Royal Navy Devon in Oregon Desert?
On a short course at Cranfield many years ago, I flew on both their Dove and Jetstream for various flight performance experiments/demos. I don't recall the former being particularly noisy.
Never flew in a piston Heron, but I had a couple of domestic flights in Canada in the turboprop ST-27 conversion.
Never flew in a piston Heron, but I had a couple of domestic flights in Canada in the turboprop ST-27 conversion.
Is any one able to confirm the current status of N415SA (c/n 14064). Riley conversion, in a museum at Vasteras SWEDEN ?
One of the N/S Herons at Woolsington
Last edited by longer ron; 3rd Jan 2024 at 06:17.
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Gnome de PPRuNe
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A friend of mine travelled on a Fiji Airways Heron in the early '60s, aged maybe 5 or 6. I recall he told me that the inter-island flight was enlivened by a fire in a waste paper bin...
D-INKA [c/n 04266] https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10962827
NZ1813 [c/n 04396] airworthy with RNZAF historic flight: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9894322
ZK-ZKF [c/n 04312]: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/180760/ZK-ZKF/NZ1805
ZK-XNZ [c/n 04426] :
D-IFSA [C/ 04531]: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/600561/D-IFSA
There should also be G-DHDV and VH-DHI but noeither have flown for a while.
Earlier mention of Cranfield in the context of Navy Herons reminded me of an incident when I nearly collided with a Heron at Cranfield. I was ferrying a glider from Dunstable one evening, arriving at Cranfield after hours and in the middle of a thunderstorm. As the airfield was closed I decided to descend over the airfield while I could still see it and lost 3000' just crossing to the far side of the main runway to land near the hangars to await help to put the glider away. As I crossed the runway, at about 300', a Navy Heron passed underneath me, having just landed. He dropped someone off and then taxied past me on his way back to the runway for take off.
I flew in the Cranfield Doves during a flight testing course as part of my Aero Eng degree from London QMC. Great fun and a brilliant course - I learned more in 2 weeks there than in 4 years at QMC! Apparently one of the Doves had belonged to Emil Savundra, an infamous swindler of the '60s! The Doves weren't particularly noisy as I recall - unlike the loathsome Jestreams on which I suffered 15 hours of misery doing a multi-engine refresher course in the RAF.
When Lulsgate became Bristol Airport in 1957, Jersey Airlines Herons were a common sight along with various other propeller-engined airliners as until the late '60s, the runway was too short for jets.
When Lulsgate became Bristol Airport in 1957, Jersey Airlines Herons were a common sight along with various other propeller-engined airliners as until the late '60s, the runway was too short for jets.
Flew on a Riley modded Heron from San Juan to St. Croix. I think it was Carib Air? It had four big, flat HO style engines which greatly improved performance. Noted the emergency exit hatches in ceiling. Was that standard on all Herons or was this a converted Sea Heron?
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If memory serves, the overhead hatches were standard in the Dove... Read a flight test of the Dove 8 recently, think they may have been mentioned there.
Flew on a Riley modded Heron from San Juan to St. Croix. I think it was Carib Air? It had four big, flat HO style engines which greatly improved performance. Noted the emergency exit hatches in ceiling. Was that standard on all Herons or was this a converted Sea Heron?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prinair
https://www.airhistory.net/basic-operator/1761/Prinair
This seems like an appropriate place to ask this question. The military version of the Dove was renamed the Devon. Why was the Heron not renamed?
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I remember several Prinair Herons at Opa Locka when I went there in 1984, also I think they had several dismantled Malaysian AF Herons there for spares.
Of course, there lives a Heron less than a mile from where I sit now, the former British Nuclear Power example G-ANUO, masquerading as Morton's G-AOXL outside the Croydon Airport terminal building. I see it's been spruced up a bit and now carries Airport House titles rather than Morton Air Services!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/G1Zuk3ejy6XnWnFq9
(There was also a Tiger Moth inside the terminal building a few years ago; believe it's now either airworthy or still under rebuild. Be nice to see the Heron flying again but not courtesy of the high winds that are presently doing unspeakable things to the sycamore trees at the end of the garden.)
Of course, there lives a Heron less than a mile from where I sit now, the former British Nuclear Power example G-ANUO, masquerading as Morton's G-AOXL outside the Croydon Airport terminal building. I see it's been spruced up a bit and now carries Airport House titles rather than Morton Air Services!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/G1Zuk3ejy6XnWnFq9
(There was also a Tiger Moth inside the terminal building a few years ago; believe it's now either airworthy or still under rebuild. Be nice to see the Heron flying again but not courtesy of the high winds that are presently doing unspeakable things to the sycamore trees at the end of the garden.)
That's it. XM296. Recall it had a green cheatline rather than blue, confirmed by an AB pic. My dusty old log says I saw it at Biggin Hill in 1983...
It then went to the US as N82D and XR442/G-HRON was used as spares to keep it airworthy with the Albany Aero Club. That's now in Bolivia... or was...
It then went to the US as N82D and XR442/G-HRON was used as spares to keep it airworthy with the Albany Aero Club. That's now in Bolivia... or was...
Traditionally, Commander-in-Chiefs' barges, their personal fast launches, had a green hull (whereas the hull of other Flag Officers' barges were dark blue) and this distinction was perpetuated in the Fleet Air Arm by the green, rather than blue, cheatline to which Dave refers on the Heron, and on the lower part of the hull on FONAC's personal helicopter, which, for a reason which has nothng to do with aviation, was always known as the "Green Parrot", as seen here at Post #161.
Finally, if only for the fun of emphasising that some Services claim to have traditions rather than habits, here is the confirmation that the expression the "Green Parrot" goes back over 100 years since Admiral Sir Hedworth Meux was Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth from 1912 to 1916!
Jack
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I hitched a ride on a 207Sqn Devon down from Lossie to Turnhouse. It had just dropped off the AOC and was returning empty, I was working the line at VASS and just mentioned in passing that I was heading off on leave that evening, the crew said "hop aboard". I settled in and had one of the most memorable flights ever as we headed south using the low level route. For an admiral's barge the aircraft was spritely with lovely smooth movements. An altogether unforgettable ride as I sat on the AOC's throne and watched the cairngorms slide by at wing tip level.
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Dredging my memory banks, I attended school close to KLGA to get my A&P licenses. Lunch times, you could walk across highway bridge and get right on ramp in Marine Terminal area. Pan Am had the big seaplane hangar and a row of smaller hangars where Pan Am supported B-18, B-23 and DC-3 exec aircraft. Saw my first Dove there but it had fixed gear. Nose gear had a truly artistic fairing over it. A very pretty aircraft.
Going back to early post of flying in a Riley modded Heron, it was indeed Prinair operated. Good ride and those overhead escape hatches seemed like a good idea with all that water below enroute.
Going back to early post of flying in a Riley modded Heron, it was indeed Prinair operated. Good ride and those overhead escape hatches seemed like a good idea with all that water below enroute.