Redundant navigation trainers’ new home

By Andrew Stackpool

An Air Force HS748 takes off for its last flight over Gippsland before retirement last year.

Photo by CPL Steve Duncan

DRAGGIES are no more, except in the RAAF museum. According to John Easton, the disposal officer from RAAF Base East Sale, five of the Air Force’s six remaining HS748 aircraft have been sold by tender and some are destined for a new life overseas in the commercial sector.

They flew their final flight on June 30 last year with a farewell flyby of towns in the Gippsland area. The ADF ordered the venerable HS748 in the mid-1960s. The first one flew on January 13, 1967, and arrived at No. 34 Squadron on April 12 that year.

Twelve of the twin-engine aircraft entered service, 10 with the Air Force in 1967 and two with the Navy in 1973. Despite their lack of glamour, they quickly were beloved by those who became involved with them.

Known to ADF pilots as the “Draggie”, because the fuselage rivets slightly protruded from the external skin of the aircraft and created drag in flight, the HS748 was used to conduct navigation training for more than 700 graduates at the ADF School of Air Navigation, for VIP flights and for transport during emergencies.

Their service life completed, five HS748s, engines and spares were put to tender. The sixth aircraft was transferred to the RAAF museum. There were two successful tenderers, both British. Thameside Aviation won three of the aircraft and TAG Aviation won two.

The terms of the tender called for their removal from RAAF Base East Sale by the end of August 2004. Subsequently, the aircraft were ferried to West Sale. While this was going on, both tenderers were holding negotiations with another player, Mike Hornblower, who reportedly brokers aircraft into the South Pacific and Africa.

Mr Easton said Mr Hornblower claimed to have sold two aircraft to an English airline, Emerald Airlines. “He told me he is now working with BAE to obtain military deregistration of the aircraft, after which they will be eligible for civil registration,” Mr Easton said.

“Three aircraft have now departed Australia, two are at Bankstown aerodrome in Sydney where they are being broken up for spares.”

Meanwhile, another nine overfit engines have been sold to a South African company, Field Airmotive, which will refurbish them and then sell them to Rolls Royce. It is possible the engines will end up with Emerald Airlines as well.

Jewel of the isle

Emerald Airlines HS748

Buyer of four of the Air Force HS748s, Emerald Airlines, is based at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport. It operates a combined passenger/cargo service between England, Ireland, the Isle of Man, France and Germany.

The airline operates 13 HS748s and claims it is the largest operator of the type worldwide.

The airline cites versatility, reliability, good endurance and cheap acquisition, operating and maintenance costs for its decision to acquire the aircraft. It intends operating the type until 2015, giving our Draggies a future working life.

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