The D'havilland Heron Story
Perhaps one of you chaps could confirm (or otherwise) this recollection from the early seventies. I had a beer with an Ozz Heron pilot in Fiji who told me that under the Australian regulations on trips of a certain length he was required to take an astro shot. This despite being single pilot and no autopilot.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Winnipeg
Age: 69
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Perhaps one of you chaps could confirm (or otherwise) this recollection from the early seventies. I had a beer with an Ozz Heron pilot in Fiji who told me that under the Australian regulations on trips of a certain length he was required to take an astro shot. This despite being single pilot and no autopilot.
I have just received this from a pilot who flew Herons with Fiji Airways.
Fiji Airways regional destinations in the 1960’s had no alternatives. A low range disel beacon and no night lighting or engineering facilities. Hence no night navigation needed. All flights had to carry 2 hours minimum island reserve fuel. Sometimes flight planning had to bend the rules on one leg.
The sextants were rather large – ex Qantas beasts mounted in the front escape hatch. Passenger seating was only ten with #1 seat position becoming a chart table and #2 a sideways navigators position. A drift sight was also mounted at the cabin side at #2 seat and the navigator was usually the skipper with the co pilot then doing the handling from the left hand seat. On some legs for over 5 hours – no auto pilots! Each Astro position line was the product of three two minute observations with two two minute gaps between them. All averaged out and not forgetting about 5 minutes for calculations.
Remaining pax seats become toilet at 15, galley # 14 , and #13 the TGE (travelling ground engineer) who was also the steward serving the box lunches and coffee!
The sextants were rather large – ex Qantas beasts mounted in the front escape hatch. Passenger seating was only ten with #1 seat position becoming a chart table and #2 a sideways navigators position. A drift sight was also mounted at the cabin side at #2 seat and the navigator was usually the skipper with the co pilot then doing the handling from the left hand seat. On some legs for over 5 hours – no auto pilots! Each Astro position line was the product of three two minute observations with two two minute gaps between them. All averaged out and not forgetting about 5 minutes for calculations.
Remaining pax seats become toilet at 15, galley # 14 , and #13 the TGE (travelling ground engineer) who was also the steward serving the box lunches and coffee!
Fris B,
Many thanks for confirming that my few remaining memory cells have not totally quit !
Many thanks for confirming that my few remaining memory cells have not totally quit !
Lockdown idleness has led me to a daily, rather than, mostly, week-end sweep through threads and discovered this one today. Deep joy. Scrolling down, I wondered why there was no reference to .Morton Air Services who operated both the Dove & the Heron, but, there it was.
I was a wanabee at the time & employed as a D/O at Gatters. Apart from Tommy Gun, Charlie Moss was Crewing Manager but an Ex Radio Operator . I was ordered to ready the Dove as Tom & Charles were going to get airborne for some Air Test, or something. All ready, in swept Tommy asking for the "Operations stop-watch followed by Charles carrying a headset. Blimey, off they walked from the Flight Watch Office direct to the Dove, parked outside (I ordered that ) and off they went. I wondered if we would ever see them again . Halcyon days.
I was a wanabee at the time & employed as a D/O at Gatters. Apart from Tommy Gun, Charlie Moss was Crewing Manager but an Ex Radio Operator . I was ordered to ready the Dove as Tom & Charles were going to get airborne for some Air Test, or something. All ready, in swept Tommy asking for the "Operations stop-watch followed by Charles carrying a headset. Blimey, off they walked from the Flight Watch Office direct to the Dove, parked outside (I ordered that ) and off they went. I wondered if we would ever see them again . Halcyon days.
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: humzaland
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Have I missed a mention of the Heron which the RAF provided for the use of Gus Walker when he was Deputy C-in-C AFCENT in the late 1960s? AFAIR the Luftwaffe luckily provided a Convair as well.
The last (potentially) airworthy Heron was sold at auction in Jersey yesterday for the princely sum of £1! The new owner is now going to organise a crowd funding effort to raise money for required maintenance. Hope it works.
I'd be surprised if the target of £50k was enough to get it flying again, though I see that Plan B is to restore it as a ground exhibit, which sounds more realistic.