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The de Havilland Aircraft
Association of South Africa
The de Havilland Aircraft
Association of South Africa
The de Havilland DH.114 Heron
de Havilland DH.114 Heron c/n 14078 ZS-DLO. Rand Mines company aircraft, at Baragwanath, 1960s. George Gray & Bill Teague were Rand Mines company pilots. Photograph: Bill Teague.
de Havilland DH.114 Heron c/n 14078 N14FB (on the left) ex ZS-DLO. On the right is N3FB c/n 14111. Fischer Brothers Aviation / Allegheny Commuter DH-114 Riley Turbo Skyliners based in Galion, Ohio. Postcard: Kenneth Koehn.
| Type | c/n | Reg | History |
| DH.114 Heron | 14051 | ZS-DIG | ZS-DIG Anglo American Corporation of South Africa. To G-AZSO, C-GCAT. Converted to Saunders ST-27 featuring two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprops and a stretched fuselage. |
| DH.114 Heron | 14078 | ZS-DLO | Registrations carried: N2333, N14FB, DQ-FEC. At some stage the aircraft was converted to a Riley Turbo Skyliner. Registered as DQ-FEC with Fiji Air, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair on take-off out of Vanuabalavu Airport, Fiji, 11 September 1986. |
| DH.114 Heron | 14085 | SAAF 120 | Sold to Keegan Aviation 30 Jul 1964 as G-ASUY. Exported to Denmark 2 Jul 1965 as OY-DPR, operated by Falck Flyvetjeneste until returned briefly to UK with Executive Air Engineering 29 Feb to 9 April 1968 (Believed converted to Riley Heron at this time). Exported to USA (Puerto Rico) as N554PR with Prinair, w/o 24 Jun 1972 at Mercedita in Ponce County. Crashed on go-around attempt after unauthorized vehicle entered runway during landing. 21 out of 25 aboard killed. |
| DH.114 Heron | 14087 | SAAF 121 | Sold 30 Jul 1964 to Executive Air Engineering as G-ASUU, exported to Canada 31 Mar 1971 as CF-YBM, later C-FYBM. Converted to Saunders ST-27A in 1974, re-engined with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engines. (New c/n ST27A-005). Prototype for the ST-28 which was never built. wfu 1982. As at December 2011 derelict at Gimli Industrial Park Airport, Gimli, Manitoba Canada, with false registration C-GYAP applied. C-GYAP is a Cessna 152. (Unconfirmed reports are that the Heron belongs to Western Canada Aviation Museum, Winnipeg) |
de Havilland DH.114 Heron c/n 14078 ZS-DLO.
The above and below photographs were sent in by Frtits Boer, whose father worked for Rand Mines. Frits commented... "Once upon a time, as the start of some stories goes, I as a teenager had my very first flight experience in the DH Heron ZS DLO. It was owned by Rand Mines (but registered under the Exchange Yard Garage, also owned by Rand Mines despite its rather curious name.) This was in 1960 on a flight between the Harmony Gold Mine (Virginia OFS) and Baragwanath aerodrome. Pilot was George Grey. I remember being fascinated by the fact that the main instrument panel was spring suspended to protect the instrumentation from shock loading during taxying and landing. The flight was at a reasonably low altitude perhaps 6000 feet or so enabling one to follow the landscape quite clearly. Many air miles have been travelled since then, but a first flight is a first flight."
The above and below photographs were sent in by Frtits Boer, whose father worked for Rand Mines. Frits commented... "Once upon a time, as the start of some stories goes, I as a teenager had my very first flight experience in the DH Heron ZS DLO. It was owned by Rand Mines (but registered under the Exchange Yard Garage, also owned by Rand Mines despite its rather curious name.) This was in 1960 on a flight between the Harmony Gold Mine (Virginia OFS) and Baragwanath aerodrome. Pilot was George Grey. I remember being fascinated by the fact that the main instrument panel was spring suspended to protect the instrumentation from shock loading during taxying and landing. The flight was at a reasonably low altitude perhaps 6000 feet or so enabling one to follow the landscape quite clearly. Many air miles have been travelled since then, but a first flight is a first flight."
de Havilland DH.114 Heron c/n 14078 ZS-DLO.
de Havilland DH.114 Heron c/n 14087 South African Air Force SAAF 121
Photograph: Cor Zaal via Frits Boer
Photograph: Cor Zaal via Frits Boer
de Havilland DH.114 Heron 2 c/n 14051 ZS-DIG Anglo American Corporation of South Africa.
At Blackbushe (BBS / EGLK), UK - England, 5th April 1959
Photograph: Robin A Walker
At Blackbushe (BBS / EGLK), UK - England, 5th April 1959
Photograph: Robin A Walker
