More Dove...as requested

[expat]

I thinned out the Dove pictures and here is "the rest".

Matt

[Hagar]

Thanks. Very nice indeed. Brings back a lot of memories. Not sure where they get the spares to keep it running. There can't be many Doves still flying now. Messrs Dunlop in their wisdom virtually killed the aircraft overnight.

[expat]

Thanks. Very nice indeed. Brings back a lot of memories. Not sure where they get the spares to keep it running. There can't be many Doves still flying now. Messrs Dunlop in their wisdom virtually killed the aircraft overnight.

This particular aircraft, though owned by a couple of retired LTU pilots (hence the paint scheme, she is also hangered in the LTU main base hanger at Dusseldorf) was found in a container (Her home page, in German but click on restoration for some very nice pictures of said action). Up until about 1993 she was on the display circuit as G-BLRN ex RAF WB351 and for what ever reason ended up in a container in Holland. The website says that they scoured the world for bits.

Matt

[Hagar]

Interesting. The spares problem is with lifed consumables like the rubber brake bags & other pneumatic items. The company I worked for held roughly 95% of all Dove/Heron spares in the world at one time. I was personally responsible for overhauling the pneumatic components. We also overhauled U/C legs & recovered aerofoils. Then out of the blue Dunlop suddenly announced they were withdrawing support for the Dove & Heron from a certain date. I forget exactly when it was but it must have been in the early 1980s. This effectively killed off a very successful aircraft overnight.

[Mictheslik]

Does this aircraft not fall under the new regs that killed off the DC3 passenger flights, or is it too small?

.mic

[Hagar]

Too small. The Dove would be in the same category as the Dragon Rapide.

[beaky]

Thanks for the reprise, Matt- she's a rare beauty.  8-)

[masmith]

Thanks for the pics this is one of my favorite aircraft, the cockpit looks great as well