Aircraft / de Havilland DHA-3 Drover
The de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover is a tri-engine small transport aircraft developed by de Havilland Aircraft Pty Limited, more commonly known as de Havilland Australia. The company was headquartered at Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, while the aircraft production line was based at Bankstown Airport (BWU) in nearby Canterbury-Bankstown, NSW, Australia.
DHA-3 Drover was a derivative of the British-built de Havilland DH.104 Dove, an aircraft type that was not deemed suitable for the Australian climate or its rugged Outback airfields. The Drover was designed with 3 four-cylinder Gipsy Major engines instead of the Dove's two Gipsy Queen six-cylinder engines. The Drover had the same wingspan as the Dove with a slightly shorter fuselage. The Drover’s designers also replaced the Dove's retractable tricycle landing gear with a fixed taildragger undercarriage configuration.
The DHA-3 Drover had its share of shortcomings, which became evident shortly after the type was introduced into active service in 1949. The aircraft's lack of power, especially in hot weather, and a tendency for propellers to fail in-flight resulted in the loss of two aircraft. To solve the propeller issue, the de Havilland variable-pitch propellers were swapped out with Fairey Reed fixed-pitch propellers, and all existing aircraft were refitted accordingly. The aircraft was further modified by introducing double slotted flaps to improve its performance. The type was later re-engined with with three Lycoming O-360-A1A horizontally-opposed engines driving Hartzell feathering constant-speed propellers; this change resulted in the aircraft been redesignated as the de Havilland DHA-3 Drover Mk. 3.
Due to poor sales, production of the DHA-3 Drover ended in 1953 with only 20 examples built. Qantas Airlines was the original launch customer, which sold off its inventory of them by 1960. The Drover saw active use with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) aeromedical service until the late 1960s, after which they were replaced with more modern aircraft. Thereafter the type entered later service with a few other airlines and institutions across Australia and the rest of Oceania.
As of 2024 the DHA-3 remains in limited active service, with 4 units reportedly still registered in Australia. Several are on static public display in museums and at a RFDS base in Mount Isa, Queensland.
Reference: Wikipedia.
Stats
Stats displayed are for the de Havilland DHA-3 Drover utility aircraft.
Name: de Havilland DHA-3 Drover Mk. 3
Origin: Bankstown Airport-BWU, Canterbury-Bankstown, NSW, Australia
Role: Three Engine Low Wing Commuter/Utility Airliner
First Introduction: 13 September 1950
Status: Out of Production; In Limited Service
Cockpit Crew: One or Two
Seating: 8
Engines: 3 × Lycoming O-360-A1A
Cruise Speed: 125 knots (232 km/h; 144 mph)
Range: 470 nmi (870 km; 540 mi)