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The Hawker Siddeley Heron, originally known as the De Havilland D.H.114 Heron, is basically a
scaled-up version of the successful DH.104 Dove. The D.H.114 was designed with particular
emphasis upon simplicity of construction and maintenance. Utilising many of the Dove's components,
the Heron had a longer fuselage; four Gypsy Queen engines; a wing which allowed good short field
performance and a fixed undercarriage. The prototype Heron Srs. 1 (G-ALZL) flew first on 10 May
1950 and production of the Heron 1B followed with ZK-AYV coming off the production line for
NAC-New Zealand National Airways on 10 March 1952. The initial model of this 14-17-seat
feederliner having a fixed undercarriage, the seventh production aircraft became the prototype
Heron Srs. 2, which provided retractable undercarriage. This Heron Srs. 2 (G-AMTS) flew first on
14 December 1952, and the Srs. 2 eventually supplanted the Srs. 1 in production. When production
ended, 149 De Havilland DH-114 Herons were produced, including 51 Srs. 1s and 98 Srs. 2. |
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On 6 August 1984, De Havilland DH-114 Sea Heron C.1 XR442 was photographed at Groningen Airport
Eelde in the Netherlands. The XR442 was in on a navigation flight out of
Yeovilton Naval Air Station in the UK. In May 1956, this aircraft was originally delivered as an
Heron Srs. 2B to Jersey Airlines as G-AORH. After the airframe was sold to the Royal Navy, it entered
service as XR442 with the Yeovilton Station Flight on 17 April 1961. After being retired with
the Royal Navy the Sea Heron was registered G-HRON on 4 April 1991. The registration G-HRON was cancelled on
10 April 2002 and the aircraft is stored at Gloucestershire Airport. |
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