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The DH-86 was hardly Qantas's most reliable aircraft yet it proved vital to the fledgling airline in an era when overseas air travel was becoming a viable alternative to sea transport for the time-conscious. (Qantas)
The De Havilland Dh-86 Part Fifteen In A Series Examining The Airliners That Established Civil Aviation In Australia
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Part Fifteen in a Series Examining the Airliners That Established Civil Aviation in Australia
The DH-86 four-engined biplane occupies an important place in Australian air transport development. It was designed as the result of a Qantas-Imperial Airways requirement to operate an air service from England to Australia. As such it became the first aircraft to enter overseas service with Qantas Empire Airways. However, a series of unfortunate accidents following Its introduction into airline use created considerable controversy at the time.
Qantas wanted a four-engined airliner that could safely and economically fly long over-ocean distances on the crossing from Darwin to Singapore. A particularly demanding part of the specification handed to de Havillands were the conditions imposed by the rigors of the 512 mile Timer Sea crossing. This required the aircraft to fly 600 miles against a 40 knot headwind. Another stringent demand was the need for the aircraft to be certified by the time tenders closed for the new service on 31 January 1934. To de Havilland’s great credit, the design and construction of the new DH-86 were completed in the seemingly impossible duration of just four months.
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