Beagle B206S

[Stationair8]

In this month's edition of Australian Aviation, Beagle B206S VH-UNI is shown as being withdrawn from service.In the comments they list it as one of only six of the type imported into the country of which three went to the RFDS. Who owned and operated the other three? What happened to the RFDS ones? What RFDS section operated them?
Why didn't the aircraft succeed in Australia, to much competition from Cessna, Piper and Beechcraft?
Who was the Australian agent?
Anyone in Pprune land ever fly them?

[Dog One]

The three RFDS aircraft were operated by Broken Hill. The other three I think were operated out of Sydney by I think Helicopter Utilities. They like most British airframes were built like brick sh** houses. Originally designed to military specs to ferry Bomber Command crews to and fro around the UK. Powered by Lycoming GTIO -540's (from memory). Looked over one once at Broken Hill, all the power instruments were 1 inch gauges, no MP gauge, had boost gauges instead.

I believe they had a reasonably good field performance and a rather roomy cabin. Possibly mated with PT6's, it could have become the British King Air!!!!

[Nigel Osborn]

Helicopter Utilities did operate at least one. I flew in one from Sydney to Alice Springs, went very well. It was written off in Port Moresby by the late WR when there was an engine failure straight after take off & WR did a wheels up landing in a field. Unfortunately there was a big ditch & the tail bent behind the cabin & came over the top. The cabin wasn't damaged & no injuries to the 6 on board, thanks to the strong cabin. The demo pilot did an unexpected loop in NZ with buyers on board; guess what, none were sold in NZ!

[Fris B. Fairing]

Beagle 206S-2 VH-UNI (nee UNL) is now on display at the Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra. It was generously donated to QAM by Dr Russell Broadbent. A comprehensive history of the aeroplane is on the QAM website.

BEAGLE 206S-2 VH-UNL (http://www.qam.com.au/aircraft/beagle/VH-UNL.htm)

The Australian Beagle 206s are as follows:

B.023 VH-UNC Airfast/HUPL crashed Port Moresby 19FEB69.
B.047 VH-UNL/UNI Preserved at QAM.
B.050 VH-FDB RFDS Still registered as N68S but may not be extant.
B.052 VH-FDA RFDS Crashed at Corfu on ferry flight to UK 06DEC78.
B.061 VH-FDF RFDS Sold in US as N53JH & subsequently parted out.
B.075 VH-KCA Groupair later PK-OAS. Parted out in Indonesia.

All the pilots I have spoken to say it was a delight to fly.

Nigel, please tell more about the aerobatics in NZ.

Rgds

[Fris B. Fairing]

Nigel

I have checked with the then Marketing Manager for Helicopter Utilities (Airfast) who was on board Beagle 206S, VH-UNL, for every demonstration flight in NZ. He advises that the suggestion the aeroplane was looped, with or without potential buyers on board, is "absolute rubbish". For the NZ sales tour, the aeroplane was flown by a retired Qantas B707 Captain, the late Hoddy Howse.

Regards

[megle2]

Used to be one at the Gold Coast.
Saw it being refueled at the Archefield bowser.

On completion pilot and pax pushed it back.
It had a very handy handle sticking out the front.
Ideal for pushing.
It was called a pitot tube.

All was going swimmingly until it snapped.

[tail wheel]

megle. That is the Beagle 206 now at QAM, Caloundra. Russell Broadbent had one of most aircraft ever built. :}

I remember seeing it parked along side his Republic SeaBee - I wonder what happened to that aircraft?

[chimbu warrior]

Actually Continental TSIO-520's. A good machine apparently, but just a little bit too "pommified".

[brame]

I think that you will find that it is a Rolls Royce Continental GTSIO-520C. I worked on VH-UNL at HUPL / Airfast in Sydney and Indonesia in about 1968.

[Stationair8]

Thanks for the replies, the closest I have come to the Beagle B206 is the mighty Airfix RAF Beagle.
I think Prince Charles during is RAF stint did is multi-engine conversion in the Beagle B206, hence the nick name "Regal Beagle".
Didn't somebody in the USA, buy up the airframes and plan to convert them with Lycoming IO-720's and American electrical systems.

