Whereabouts of dehavilland Doves in OZ
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oh please share Wally,
my Dad did his training with Discover Flying in SYK & TXA and worked for big M doing office work and washing the aircraft to "earn hours". how many he earned i am unsure. Dad told me before he passed recently that he was called to MM's house one night with all the DF crew where they were show the master plan for the "Penguin Express" the dove arrived a few week later i think.
Cheers, Dan
my Dad did his training with Discover Flying in SYK & TXA and worked for big M doing office work and washing the aircraft to "earn hours". how many he earned i am unsure. Dad told me before he passed recently that he was called to MM's house one night with all the DF crew where they were show the master plan for the "Penguin Express" the dove arrived a few week later i think.
Cheers, Dan
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I remember in the early 90's there used to be a fleet of them at Essendon taking tourists down to Phillip Island to see the Penguins. Can anyone recall who the operator was? I remember vaguely one having an engine failure after take-off on 17 at YMEN but landing safely in the streets of North Essendon.
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Dan,
Very sorry to hear about the passing of your dad.
Certainly was one of the gentlemen on the airport.
Will be sadly missed.
Your Cherokee was the very first aircraft I worked on at Essendon alongside your dad.
Spent many years working on the Doves. Fond memories.
Very sorry to hear about the passing of your dad.
Certainly was one of the gentlemen on the airport.
Will be sadly missed.
Your Cherokee was the very first aircraft I worked on at Essendon alongside your dad.
Spent many years working on the Doves. Fond memories.
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Training wheels.
There were 2 different operators running doves at that time.
1 operator with 2 Riley doves and another operator with 3 doves doing freight, charter and Dinner flights around the bay.
I don't think there are too many aircraft that could take out a number of houses and then all the POB pretty much walk away.
One tough old bird !!
There were 2 different operators running doves at that time.
1 operator with 2 Riley doves and another operator with 3 doves doing freight, charter and Dinner flights around the bay.
I don't think there are too many aircraft that could take out a number of houses and then all the POB pretty much walk away.
One tough old bird !!
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The cause of the crash was a defect with the engine driven fuel pump.
The engine failed at the worst possible time in the takeoff and to add in salt to injury was not an instant failure.
To cut a long story short.... The pilot was exonerated of any blame after a very lengthy investigation.
The engine failed at the worst possible time in the takeoff and to add in salt to injury was not an instant failure.
To cut a long story short.... The pilot was exonerated of any blame after a very lengthy investigation.
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Thanks rnuts - this is where I picked up about the claim - but can't find any result. Essendon Air Crash - Residents Sue Rudge
'tw' as 'runts' says there where 2 operators back then with the old Pommy ergonomic monsters (Doves). Ted Rudge (Rudge Air) whom found out how they don't fly with one donk failed & the flaps still hanging out ( so I heard) near 20 yrs ago now he had the original Gypsy Queens donks in his. I was flying VH ABM that very night he crashed, my Mob Ph (house brick back then) went nuts when my family & friends found out that a Dove had crashed at EN.
The other operator Maloney Aviation (also various other trading names) operated the 'Penguin Express" & had VH NBM & VH ABM, both Riley conversions. We used to squeeeeze 11 pax in them, the Japanese tourists (mostly newlyweds)where tiny so they fitted well:-)
'Dan' am also sorry to hear of yr dads passing, hopefully he's in a better place now.
The Doves where already operating when I came to fly them so I don't really recall to many people whom worked for Maurice floating around back then sorry.
I remember Maurice's son Rowan (may he rest in peace, poor kid lost his life way too early) hanging around the office helping out where he could & the times that Maurice would give each pax a glass of champers prior to boarding for the Penguin flight (drink to sooth the nerves, if they only knew!
