In Australian Service – DHA Drover

DHA-3 Drover

Part Seven in a Series Examining the Airliners That Established Civil Aviation in Australia

Whilst it can lay claim to being the first serious Australian attempt at producing what was later to be known as a third-level aircraft, the Drover was not to enjoy the success of the later G.A.F. Nomad.

In the era the Drover was conceived, the equipment needs and passenger base of the airlines were much smaller than today. More importantly, the ready availability of war surplus aircraft at bargain prices made the chance of success of a much more expensive newcomer quite difficult. The price quoted for the Drover of £14,000 per aircraft was unfortunately a big hurdle to overcome.

The Drover story began in 1946 when de Havilland Australia decided to design a replacement for the DH-84 Dragon. The designer was Martin Warner who was chief of de Havilland’s design and development section. Warner had previously designed the DHG 1 glider during 1942-43. He himself was an experienced glider pilot. The Drover was intended as an aircraft to be suitable for Australian conditions. Particular emphasis was placed on making it sufficiently rugged to cope with the numerous outback unsurfaced airfields it was expected to operate from. The biggest problem the designers faced was the requirement included in Air Safety legislation which called for a satisfactory rate of climb with one engine inoperative.

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