avia.wikisort.org - Aeroplane

Search / Calendar

The de Havilland DH.114 Heron is a small propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle undercarriage that could be used on regional and commuter routes. A total of 149 were built,[1] and it was also exported to about 30 countries. Herons later formed the basis for various conversions, such as the Riley Turbo Skyliner and the Saunders ST-27 and ST-28.

DH.114 Heron
De Havilland DH.114 Heron 2 of Cambrian Airways at Manchester Airport operating a scheduled service in April 1958
Role Airliner
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer de Havilland
First flight 10 May 1950
Introduction 1950
Status Retired
Primary users Garuda Indonesian Airways
See Operators
Number built 149[1]
Developed from de Havilland Dove
Variants Saunders ST-27
DH.114 Heron 2 restored in the United States
DH.114 Heron 2 restored in the United States

Design and development


In the closing stages of the Second World War, the aircraft manufacturer de Havilland began development of a new small twin-engined passenger aircraft, the DH 104 Dove, intended as a replacement for the earlier Dragon Rapide and which soon proved to be successful. As a further development, the company basically enlarged the Dove; the fuselage was lengthened to make room for more passengers or freight, and the wingspan was increased to make room for two more engines. The Heron was of all-metal construction, and was laid out as a conventional design; the resulting aircraft could use many of the parts originally designed for the Dove, thus simplifying logistics for airlines using both types.

The emphasis was on rugged simplicity to produce an economical aircraft for short- to medium-stage routes in isolated and remote areas which did not possess modern airports. The Heron was designed with a fixed undercarriage and Gipsy Queen 30 engines, which lacked potentially unreliable reduction gearboxes and superchargers.

The Heron prototype registered to the de Havilland Aircraft Company, Hatfield, UK, as G-ALZL undertook its first flight with Geoffrey Pike at the controls on 10 May 1950.[2] The aircraft was unpainted at the time, and after 100 hours of testing was introduced to the public on 8 September 1950 at the Farnborough Airshow, still glistening in its polished metal state. By November, the prototype had received its formal British Certificate of Airworthiness and had flown to Khartoum and Nairobi for tropical trials.

The prototype was then painted and fitted out as a company demonstrator, and was tried by British European Airways in 1951 on its Scottish routes. Following the successful completion of the prototype trials as a regional airliner, series production of the Heron began. The first deliveries were to NAC, the New Zealand National Airways Corporation (later part of Air New Zealand).

Basic price for a new Heron in 1960 was around £60,000, minus radio.[3]


Operational service


The first Heron, Series 1A suffered deficiencies, as NAC soon discovered. First, the aircraft was generally underpowered. Its quite heavy engines (weighing about 490 pounds (220 kg) each), had an output of only 250 hp (190 kW) each. By comparison, later modifications or rebuilt aircraft had as much as 50% more power (in the case of the Saunders ST-27). Unlike the Dove, the Heron came with a fixed undercarriage and no nosewheel steering, which simplified maintenance, but reduced top speed. Secondly the lightweight aluminium alloy wingspars were prone to constant cracking due to the heavy loading on the wing caused by the overweight engines and rough landings on unpaved runways at the time. NAC resolved this by replacing the aluminium spars with heavier steel spars, reducing the performance of the Heron Series 1A (re-classified 1B) to uneconomic levels for the services required of them in New Zealand. NAC disposed of them in 1957.

After 51 Series 1 aircraft had been built, production switched to the Series 2, featuring retractable landing gear, which reduced drag and fuel consumption, and increased the top speed marginally. The 2A was the equivalent of the 1A, the basic passenger aircraft while the 1B and its successor the 2B had higher maximum takeoff weight, the 2C featured fully feathering propellers, the Heron 2D had an even higher maximum takeoff weight, while the Heron 2E was a VIP version.

In service, the Heron was generally well received by flight crews and passengers who appreciated the additional safety factor of the four engines. At a time when smaller airliners were still rare in isolated and remote regions, the DH.114 could provide reliable and comfortable service with seating for 17 passengers, in individual seats on either side of the aisle.

With its larger fuselage, passengers could stand up whilst moving down the aisle and large windows were also provided. Baggage was stored in an aft compartment with an additional smaller area in the nose. A few peculiarities appeared; passengers who filled the aft rows first would find that the Heron gently "sat down" on its rear skid. Pilots and ground crews soon added a tail brace to prevent the aircraft from sitting awkwardly on its tail.

Performance throughout the Heron range was relatively "leisurely", and after production at de Havilland's Chester factory ceased in 1963, several companies, most notably Riley Aircraft Corporation, offered various Heron modification kits, mainly related to replacing the engines, which greatly enhanced takeoff and top speed capabilities. Riley Aircraft replaced the Gipsy Queens with horizontally-opposed Lycoming IO-540 engines.

Prinair Heron with greatly lengthened fuselage (17 feet or 5.2 metres) and fitted with Continental 520 engines
Prinair Heron with greatly lengthened fuselage (17 feet or 5.2 metres) and fitted with Continental 520 engines
DH Riley Heron fitted with Lycoming engines at Cleveland Airport Ohio in 1982. It is operated by Fischer Brothers for Allegheny Commuter.
DH Riley Heron fitted with Lycoming engines at Cleveland Airport Ohio in 1982. It is operated by Fischer Brothers for Allegheny Commuter.

