The De Havilland DH.104 Dove 1 is an all-metallow-wing twin-engined
transport aircraft with retractable tricycle undercarriage for
eight-to-eleven passengers. The aircraft emerged from the 1943 Brabazon
Committee's requirement for a feederliner to replace the obsolete DH.89
Rapide on internal UK routes. The first prototype, s/n 04000 P1, was
registered G-AGPJ on 22 June 1945, and first flew at Hatfield on 25
September 1945. This prototype featured twin De Havilland Gipsy Queen 70
engines and a retractable landing gear based on the Vampire fighter. The
De Havilland DH.104 Dove 1 entered production at Hatfield and the first
customer deliveries were made in early summer 1946. Initial Doves were
fitted to an eight-to-ten seta feeder liner specification but the
company soon provided a six-seat business version which was designated
Dove 2. A substantial order for Doves came from the R.A.F. for the Devon
C.1 military personnel transport and communication version of the
aircraft. When production ended of the De Havilland DH.104 Dove ended (by which
time it was a Hawker Siddeley product) the number of built DH-104 Dove and
its variants totalled 544 including 127 military Devons and 13 Sea Devons. The ICAO Aircraft Type Designator for the De Havilland DH.104 Dove is DOVE. The variants of the De Havilland DH.104 Dove are: - Dove 1 : eight-to-eleven seater with two 330-hp De Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-3 six-cylinder air-cooled engines;
- Dove 1B : upgraded version of the Dove 1, fitted with two 380-hp Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines;
- Dove 2 : executive transport version, seating up to six passengers, fitted with two 330-hp Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines.
- Dove 2B : upgraded version of the Dove 2, fitted with two 340-hp Gipsy Queen 70-4 piston engines;
- Dove 3 : proposed high-altitude survey model. Not built;
- Dove 4 : military transport and communication version of the Dove 1;
- Devon C.1 : a military personnel transport and communication adaption of the Dove 4, powered by two 340-hp Gipsy Queen 70-4 six-cylinder air-cooled engines;
- Devon C.2 : transport and communications version for the RAF. Re-engined version of the Devon C Mk 1;
- Sea Devon C.20 : transport and communications version for the Royal Navy essentially similar to the Devon C.1;.
- Dove 5 : increased payload, fitted with two 380-hp Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines;
- Dove 6 : executive transport aircraft. Uprated version of the Dove 2, fitted with two 380-hp Gipsy Queen 70-2 piston engines;
- Dove 6B : stressed for operations at a maximum weight of 3856 kg;
- Dove 7 : uprated version of the Dove 1, fitted with two 400-hp Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines;
- Dove 8 : uprated version of the Dove 2, fitted with two 400-hp Gipsy Queen 70-3 piston engines;
- Dove 8A : five seater version of the Dove 8 for the U.S. market. The Dove Custom 600 was an American designation of the Dove 8A.
The original De Havilland DH.104 Dove 1 D-INKA with s/n 04011 was as OO-DAL written off in a crash on 19 June 1959.
The history of that plane is described below.
The current De Havilland DH.104 Dove D-INKA is a Dove 8 with s/n 04266.
On 12 July 1949, the De Havilland D.H.104 Dove 8 s/n 04266 was
delivered as WB531 as a DH.104 Devon C.1 to the Royal Air Force. The
Devon WB531 was used for a time by the Air Attache in Djakarta, Indonesia.
Over the years, the 1949-built aircraft was modified to a Devon C.2.
After being withdrawn from service by the Royal Air Force, the aircraft
entered the UK civil register as a Dove Mk.8. On 30 October 1984, the DH.104 was registered G-BLRN with C.E. Aviation Ltd. t/a Colt Executive Aviation Ltd., Staverton.
On 17 January 1985, DH.104 G-BLRN was delivered at Rotterdam Airport in the Netherlands.
On 3 May 1985, registration G-BLRN was cancelled. On 24 June 1985, registration G-BLRN was restored with Clive
Westgarth Simpson as the registered owner of the DH-104 Dove 8. However registered in the UK, the aircraft was based at Rotterdam Airport in the Netherlands.