[Tankengine]

I flew UNL in the late 80s at CG. It was`nice to fly but a little long in the tooth by then. One problem is that compared to a`Navajo/C402 it had similar speed and payload but weighed an extra 1000lb or so! :ugh:
I did advise the Dr to put it in a museum but it took him 20 years to do it!!:E

[wombat four]

Brame,

You are exactly right, RR GTSIO 520C, Geared, Turbine, supercharged, injected, Oppossed, Engine size and a C model.

I worked on the same A/C at Heli. Utes/ Airfast in the mid 60's myself.

Ming the Merciless was the Boss and despite the nickname , was a nice guy. Also to me.

Gave my Wife and I, a free ride all around Sydney in a G4, as a Wedding present in 66. Last I heard of him, he was living in Cairns.

I flew the Beagle from the right hand seat and was very impressed with the controls of the A/C.

I also flew the V Tailed Bonanza, VH WKT, on AOG spare part delivery flights for H.Utes around Oz, plus the 2SM Shark Patrol for 3 years in VH-ARK, ( ARK the SHARK )

I last saw a Beagle 206S at Lismore in around 2006/7, looking in very bad shape, I said to The Grievance Committee, ( The Missus ) , that I wouldn't mind getting it for old time sakes, if there were no major engineering prob's or Mods .

Her answer, after 3 Chipmunks, a C172, an MG TF, an E Type Jag and an MGB Coupe, forget it, we are going Cruising, FULL STOP.

Gee ,I JUST LOVE CRUISING, its called, " SPENDING THE INHERITANCE "

I mean that, cruising on P&O and Princess Lines is 11 out of 10. Just back from the Ghan trip, Drw to Adl, Magnificent.

Feb. 09, on a crz to circumsize New Zealand on the, Dawn Princess, or should that be to circumnavigate the K one W Ones.

Cheers, W4

[meade]

The Beagle 206 that went to Indonesia and ended up as PK-OAS operated for a number of years until a pilot ended up out of fuel and ideas, ditched into a rice paddy in Sulawesi. Picked up by S-58T after removal of engines etc for transfer to Ujung Pandang (Makassar) however enroute became "dropped". Finally ended up in Singapore where it was parted out some years later.

[wombat four]

Meade,

Are you talking about, VH UNL, I have lost all track of of the Reg'os .

Do you know the Reg'o of the one that was at Lismore, that is no longer there, is it the one that is up at the Museum, just North of Bne.

Cheers and Apinun,

W4

[meade]

Wombat,
Sorry mate, memory fails me on the details of that one. When it was imported to Indonesia it would have been on the PK register just the same as the Helio Courier and other stuff that came out of or through Heli Util in Oz around that time. Some had a hole in the control wheel (helio and aztec) as the one arm banidt used to fly them around on engineering missions, I think mainly in PNG. One of the drivers on the Beagle 206 mentioned that with the windscreen being so low on either side of the cockpit one could tend to get the leans, but that may have also been because of the cheap "Bintang".

[StallsandSpins]

They are a nice looking aircraft, are there many left flying around the world?. The beagles were never as successful as the Cessnas and Pipers but they were a much better looking aircraft. My grandfather had a B206 for a while at Berwick in the 60's although he's a bit vague now on what became of it after they sold it.

Fris B. posted before saying it was KCA, but i always thought it was UNL. i'll see if i can dig up a photo somewhere

[Fris B. Fairing]

Thanks everyone for the interesting posts.

PK-OAS was originally VH-KCA.

The aeroplane based at Berwick was VH-UNL. More recently it was based at Lismore. While the aeroplane was off the register, UNL was reallocated to another aircraft so the Beagle returned to the register as UNI, presumably the "minimum paint" option. This is the aeroplane now at QAM, Caloundra. Usually when aeroplanes go to museums they are parted-out to within an inch of their lives. To Dr Broadbent's lasting credit, UNL came to QAM virtually complete.

Regards