DH 86

[kiwi]

Is there ever likely to be a DH 86 recreated , has anyone accumulated any parts from wreck sites etc with a view to doing this one day ?

[DragonflyDH90]

Highly unlikely, there are a few bits a pieces worldwide but not a lot left.
4 Queen engines and VP props would make it a really expensive rebuild, unfortunately there are many other aircraft that use these engines and props that would get a look in well before an Express.

[Dave Homewood]

It's a shame that somewhere like Motat couldn't build a static replica. They were hugely important in our civil airline history, the first long range comfortable airliners of any note, and also important in RNZAF histroy, being the first long range reconnaissance patrol aircraft deployed outside of New Zealand. Plus they're so gorgeous.

The Aussies claim they were a poor design and they crashed loads of them there. But though all three of ours were written off, one was taxiing into a ditch and th others by a storm in Fiji from memory, so all ground write offs. DHNZ then combined all three wrecks and built a fourth one that flew postwar. What a shame it wasn't retained by someone.

One was flying in the UK up till the 1960's or so but was written off. it was the last one.

[kiwi]

So not even any of the British restorers such as Ron Soich or Viv Belamy hunted down the metal remains ?

[Peter Lewis]

The last one flying in NZ was ZK-AHW, which was given back to the RNZAF in October 1946. They, of course, didn't want it, and and immediatly set about breaking it up at Ohakea. The fuselage was sold to one G E Tynan (from memory, an Air Force Sergeant) for £5/10/-, and he apparently used it as a chicken coop somewhere nearby - so start looking around for the local chickens!

The DH 86 was quite a large aircraft with a 64'6" wingspan, height of 13' and a fuselage length of 46'1" - larger than a Mosquito, and look at the effort that is taking to build/rebuild one.

[DragonflyDH90]

It would work out to be a multi million dollar aircraft to rebuild (to flying status) I would imagine, after that its value would not reflect the financial outlay. It would be of similar rebuild cost to the Mosquito, slightly less complex with regard to the Mossie's composite structure but a huge task none the less. The wood consumption alone would run in to the hundreds of thousands.

You mentioned Viv Belamy in a previous posting, he was the owner of the last flying example and from what I recall the aircraft was damaged in Spain.
It had a flat tire and had the main spar cracked by the Spanish authorities when removing it from the runway. Damaged beyond economical repair at the time. I understand Viv had the intention to rebuilt based on what eventually was salvaged but nothing came to fruition

[Dave Homewood]

Here's a DH86 in the Isle of Man