The aircraft was owned by the Dutchmen Peter Delhaas; Abe and Eric van der Schraaf next to the registered owner Clive Simpson.
These Dove-loving people planned to undertake air display work with the Romeo November and intended
to register the aircraft in the Netherlands. In 1988, DH.104 Association at Lelystad was known as owner/operator of the aircraft. On 23 August 1988,
registration G-BLRN was cancelled as exported to the USA, but in fact the aircraft stayed in the Netherlands.
On 24 August 1988, the aircraft was registered N531WB as a DH-104 Dove 8A with R.E. Jordan, Hillsbough, Florida, as owner,
and Stichting Vliegend Museum Lelystad, as operator. On 17 May 1990, registration N531WB was cancelled as exported to the UK,
but in fact the aircraft stayed in the Netherlands with R.E. Jordan as owner and Stichting Vliegend Museum Lelystad, as operator.
On 18 May 1990, the aircraft was restored as G-BLRN with Clive Westgarth Simpson, but the DH.104 was still owned by R.E. Jordan and operated
by Stichting Vliegend Museum Lelystad. In 1993, the DH.104 Dove 8 G-BLRN moved to the Pionier Hangaar Lelystad in the Netherlands.
On 13 March 1996, the CofA of the aircraft expired. On 12 January 2000, the G-BLRN was registered as chartered with J.F.M. Bleeker, Bergen, the Netherlands.
At that time, the Dove was in non-flying condition and stored in its RAF WB531 colors. Over the years, the aircraft was stored in a container.
In 2003, the stored DH.104 Dove started a new life when it attracted the interest of Rudi Krentz and partners. In 2004, the container with the DH.104 Dove
was moved to Stadtlohn in Germany, where the aircraft was restored in flying condition by Gehling Flugtechnik. During the restoration, a variety of components
of other aircraft were used, including the Gipsy Queen 70 mk 3 engines of the Dove. The aircraft was painted in the LTU colors and registered D-INKA. On 25 April 2005,
registration G-BLRN was official cancelled as exported to Germany. On 11 May 2005, the De Havilland DH-104 Dove 8 first flew at Stadtlohn-Vreden airfield as D-INKA.
Since, the aircraft is operated by Air Incentive Classic GmbH.
On 25 January 1947, the De Havilland D.H.104 Dove 1 s/n 04011
was delivered to SABENA .On 30 January 1947, the aircraft was registered
OO-AWD in Belgium with SABENA, Brussels. On 23 October 1947, the
aircraft was re-registered OO-CWD, with SABENA, Léopoldville, Belgian
Congo. However the aircraft was re-registered OO-CWD in registration block OO-CAA to
OO-CZZ as the Dove was intended to operate in Belgian Congo, registration OO-AWD was not
cancelled unrtil 20 June 1956. On 8 August 1950, DH.104 Dove
OO-CWD was registered with Union Minière du Haut Katanga. In 1957, the aircraft was sold to
the Lufttransport-Union GmbH in Germany and registration first
registration OO-CWD was cancelled on 8 May 1957. The same day, the aircraft was restored to OO-AWD, first with SABENA,
Brussels, and then with Union Minière du Haut Katanga, Brussels, and finally registration OO-AWD was cancelled again that day.
On 28 June 1957, the 1947-built aircraft was registered D-INKA in Germany with LTU.
The D-INKA was christened "Augsburg" used by LTU for about a year and mainly
operated on charters on behalf of Shell. In September 1959, registration D-INKA was cancelled,
On 1 August 1958, the Dove was restored to the Belgian register as
OO-DAL with Sotramat SA, Antwerp. On 19 June 1959, the DH.104 Dove 1
OO-DAL was written off in a fatal crash into a pylon during a training flight at Cugny, France,
and registration OO-DAL was cancelled on 11 September 1959. On 18 September 2014, the De Havilland DH.104 Dove 8
D-INKA was seen at Hoogeveen airfield (EHHO) in the old L T U colors.