) then what was left over un-drunk which was a fair bit due the Japs not really drinking that awful $2 bottle of so called bubbly Maurice poured the rest back in the bottles & they went back in the fridge for 2moro nights poor buggers, amazing how a stir with a finger brought the bubbles back to life
One night coming back late into EN with the usual load of Japanese onboard I had a young girl up front with me (control column removed) whom whilst we where orbiting over the CBD (which was usual as part of the tour) snapped her camera complete with large external flash as she leaned right across me to get the City lights, of course at that very instant the auto pilot failed, ME!!! Talk about couldn't see a thing for a couple of minutes!!
Also it was customary to still do the city orbit at night on the way home even in IMC, Maurice said they paid for it so we had to do it otherwise they would have wanted a discount & that word never existed in Maurices mind Good job ATC told us we where right over the CBD then I/we did a large slow rate one turn till the old ADF needle was pointing back to EN, orbit complete, jobs done lets land this sucker!:-0)
........................oh the many stories, am sure us old codgers have plenty buried deep down in out feeble minds
Wmk2
The other operator Maloney Aviation (also various other trading names) operated the 'Penguin Express" & had VH NBM & VH ABM, both Riley conversions. We used to squeeeeze 11 pax in them, the Japanese tourists (mostly newlyweds)where tiny so they fitted well:-)
'Dan' am also sorry to hear of yr dads passing, hopefully he's in a better place now.
The Doves where already operating when I came to fly them so I don't really recall to many people whom worked for Maurice floating around back then sorry.
I remember Maurice's son Rowan (may he rest in peace, poor kid lost his life way too early) hanging around the office helping out where he could & the times that Maurice would give each pax a glass of champers prior to boarding for the Penguin flight (drink to sooth the nerves, if they only knew!
) then what was left over un-drunk which was a fair bit due the Japs not really drinking that awful $2 bottle of so called bubbly Maurice poured the rest back in the bottles & they went back in the fridge for 2moro nights poor buggers, amazing how a stir with a finger brought the bubbles back to lifeOne night coming back late into EN with the usual load of Japanese onboard I had a young girl up front with me (control column removed) whom whilst we where orbiting over the CBD (which was usual as part of the tour) snapped her camera complete with large external flash as she leaned right across me to get the City lights, of course at that very instant the auto pilot failed, ME!!! Talk about couldn't see a thing for a couple of minutes!!
Also it was customary to still do the city orbit at night on the way home even in IMC, Maurice said they paid for it so we had to do it otherwise they would have wanted a discount & that word never existed in Maurices mind
Good job ATC told us we where right over the CBD then I/we did a large slow rate one turn till the old ADF needle was pointing back to EN, orbit complete, jobs done lets land this sucker!:-0)........................oh the many stories, am sure us old codgers have plenty buried deep down in out feeble minds
Wmk2
Is that "the" BIll Shorten in your link I16?
Seems likely, he worked for Marice Blackburn for a short while, around then.
Seems likely, he worked for Marice Blackburn for a short while, around then.
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Nice story Wally. So you're the man flying the Doves on the Penguin Express all those years ago. I had just qualified for my NVFR rating back then and regularly flew the city orbits at night with friends .. used to always hear the Doves on EN tower frequency.
I had just qualified for my NVFR rating back then and regularly flew the city orbits at night with friends .. used to always hear the Doves on EN tower frequency.
'AE' as usual great creations of yrs there but yr missing one critical thing on any Dove painting you show whilst on the ground, 3 puddles of oil under each wheel assy
'wheely' I was one of a few who drove the old Doves, there where others who where not quite right in the head like me The old girls did teach you one thing though, how to fly, to think outside the square & not just by the rule book:-)
Wmk2
'wheely' I was one of a few who drove the old Doves, there where others who where not quite right in the head like me
The old girls did teach you one thing though, how to fly, to think outside the square & not just by the rule book:-) Wmk2
Last edited by Wally Mk2; 1st Nov 2013 at 09:25.
Please can anyone cofirm the fate of VH-CTS? It was apparently at Mildura when the museum closed.
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