Model Description

Oxford Diecast 1/72nd scale 72DV005 de Havilland DH104 Devon WB534 RAF Transport Command. Buy online at Flying Tigers.

The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. It was a monoplane successor to the pre-war de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane. The Dove was a popular aircraft and is considered to be one of Britain’s most successful post war civil designs , in excess of 500 aircraft were manufactured between 1946 and 1967. Several military variants were operated, such as the Devon by the RAF, the Sea Devon by the Royal Navy, the type also saw service with a number of overseas military forces.

The Dove first flew on 25 September 1945. From summer 1946 large numbers were sold to scheduled and charter airlines around the world, replacing and supplementing the pre-war designed de Havilland Dragon Rapide and other older designs. The largest order for the Dove was placed by Argentina, which ultimately took delivery of 70 aircraft, the majority of which were used by the Argentine Air Force. LAN Chile took delivery of twelve examples and these were operated from 1949 onwards until the aircraft were sold to several small regional airlines in the United States in 1954. An initial batch of 30 Devons was delivered to RAF and these aircraft were used as VIP and light transports for over 30 years. The Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired 30 Devons between 1948 and 1954 and these remained in service for VIP, crew-training and light transport duties into the 1970s. A few Doves and civilianized Devons remain in use in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and with small commercial firms and with private pilot owners.

DH104 Dove G-AROI British Eagle was first registered on 24th May 1961 and was purchased by British Eagle International Airlines in June 1966 from Metropolitan Air Movements. Following closure, it was sold to Fairlight Charters Ltd at Fairoaks, Surrey on the 6th May 1969, a company founded by former British Eagle employees. Sold to Denmark on the 13th May 1980 as OY-AJR “Eaglet” . It entered service on the 4th July 1966 operating a feeder service to Dundee to Glasgow twice a day to connect with the schedule services to Heathrow.

RRP £35.00