http://f4phantom.co.uk/lasham/swwapsac.html
DHA5015 (VH-EAY) VQ-FAR Fiji AW wfu 10/67, Suva scrapped? 72
DHA5016 (VH-EAX) VQ-FAS Fiji AW wfu 7/67 ex (VH-EAX) to VH-PAC 6/66 scrapped?
DHA5017 VH-AZN Crashed Camooweal Qld 26.4.57 Written off. Does it exist?
DHA5018 Mk IIIb (VH-DRF) VH-AZS Wangaratta Museum Looks flyable, Museum shut down?
DHA5019 Mk IIIa VH-FDA VH-UNK VH-UMA ZK-DDD VH-FBC Wfu 3.9.93 Complete,
Flyable?, Bankstown Airport NSW http://www.aamb.com.au/
DHA5020 Mk IIIa VH-AHZ VQ-FAH VP-PAE VH-PAB VH-DHM Flying - NSW

The Mk III with the Lycomings would be quite supportable in North America...It would be fabulous to have one making the circuit here...

I wonder what the ultimate demise was of c/n 5004, 5011, 5015, 5016, 5017, 5018? Any aircraft available with or without engines?

The Drover was designed and built in the late 1940s by de Havilland at Bankstown, NSW. Only 20 of this type were built with the first having its maiden flight in 1948. Operators of this type were Qantas and TAA as passenger and cargo aircraft and the Department of Health. However their most renowned role was with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, serving as an air ambulance well into the1960s.

James has largely summed up the current situation, there are currently 4 Drovers on the Australian Register:

DHA5009 VH-EBT VQ-FAP VH-ADN Wfu 24.6.81 Flying - Bathurst, NSW

This is DHA-3 mark II, a Gipsy Major mk 10 powered example, still based at Bathurst NSW.



DHA5012 VH-AZM VH-DRF VP-PAF VH-FDU R Lee Parkdale Vic
Flying - Glenrowan, Vic, restored in RFDS colors

This is a DHA-3 mark III, ie a Lycoming powered example, now based at the Beaufort Restoration Group at Caboolture in Queenland





DHA5018 Mk IIIb (VH-DRF) VH-AZS Wangaratta Museum Looks flyable, Museum shut down?

This is actually a DHA-3 mark II, ie a Gipsy Major mk 10 powered example, under long term restoration in Victoria.



DHA5020 Mk IIIa VH-AHZ VQ-FAH VP-PAE VH-PAB VH-DHM Flying - NSW

This is also actually a DHA-3 mark II, ie a Gipsy Major powered example, (edited and thanks to the pickup in the next post) owned by de Havilland Australia now Boeing Aerostructures and on long term loan to HARS in NSW.

Four Drovers are preserved as memorials or in museums; three Mk-3s (with Lycoming flat 4 engines), VH-FDR c/n 5006 and VH-FDS c/n 5007 at the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra and VH-FDC c/n 5013 at the Central Aviation Museum in Alice Springs. One Mk-2 as a memorial to the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Mt. Isa, a composite of VH-DRD c/n 5010 and VH-AZN c/n 5017.

DHA5006 Mk III VH-DRB VH-FDR Crashed Qld 6/66. Static Display,
displayed as early Mk, Queensland Air Museum
DHA5007 Mk III VH-DRC VH-FDS Crashed Trefoil Island Tas 3.7.73. Undergoing restoration - to static
or flying?, Complete a/c, Queensland Air Museum

The Queensland Air Museum is slowly restoring both of these airframes, one fuselage has been on display for many years presented as a mark II, the other aircraft has recently progressed to a complete airframe display.





DHA5010 VH-DRD Crashed Mooraberrie Qld 11.1.52 Static - RFDS Base at Mount Isa, Qld

DHA5017 VH-AZN Crashed Camooweal Qld 26.4.57 Written off. Does it exist?


