| ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION AVIATION HERITAGE MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA |
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| The Bull Creek Collection - A Permanent Reminder of our Aviation Heritage. | |
| ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION AVIATION HERITAGE MUSEUM OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA |
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| The Bull Creek Collection - A Permanent Reminder of our Aviation Heritage. | |
THE HERON PROTOTYPE RESTORATION PROJECT AT BULL CREEK
On 10 May 1950 the polished metal prototype of deHavilland's latest creation, the 14-17 seat Heron feeder-liner, took to the air for the first time. Later in the year it was introduced to the public at the Farnborough Air Show.
In May 1976 the same aeroplane flew for the last time, limping into Jandakot Airport in Perth, Western Australia, on a flight from an inland mining town on three engines. It was pushed to an open air parking area and never flown again.
In November 1977 a British aircraft preservation group tried to raise the money to save this historic aeroplane, but was unsuccessful. For the following two decades the Heron sat in the open at Jandakot Airport, slowly decaying.
In January 1997 the RAAF Association Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia finally managed to acquire the aeroplane and moved it to its museum complex in Bull Creek, Perth. Now the long and expensive process of restoring this historic aeroplane has begun.
The Heron prototype is in sad condition. The interior has been largely gutted and most of the cockpit instruments are missing. While the metal airframe is in fair condition all the fabric surfaces are in a bad state. Most of the aeroplane's final paint scheme has gradually peeled off, leaving bare metal. Windows and many other parts are broken or missing.
Restoring the aeroplane to display condition will be a long and expensive process. The museum is gearing up to begin the work; the workshop is being cleaned up and partly refurbished to take the large aeroplane. Work will begin first on the engines, wings and empennage with other parts such as the control surfaces and fuselage to follow.
The museum is planning to extend its facilities to house the aeroplane, only the second four engined aeroplane in the collection with a generous wingspan of 72 feet.
This site will be updated regularly to keep everyone informed of the progress of the restoration and the documentation of this aeroplane's history.
OUR PLANS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP
Among other things, this prototype Heron represents the history of many vintage aeroplanes which found their ways to the four corners of the world and did sterling service opening up remote areas.
We know a little of the long history of this aircraft and have hints of the work that it did in the British Isles and other parts of Europe. However, we know little of the details of its many activities.
The museum is hopeful of being able to prepare two displays about the Heron when it is finally housed in its new home. One will deal with how the Heron is typical of the way in which air transport played a vital role in the development of Western Australia during the mining boom period. The other will be a display about the aeroplane itself and its many activities in other parts of the world.
We will also be maintaining this web site to inform anyone who is interested about the progress of the restoration and to make available any additional information we can find about the aeroplane. We hope to update this site every six months or so or whenever there are major developments in the restoration project.
We need the help of people who have information about the past of this Heron prototype. You may have photographs of it in its various colour schemes which you can lend us to use in the display and on this web site. You may recall flying in it at some time and would like to recount that experience to us. You may have worked on it at some time and would like to tell us about it. We will try to acknowledge and use all information which you send us on this web site and we will use what information we can in the displays which will eventually go with the restored aeroplane.
We look forward to anyone who can help us. How to Reach Us
PROTOTYPE HISTORY
10 May 1950 First flight under the command of Geoffrey Pike. The aircraft was not painted at the time, and was registered to the deHavilland Aircraft Company, Hatfield, UK as G-ALZL
8 September 1950 Aircraft complete its first 100 hours of flight on this day while on a demonstration flight at the Farnborough Air Show. It was painted with a white fuselage top, a broad maroon cleat line at window level and polished metal, and a Union Jack and the registration on the tail fin. Pike flew daily, coaxing the Heron rapidly into the air for a quiet, fairly fast fly past and landing well within the 450 yard distance quoted by the manufacturer
20 November 1950 Formal Certificate of Airworthiness issued.
26 November 1950 Flown to Khartoum and Nairobi for tropical trials.
May 1951 Aircraft hired out to the Sales Department for demonstration. During the English summer of 1951 British European Airways obtained the use of the aircraft principally for their Scottish routes. All maintenance on the aircraft was carried out by deHavilland's own engineers. For eight weeks during July and August 1951 it operated on Channel Island services in BEA colour scheme.
28 April 1952 Aircraft modified prior to special BEA flight to Italy.
September 1952 Aircraft demonstrated at the Farnborough Air Display in the colours of Japan Air Lines.
25 April 1954 Aircraft leased to Braathesn SAFE and re-registered LN-BDH.
14 May 1954 Aircraft returned from Braathesn SAFE and re-registered G- ALZL.
6 March 1956 Aircraft test flown after 11 months on the ground.
July 1956 Sold to Airlines (Jersey) Ltd and later named 'Duchess of Paris'.
28 April 1956 First 1000 hours flown
23 October 1956 2000 hours flown
22 August 1957 3000 hours flown
16 June 1958 4000 hours flown
4 December 1958 Port wing damaged while taxiing at Guernsey Airport and dismantled and shipped to Jersey for repair.
March 1959 Change of ownership to Alares Development Co Ltd, Jersey. The Heron was operated by Jersey Airlines.
