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| STANDARD DATA: Seats 117. Gross wt. 13,500. Empty wt. 6,325. Engines two 400 hp Bristol Siddeley Gipsy Queens. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 230. Cruise mph 187. Stall mph 74. Initial climb rate 1,135. Range 880. Ceiling 21,700. |
Originally manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company, the Dove took to the air for the first time in 1945. Since that time it has been made available in numerous variations, and its production was ultimately taken over by Hawker Siddeley. The light transport is powered by two six-cylinder air-cooled Gipsy Queen engines, each putting out 400 hp. The first Doves housed 340 hp Gipsy Queens that were later replaced by 380 hp models. Doves in the United States were marketed as the Custom 800 executive carriers and were equipped with all the usual appointments.
The R.A.F. and Royal Navy versions were called the “Devon” and “Sea Devon,” respectively. The Dove utilizes a unique cockpit/canopy design in order to provide extra headroom and increase visibility for the pilots. For a time, Riley Turbostream Corp. of Waco, Texas, built a remanufactured Dove called the Turbo Exec 400 powered by twin turbocharged fuel-injected engines. Another version of the Dove was produced by Texas Airplane Manufacturing Co. that employed 705-eshp turboprops and a stretched fuselage.
