de Havilland Dove
The de Havilland DH.104 Dove is a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. The design, which was a monoplane successor to the pre-war Dragon Rapide biplane, came about from the Brabazon Committee report which, amongst other aircraft types, called for a British-designed short-haul feeder for airlines.
| DH.104 Dove | |
|---|---|
| A 1949 de Havilland Dove (2017 air show) | |
| Role | Short-haul airliner |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | de Havilland |
| First flight | 25 September 1945 |
| Status | Limited service |
| Produced | 1946–1967 |
| Number built | 544 |
| Developed into | de Havilland Heron de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover |
The Dove was a popular aircraft and is considered to be one of Britain's most successful postwar civil designs, with over 500 aircraft manufactured between 1946 and 1967. Several military variants were operated, such as the Devon by the Royal Air Force and the Sea Devon by the Royal Navy, and the type also saw service with a number of overseas military forces.
A longer four-engined development of the Dove, intended for use in the less developed areas of the world, was the Heron. A considerably re-designed three-engined variant of the Dove was built in Australia as the de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover.