The Drover was designed and built in the late 1940s by de Havilland at Bankstown, NSW. Only 20 of this type were built with the first having its maiden flight in 1948. Operators of this type were Qantas and TAA as passenger and cargo aircraft and the Department of Health. However their […]
HARS
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The Vampire began as an experimental aircraft with design work beginning at the de Havilland works at Hatfield in mid 1942. Originally named the ‘Spider Crab’, the aircraft was entirely a de Havilland project, exploiting the company’s extensive experience in using moulded plywood for aircraft construction, as used in the Mosquito bomber. It […]
As early as 1949 the RAAF began planning a replacement jet fighter for the locally-built CAC Mustang and DHA Vampire. Successive aircraft under consideration included the Grumman Panther; the proposed CAC large, twin-jet, all-weather CA-23 fighter; and the Hawker P.1081. In the event, Gloster Meteors were obtained in 1951 for service with 77 Squadron […]