The remains of DRD and AZN were rebuilt to be put on a pole at Mount Isa as a memorial to the Flying Doctor Service.



DHA5013 Mk III VH-FDC Wfu 28.11.69 Static
- Central Australian Aviation Museum in Alice Springs, NT

This is a mark III with lycomings, restored on a pole outside the CAAM at Alice Springs.





and of course one exists in the UK in very poor condition.

DHA5014 Mk II VH-EAZ VH-EAS G-APXX UK as 'VH-FDT' Static
outdoors at Lasham Airfield in the UK, http://f4phantom.co.uk/lasham/swwapsac.html

This aircraft is available and is currently dismantled and stored, but looking for a good home. It is probably well past any realistic or economic capability of airworthy restoration, and would be a big enough job to create a reasonable static museum display.

But if you had your heart set on getting one into the USA cheaply this is probably the one? and had access to dollars, tools and skilled labour, and a couple of lifetimes who knows what you could achieve?

It was offered to me so if you want to pursue it PM me and I can give you the contact details.



Of the others that served in Fiji and PNG, the pacific islands are not forgiving to most GA aircraft due to high wear and tear, let alone those that find solid clouds etc, none of those survive in any form that would create an airframe.

regards

Mark Pilkington

Last edited by Mark_Pilkington on Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Feather #3]

Take a careful look at Mark's photo guys!

DHA5020 is a Mk 2. Indeed, it was the Mk2 prototype. You can see the Gipsy's in the photo of -DHM undergoing maintenance.

Cheers

[ProfromDover]

This confirms my research. Any candidate Mk IIIs (Lycoming) are already subscribed. While a Gypsy powered aircraft is tempting support is a bit of an issue in the US.

The Lasham aircraft looks, unfortunately, too far gone to warrant shipping to the US for refurbishment.

Looking at the performance numbers vs. a Dove, the Drover is a bit of a slow poke. Lighter, less installed hp, and fixed gear must have made it wanting on the bush airstrips loaded to GW. It was obviously designed as a workhorse and not a swift airliner.

[JDK]

This confirms my research. Any candidate Mk IIIs (Lycoming) are already subscribed. While a Gypsy powered aircraft is tempting support is a bit of an issue in the US.

I'd say if you're tempted by a Drover, oily Gypsys would be just one of your problems...

The Lasham aircraft looks, unfortunately, too far gone to warrant shipping to the US for refurbishment.

Yes. From reports, exfoliation of critical metal, most structure degraded or damaged.

Looking at the performance numbers vs. a Dove, the Drover is a bit of a slow poke. Lighter, less installed hp, and fixed gear must have made it wanting on the bush airstrips loaded to GW. It was obviously designed as a workhorse and not a swift airliner.

Well, that's all true, and don't forget 'hot' - we call it 40 degrees plus, you call it 100 plus. As to the last bit, speaking as an Aussie, DHC got their designs right, DHA just didn't. There's no good reason Australia couldn't have produced effective bush plane/s just like the Canadians - but the history hasn't been good, until now with the Gippsland / Mahindra Airvan. The Drover was designed to be a useful aircraft, and it just wasn't.

I'd love to help get a Drover flying in the US (or outside of Australia as well as our examples here) but it would be a form of masochism for the operator.

Regards,

[rossjools]

, On the subject of the Drover's performance I was talking to a pilot a few years ago that had flown both the DH-84 Dragon and its intended replacement the DHA-3 Drover and his comment was that the Drover took 3 Gypsy engines to do what the Dragon had always done on 2 Gypsies. Something of an indictment of the Drover IMHO, but then he'd flown them both and I hadn't so I was prepared to believe him on that score. He also made the comment when I asked him about hot 'n high performance he just laughed and said "what hot 'n high performance? Now when they re-engined them with the Lycomings it was a better aeroplane all round, more performance on a bit less fuel and it was never meant to be a high speed airliner, it was basically a bushplane with all that that entails."

Cheers,
Ross.