28 March 1959 5000 hours flown.
27 November 1959 6000 hours flown.
26 October 1960 7000 hours flown.
14 July 1961 8000 hours flown.
November 1962 Aircraft sold to Executive Air Transport Ltd.
20 September 1965 Aircraft leased to Emerald Airways and painted in their colour scheme.
25 October 1965 Aircraft operated its first service for Emerald Airways from Belfast.
13 December 1966 Aircraft sold to Cimber Air, Denmark, and registered OY-DGS.
1973 Aircraft sold to Altair Pty Ltd, Jandakot, Western Australia and in early May 1973 Altair pilots left Perth for Sonderbord, Denmark, to collect the aircraft.
May 1973 Tanker truck ran into starboard wing at Teheran Airport, damaging aileron and wingtip. Aircraft grounded there for eight weeks for repairs, mainly due to search for spares.
29 July 1973 Aircraft arrived at Jandakot, registered OY-DGS with 'Geoplan' on the tail.
10 August 1973 Aircraft test flown in Australian markings VH-CJS and chartered to WAPET (WA Petroleum) for flights from Jandakot to Barrow Island. It was later based at Barrow.
November 1974 Following Altair's financial collapse the aircraft was repossessed and on 2 November a solicitor's notice was fixed to the Heron stating it was the property of Lease Industrial Ltd of Sydney.
15 January 1975 Aircraft test flown from Jandakot Airport after lengthy grounding.20 January 1975 Charter flight to Broome for Bristow Helicopters, returned 22nd.
24 January 1975 Aircraft departed Jandakot en route to Adelaide for new owner, Coveair.
26 January 1975 First charter for new owner, flight to Whyalla.
4 December 1975 Following the collapse of Coveair the Heron was flown back to Jandakot, arriving on this date.
9 December 1975 Under lease by United Air Services the first flight used to fly mine workers to Telfer.
February 1976 Amalgamated Air Services won the Telfer contract and then leased the Heron for these operations.
May 1976 Heron limped back to Perth from Telfer on three engines. The company was experiencing maintenance difficulties with this ageing aircraft, it was parked in the open at Jandakot, and never flew again.November 1977 A British aircraft preservation group showed interest in obtaining the Heron, because of its historical interest, and started a public fund to raise finance to purchase the Heron and fly it back to England. However these efforts came to nothing and the machine remained at Jandakot.
21 February 1981 Aircraft inspected by members of the Air Force Association Museum Board.
TECHNICAL DATA
Manufacturer deHavilland Aircraft Company Model DH.114 Heron Type 14-17 passenger airliner Mark Prototype Constructors number 10903 Number built Prototype, 51 Mark 1 and 97 Mark 2 Herons Built at deHavilland Aircraft Co, Hatfield Aerodrome, Herts, UK Construction All metal construction with fabric covered control surfaces Span 71 ft 6 inches Length 48 ft 6 inches Height 15 ft 7 inches Wing area 499 square feet Engines Four 250hp deHavilland Gipsy Queen 30 (ungeared, unsupercharged) Propellers Two bladed, metal, deHavilland variable pitch airscrews Crew Two pilots Passengers Fourteen passengers, seventeen passengers could be carried if no toilet fitted Landing gear Fixed tricycle undercarriage fitted to prototype and Mark 1 aircraft Empty weight 7 960lbs Maximum permissible weight 12 500 lbs Cruising speed Economical cruise 163mph at 8000 feet Cruising speed High speed cruise 171mph at 3000 feet Rate of climb 1200 feet per minute Range 805 miles Service ceiling 18 500 feet, although aircraft was unpressurised so was not operated above 10 000 feet Remarks - The Heron was designed as an enlarged four engined version of the deHavilland Dove, and the emphasis was on rugged simplicity in order to produce an economical aircraft for short to medium stage services in outback areas which did not possess modern aerodromes, and hence the aircraft was devoid of complicated hydraulics, had a fixed undercarriage and reliable ungeared, unsupercharged Gipsy Queen 30 engines.
The prototype was built largely from existing components, including Dove outer wing panels, and Dove nose and tail units. Seven production Heron 1s were built at Hatfield after which production was transferred to deHavilland's Chester plant. On 14 December 1952 the Heron 2 was first flown, featuring a retractable undercarriage, which thus provided a 20mph increase in cruising speed, and a better fuel consumption. Production of Mark 1 Herons ceased on 12 April 1956 although the Mark 2 Heron continued in production until May 1961.
In a bid to increase performance many Herons (mostly the Mark 2 version) were fitted with 340hp Lycoming engines.
PHOTO GALLERY
(Aeroplane Monthly, September 1986)
(Aeroplane Monthly, September 1986)
Prototype Heron in flight
(deHavilland advertisement, Flight, 14 September 1950)
(Flight, 14 September 1950)
Heron in BEA markings, summer 1951
(Aeroplane Monthly, September 1986)
(Aeroplane Monthly, September 1986)
Current photographs of the Heron (by Bill Bebbington)
deHavilland Gipsy Queen 30 engines in the Museum's workshop
Heron cockpit as it is today. A local specialist has volunteered to restore it
Heron fuselage, the markings of the final operator are still visible