One U.S. airline that carried out Riley-type conversions at their Opa Locka Airport Florida engineering facility was Prinair, of Puerto Rico, which replaced the Gipsy Queens with Continental IO-520 engines.[4] Prinair also considerably stretched Heron 2 N574PR to allow extra passengers to be carried.

Connellan Airways also converted its Herons, using Riley kits. When available aircraft reached the end of their service lives, the engine conversions gave the elderly airliner a new lease of life as a number of examples were converted in the 1970s and 1980s including N415SA, a Riley Heron still flying in Sweden as of 20 May 2012 and a Riley Turbo Skyliner, tail number N600PR currently registered in the United States (this example appeared in the 1986 movie Club Paradise[5]).

The most radical modification of the basic Heron airframe was the Saunders ST-27/-28, that basically changed the configuration as well as the "look" of the whole aircraft with two powerful turboprop engines replacing the lethargic four-engine arrangement, a stretched fuselage, the shape of the windows changed and the wingtips squared instead of rounded.


Variants


DH.114 Heron 1B of Morton Air Services in 1965. Note fixed undercarriage of this version
DH.114 Heron 1B of Morton Air Services in 1965. Note fixed undercarriage of this version
Japanese custom model DH.114 Tawron
Japanese custom model DH.114 Tawron

Operators



Military operators



Civil operators


Heron 1B at the Newark Air Museum
Heron 1B at the Newark Air Museum
Heron 1B at the Newark Air Museum
Heron 1B at the Newark Air Museum

Accidents and incidents



Specifications (Heron 2D)


De Havilland Heron Instrument Panel
De Havilland Heron Instrument Panel

Data from De Havilland Aircraft since 1909 [25]

General characteristics

Performance


See also


Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era


References



Notes


  1. "De Havilland DH114 Heron".
  2. Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Volume 2. London: Putnam & Company, 1973. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "FAA Supplemental Type Certificate SA1685WE." faa.gov. Retrieved: 13 August 2008.
  5. Ebert, Roger. " 'Club Paradise' Review". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved: 1 April 2007. Note: The Riley Heron is integral to the plot as it unloads planeloads of unsuspecting tourists at a ramshackle resort.
  6. "FAA Supplemental Type Certificate SA1368WE." faa.gov. Retrieved: 13 August 2008.
  7. Taylor 1965, p. 107.
  8. Tom Cooper (2003). "Congo, Part 1; 1960–1963". ACIG. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015.
  9. Air International November 1985, p. 229.
  10. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 1B F-BGOI Mount Kupe". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  11. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2B LN-SUR Hummelfjell Mountain". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  12. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 1B G-AOFY Islay-Glenegedale Airport (ILY)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  13. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2D EC-ANZ Son Bonet Airport Airport". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  14. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 1B G-APJS Mount Scifarello". www.asndata.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  15. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2D EC-ANJ Barcelona Airport (BCN)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  16. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2 I-AOMU Mt Capanne". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  17. Accident history for HAC at Aviation Safety Network
  18. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 1B F-OCED Moroni Airport (HAH)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  19. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2D N563PR San Juan".
  20. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 1B HR-ASN Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  21. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Prinair Heron 2B N554PR Ponce-Mercedita Airport (PSE)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  22. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Riley Heron 2E/A1 VH-CLS Cairns Airport, QLD (CNS)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  23. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2D N575PR Saint Croix-Alexander Hamilton Airport (STX)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  24. "Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  25. Jackson 1987, p. 494.
  26. Bridgman 1958, p. 68.

Bibliography



На других языках


[de] De Havilland DH.114 Heron

Die de Havilland DH.114 Heron war ein kleines viermotoriges Verkehrsflugzeug für den Regional- und Zubringerdienst. Es wurde in den 1950er-Jahren durch den britischen Hersteller de Havilland Aircraft Company gebaut.
- [en] De Havilland Heron

[fr] De Havilland Heron

Le de Havilland DH.114 Heron est un petit avion de ligne à hélices britannique dont le premier vol remonte au 10 mai 1950. Le Heron est un dérivé du bimoteur de Havilland DH.104 Dove (« colombe », en anglais), auquel on aurait ajouté deux moteurs supplémentaires et dont on aurait étiré le fuselage. Le Heron a été conçu comme un monoplan rustique, à aile basse et train tricycle, en vue de servir sur des lignes régionales. Son constructeur en a produit 150, exportés dans près de trente pays. Les Heron ont servi par la suite de base pour d’autres dérivés, tel le Riley Turbo Skyliner et les Saunders ST-27 et ST-28.

[it] De Havilland DH.114 Heron

Il de Havilland DH.114 Heron era un quadrimotore da trasporto e di linea ad ala bassa prodotto dall'azienda britannica de Havilland Aircraft Company negli anni cinquanta.

[ru] De Havilland Heron

De Havilland DH.114 Heron — британский винтовой пассажирский самолёт для линий малой протяженности. Разработан и производился предприятием de Havilland с 1951 по 1963 г. Выпускался в нескольких модификациях. Общий выпуск составил 150 самолётов. Экспортировался более чем в 30 стран.



Текст в блоке "Читать" взят с сайта "Википедия" и доступен по лицензии Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike; в отдельных случаях могут действовать дополнительные условия.

Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.

2019-2025
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии