VH-DHD (2) de Havilland D.H.104 Dove
(c/n 04104)
VH-DHD left Hatfield in February 1948 to become VT-CQY, one of four
Doves operated by
Airways
(India) Ltd. It was sold to Airlines (WA) Ltd in 1963
as VH-AWA. When Airlines (WA)
amalgamated with
MacRoberston Miller Aviation in 1955 to become MacRobertson Miller
Airlines,
the Dove was re-registered
VH-MMN. (Anyone have a decent image of it as either -AWA or
-MMN or
both?). By 1967 it had passed to the Commonwealth
Department of Health becoming
VH-DHD. Whilst with the Department VH-DHD was
instrumental in evacuating people from Darwin
to Katherine after Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Greg
Banfield took two images of it. Above, at Bankstown
in July 1975 carrying Northern
Territory Medical Service titling, and immediately below at Camden in
January 1978 when the
aircraft was operated by Macarthur Airways on
a short lived
scheduled service
from Camden, NSW to
Canberra. The photo on the foot of the page by
George Canciara was taken at
Essendon in 1989.
Struck off the
register in 1983, the
deteriorating Dove was
rescued by Capt. Ted
Rudge of
Australian Airlines in
1987. It was restored and operated
by Rudge Air (primarily a charter
outfit) until it
crashed into
houses in suburban Essendon on 3 Dec 1993,
just
after the right engine had
failed on
take-off.
Fortunately
there
was no loss of life to
either the 2 crew, 8
passengers or to persons
on the ground.
