The de Havilland DH.86 in Australian operations (Part 3)

Part three of Eric Allen’s investigation into the de Havilland DH.86 in Australian operations. Read part one here and part two here.

During the 1980s, this writer had the opportunity to visit John Watkins OBE at his Melbourne home to discuss various aspects of his long and distinguished aviation career in Australia. Watkins’ career culminated in his appointment as Trans-Australia Airlines’ Director of Engineering in 1953, a position held until his retirement in 1971. One his many hats held prior to joining TAA was accident investigation, arising from his work with several government departments in the 1930s leading to the position of Acting Superintendent of Airworthiness and Aeronautical Engineering. This saw him enlisted to investigate the obvious difficulties faced by the DH.86 in Australian use. The disappearance of VH-URN Miss Hobart and the subsequent loss of VH-USG prompted the need for an evaluation of the aircraft by an Australian technical team.