The de Havilland DH.104 Dove is a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. The design, which was a monoplane successor to the pre-war Dragon Rapide biplane, came about from the Brabazon Committee report which, amongst other aircraft types, called for a British-designed short-haul feeder for airlines.Jackson 1987, p. 443.
The Dove was a popular aircraft and is considered to be one of Britain's most successful postwar civil designs, with over 500 aircraft manufactured between 1946 and 1967. Several military variants were operated, such as the Devon by the Royal Air Force and the Sea Devon by the Royal Navy, and the type also saw service with a number of overseas military forces.
A longer four-engined development of the Dove, intended for use in the less developed areas of the world, was the Heron. A considerably re-designed three-engined variant of the Dove was built in Australia as the de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover.
Development and design The development team for the Dove was headed by Ronald 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.de Havilland Dove 30 May 1946. p. 547a. In concept, the Dove was developed to be the replacement of the pre-war 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.The de Havilland Dove 12 April 1945, p. 399. Unlike the Dragon Rapide, the Dove's structure was entirely metal. It featured innovations including constant-speed propellers, flaps, and a retractable tricycle undercarriage."de Havilland Heron." Flight International, 22 January 1954. p. 97.
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 the detachable wings and tail cone.de Havilland Dove 30 May 1946. pp. 547b-547d. 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.de Havilland Dove 30 May 1946. p. 547d.
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 increased seating.The de Havilland Dove 12 April 1945, p. 400. Various specialised models were produced for other roles, such as aerial survey, air ambulance, and flying classroom."Commercial Aircraft 1953." Flight International, 6 March 1953. p. 304. A strengthened cabin floor structure was used to enable concentrated freight loads to be carried as well.de Havilland Dove 30 May 1946. p. 547. The Dove could also serve as an executive transport, and in such a configuration it was capable of seating five passengers; the executive model proved to be popular with various overseas customers, particularly those in the United States.Jerram, Mike. "The last de Havilland." Flying Magazine, 120 (9). p. 43.
The crew typically consisted of a pilot and radio operator, although rapidly removable dual flight controls could be installed for a second flying crewmember. A combination of large windows and a transparent perspex cabin roof provided a high level of visibility from the cockpit.Schlaeger September 1961, p. 64. From a piloting perspective, the Dove was noted for possessing easy flying qualities and mild stall qualities.Schlaeger September 1961, p. 66. 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.
Operational service
The Dove first flew on 25 September 1945. In December 1946, the Dove entered service with Central African Airways."Hawker Siddeley Aviation." Flight International, 26 November 1964. p. 919. Initial production of the Dove took place at de Havilland's Hatfield factory, but from 1951 the aircraft were built at the company's Broughton facility near Chester.Jackson 1987, p. 444. The final example of the type was delivered in 1967. Production of the Dove and its variants totalled 544 aircraft, including two prototypes, 127 military-orientated Devons and 13 Sea Devons.
From 1946, large numbers were sold to scheduled and charter airlines around the world, replacing and supplementing the pre-war 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,Jackson 1987, p. 445. 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.Sykes 1972
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, but did not manage to match this early commercial success for the type.Collins, Richard L. "On Top: Life of Riley." Flying Magazine, April 1975. 96(4). p. 8.
An early batch of 30 Devons was delivered to the Royal Air ForceJackson 1987, p. 446. and they 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, to be subsequently found in 1970 on the premises of a school in Uli.Cooper, Tom. Acig.org 13 November 2003. 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 Dove served as the first official aircraft of a Paraguayan head of state during the rule of Alfredo Stroessner. It was subsequently replaced by a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
A few Doves and civilianised Devons remained 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 ) de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines.Gunston 1980, p. 158.Jackson 1987, pp. 446–446 Dove 1B : Dove Mk 1 aircraft, fitted with two Gipsy Queen 70-4 piston engines. Dove 2 : Executive transport version, seating up to six passengers. Powered by two Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines. Dove 2B : Dove Mk 2 aircraft, fitted with two Gipsy Queen 70-4 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 fitted with revised cockpit and two Gipsy Queen 175 piston engines.Jackson 1987, p. 449 Sea Devon C Mk 20 : Transport and communications version for the Royal Navy. Dove 5 : Uprated version of the Dove 1, seating up to 11 passengers, with two Gipsy Queen 70 Mk2 piston engines.Gunston 1980, p. 159. Dove 6 : Uprated version of the Dove 2, a six seat executive transport aircraft, powered by two Gipsy Queen 70 Mk2 piston engines. Dove 6B : Stressed for operations at a maximum weight of .Jackson 1987, pp. 446, 450
Dove 7 : Uprated version of the Dove 5, seating up to 11 passengers, fitted with two Gipsy Queen 70 Mk3 piston engines and revised cockpit. Dove 8 : Uprated version of the six seat executive Dove 6, fitted with two Gipsy Queen 70 Mk3 piston engines and revised cockpit. Dove 8A : Five seater version of the Dove 8 for the U.S. market.
Dove Custom 800 : A customised 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.Schlaeger September 1961, pp. 30–31.
Carstedt Jet Liner 600 : Conversions of the Dove, carried out by Carstedt Inc, of Long Beach, California, USA. The aircraft were fitted with two Garrett AiResearch TPE331 turboprop engines. The fuselage was lengthened by to accommodate 18 passengers.Gunston 1980, pp. 159, 238. Only six aircraft were converted before one aircraft was lost due to a mid-air structural failure. 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.Jane 1972, p. 432. The aircraft were fitted with two Lycoming IO-720-A1A flat-eight piston engines. Riley conversions were fitted with a taller swept vertical fin and rudder but those retaining the standard DH fin were named Riley Dove 2 . During the late 1960s, Riley Aeronautics, at the Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, did interior refitting work on both the De Havilland Dove and the Heron.
Operators
Civil operators
Airlines of Western Australia Bay of Plenty Airlines MacRobertson Miller Airlines Mandated Airlines Northern Territory Medical Service Royal Flying Doctor Service Southern Airlines
Gulf Aviation
BIAS SABENAStroud 1994, p. 67.
Union of Burma Airways
LAN-ChileStroud 1994, p. 68.
Cimber Air Falcks Flyvetjeneste
West African Airways Corporation
LTU
West African Airways Corporation
Airways (India) Limited Indian National Airways Government of Madras
SAATAS East Indonesia
Iraq Petroleum Company
Nippon Helicopter and Aeroplane Far East Airlines , , and East African Airways
Martinair (then called Martin's Air Charter)
West African Airways Corporation
Central African Airways
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
West African Airways Corporation
Comair (South Africa) operated 2 aircraft. South African Airways
Sudan Airways
Airviews Ltd BBC Air BOAC (for training and communications) Bristow Helicopters British Midland British Westpoint Airlines Cambrian Airways Channel Airways (scheduled services) Dan-Air (scheduled services) Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd Hunting-Clan Air Transport Melba Airways Morton Air Services Olley Air Services Skyways Silver City Airways CAA Flying Unit
Air Wisconsin Apache Airlines Catalina Airlines Golden Isles Airlines Gulf Coast Airways Illini Airlines Midwest Air Charter National Test Pilot School Statewide Airlines Superior Airlines TAG Airlines
Jugoslovenski Aero-Transport (JAT).Air-Britain Archive Winter 2009, p. 148
Military operators
Argentine Air Force Argentine Coast Guard"F-12 (cn 04156)". airliners.net, 11 February 2006. Retrieved: 11 October 2011. Argentine Federal Police
Force Publique