De Havilland D.H.66 Hercules

1926

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  SEVEN-PASSENGER AIRLINERVirtual Aircraft Museum / United Kingdom / De Havilland  

De Havilland D.H.66 Hercules

The need of a replacement for the D.H.10s used on the RAF's air-mail service between Cairo and Baghdad, coupled with an agreement reached in 1925 for Imperial Airways to take over the service, led to a requirement being issued which was met by the de Havilland D.H.66 Hercules, a threeengined biplane with a 4.39m3 baggage compartment, space for seven passengers and 13.17m3 of mail and a three-man crew.

The prototype flew on 30 September 1926 following receipt of an order for five aircraft from Imperial Airways. Such was the speed and comparative simplicity of procedures in those days that the prototype carried out acceptance flights, took part in some crew training and was delivered to Cairo by mid-December. An inaugural flight between Croydon and India left the UK on 27 December and arrived in Delhi on 8 January 1927.

The fifth aircraft was delivered to Cairo in March 1927. The performance of these aircraft impressed West Australia Airways, then using D.H.50s. Four examples of the Hercules were ordered, the first flying in March 1929, and the type entered service with WAA on the Perth-Adelaide route on 2 June. By then Imperial had ordered a sixth aircraft and its seventh and final aircraft followed in February 1930.

Imperial's sixth Hercules had an enclosed pilot's cabin, a modification which later became standard on the remaining aircraft. The airline's need for these last two Hercules followed the loss of three in crashes between September 1929 and April 1931, but only the first caused fatalities. Aircraft shortage led to the purchase by Imperial of two WAA Hercules in 1930-1; one of these crashed in Southern Rhodesia in November 1935 and Imperial eventually withdrew its last aircraft from service in December 1935, having sold three to the South African Air Force. Their eventual history is not known, but the longest surviving Hercules was probably one of the two former WAA aircraft, being used in New Guinea between Lae and Wau, and destroyed by enemy action in 1942.

De Havilland D.H.66 Hercules

Specification 
 ENGINE3 x Bristol Jupiter VI radial piston engines, 313kW
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight7076 kg15600 lb
  Empty weight4110 kg9061 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan24.23 m80 ft 6 in
  Length16.92 m56 ft 6 in
  Height5.56 m18 ft 3 in
  Wing area143.72 m21546.99 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed206 km/h128 mph
  Cruise speed177 km/h110 mph
  Ceiling3960 m13000 ft
  Range845 km525 miles

Comments
G.L.Weston, e-mail, 06.03.2015 05:01

I have a photo of a DH66 taken at Ceduna, South Australia airport in Sept 1931. The date is as advised to me. The photo was taken by Sir Robert Melrose on his way to Western Australia via this aircraft. I identified the Aeroplane from a book 'HISTORY OF AVIATION' by John W.R. Taylor and Kenneth Munson, page 191.

/Users /gavinweston /Pictures /iPhoto Library /Modified /2010 /Historic Dehaviland AD66 Aircraft @ Ceduna /Aircraft @ Ceduna 1st Sept 1931 from Gwen Melrose.jpg

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sunderajan, e-mail, 02.05.2011 01:27

I wonder, if any scale model in kit available off the shelf

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andy jensen, e-mail, 17.01.2011 03:09

just saw a beautiful 66 on an episode of torchwood year 1 episode 9 or 10 disc 5

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tim crawford, e-mail, 01.10.2009 14:42

trying to find info on pilot ROY TOLLARD who was on DH-66 and went down in koepang in april 1931.. any info appreciated

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Peter Buchanan, e-mail, 03.02.2009 07:02

30Sept35, The aeroplane was a DH84 Dragon, VH-URO. He survived the crash but died as he was being carried back to Wau. I got this information from a book I have titled
"Wings of Gold" How the aeroplane developed New Guinea.

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Phil Tarlinton, e-mail, 30.11.2008 07:31

Hi - I am trying to identify a deHavilliand plane that was piloted by an Australian, Colin Ferguson, employed by W R Carpenter & Co in Papua New Guines in 1931-1934. Piloting a deHavillian from Wau to Salamaua he crashed in to tree tops on Black Cat Ridge out of Salamaua September 1934. Colin did not survive this crash. Any information appreciated.

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