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Demonstrators – Piston/Turbo-props
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| AIRCRAFT |
OPERATOR |
REG. |
NOTES |
HISTORY |
| Ai. AS57 Ambassador 2 |
Rolls-Royce Bristol |
G-ALZR |
Was operated from Malta during 1959 for the Tyne engine endurance programme. Duration of testing unknown. |
c/n 5214. Operated by BEA between 1951-57, then Rolls-Royce Bristol. Sold to to BKS Air Transport on unknown date. Aircraft was written off after undercarriage collapse at Paris Orly airport. Airframe bought by Dan-Air for parts. |
| Ai. AS57 Ambassador |
British European Airway |
G-ALZU |
Brought as demonstrator prior to the introduction of the aircraft on regular passenger service. |
Named ‘Lord Burghley’. Aircraft was operating a charter flight on 06.02.58 from Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to Manchester, England, carrying team members and staff of the Manchester United Football Club. Landed at Munich airport for re-fuelling, and crashed on third attempt at taking off. 23 of 44 persons on board killed. |
| Air Tractor AT-802U |
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N4247U |
Night stop between 05/06.11.17 on its way to the Dubai air show. Aircraft was in a two-seat configuration, and in a two-tone light/dark grey schee. Carried US and Texas state flag. |
c/n 802-4001. |
| AW Argosy |
Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth |
G-APRN |
Arrived from Athens for a night-stop between 16-17.06.60, departing for Birmingham. Again seen travelling to Beirut between 22-23 June, landing at 15:00, taking-off at 08:00. |
c/n 6654. Delivered to B.E.A. Nov 1961. To Universal A/Ls (as N897U) between 10.68-01.69, 69-71 ?, to Sagittair Ltd as G-APRN between 09.71-02.73. Delivered to Air Bridge Carriers 06.73. Written off on 17.04.82 after nose-wheel collapsed when landing at Belfast. |
| Beagle 206R Srs 1 |
Beagle Aircraft Co. Ltd |
G-ATEU |
Arrived from the UK at 19:40 on 06.01.66, departing for Nairobi on the 7th at 09:00. |
c/n B.015, first registered to Beagle Aircraft on 31.01.65. Cancelled as destroyed on 17.01.66.
From the Air-Britain Magazine Collection 1966-1974 CD, March 1966, p. 67. Failed to become properly airborne and crashed while taking-off on a demonstration flight at Mushingashi, Ndola, Zambia, on 17.1.66. All four occupants escaped.
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| BN-2A Islander |
Britten-Norman |
G-ATWU |
Arrived from Southampton via Dinard, Bordeaux, Montpelier, & Nice on 10.10.66, departing for Benina the following day. |
G-ATWU, c/n 002, the first production aircraft, was rolled out on 18th August 1966, after the company’s work force gave up their holidays to complete it. First flight was on the 20th.
It was demonstrated at Farnborough in Loganair colours, the Scottish air taxi company to whom it was expected to be delivered in November, and to whom it was loaned for crew training from July 27th to August 11th.
But on November 5th, the company suffered their first setback when G-ATCT (c/n 001) was destroyed in a crash in Holland in bad weather, and as a result, Loganair received G-AVKC, c/n 004, as a replacement.
The order book stood at 40 for operators in nine countries including USA, Gabon and Australia. A full Public Transport Certificate of Airworthiness was optimistically expected later in 1966, but further trials were required to obtain certificates in the USA and Australia, delaying UK certification. G-ATWU had to complete the certification trials now set for May 1967.
In May 1968, B-N began development on the "stretched" Islander. G-ATWU was modified with an extra 33-inch section forward of the wing and enlarged rear interior, which allowed an additional four seats. First flight from Bembridge after these modifications was on July 14th.
G-ATWU was first registered to the Britten-Norman company on 6th July 1966, being cancelled as permanently withdrawn from use on 23rd November 1970.
Information about this aircraft lifted from the Air-Britain Magazine Collection 1966-1974 CD, September 1966, p. 229.
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| BN Islander |
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5Y-AMU |
arr on 16.02.71 for demonstration in Africa. |
c/n 251, fitted with ‘hot and high’ Lycomings 300hp engines. |
| BN 2A-26 Islander |
Aertirrena |
I-TRAM |
Used for test flights between Malta and Gozo on 30.03.68 for the proposed Malta-Gozo flights.
An Islander, G-AXFL, was brought over on 20.06.69, and placed on the Maltese register as 9H-AAB on 16.08.69. As no runway was ever built on Gozo, the aircraft was used for flights in the Mediterranean region for a little over a year. It was de-registered on 28.08.70, departing back for the UK (as G-AXFL) on 12.09.70. |
c/n 8. |
| DC-3 |
Turbo-Three * |
N4700C |
Aircraft landed at Luqa on 19.07.69, but departure date unknown
* Wording on fuselage despite only having two engines.
(Aircraft information courtesy of Godfrey Mangion, from his Aviation MT Facebook page.) |
c/n 4903. Aircraft delivered as a C-53-DO, serial 41-20133. After sale on the civil market, it was re-registered NC44783, N2001, N700CC, N4700C. The Rzjets.net website gives 13.05.67 as first flight, probably after conversion to turbine power. Converted to a three-configuration turbo-prop by John Conroy Specialized Aircraft Co., first flight on 11.02.77 (or 02.11.77) using RR Dart Mk.510s. N23SA Maritime Patrol & Rescue, aircraft converted to Tri-Turbo-Three, replacing the Dart engines with P&W PT6As.
Noted at Oshkosh, Wisconsin in February 1994. Parts of fuselage used in repair of DC-3 C-FMKB.
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| Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER |
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N1459 |
Observed at park 2 on 31.08.12. |
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| Casa 212-300 |
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EC-112 |
Arrived on 09.03.88, departed the following day. |
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| CN-235 |
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PK-XNC |
Aircraft had shark mouth nose art. |
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| Cessna 208 |
Golden Eye Aviation |
N208KS |
Seen in 19.11.04. Equipped with floats. Landed at Mistra Bay as a demonstrator before the start of an air service between Malta and Gozo, using float-equipped fixed-wing aircraft, rather that helicopters. |
c/n 208-0299. |
| Ce. 208 |
Cessna |
N867EX |
Arrived around 09:00 on 18.07.16, going to Park 7 after landing. |
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| Dh 104 Dove 2B |
De Havilland Aircraft Company |
G-AJLW |
Landed on 17.10.48 at 12:48, VIA Hatfield, Lympe, Marseilles on the 12th, Rome on the 16th, departing for Calgiari on the 19th w/o passengers. Returned from Athens on the 28th at 14:20. |
c/n 4003, registered 12.05.47. DBR in forced landing 8 miles west of Droitwich on 26.05.65, canx 02.06.65. |
| DH.114 Heron |
De Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd |
G-ALZL |
Arrived on 27.11.50 at 12:45, on its way to Nairobi. Arrived via Lympne (UK) & Nice. Returned from Cairo on 16.12.50 at 14:40, departing the following day at 08:55. (See report below.) |
c/n 10903. Piloted by Godfrey Pike, who also flew the prototype on 10.05.50 |
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How it was reported – Heron Prototype Stages Through Malta
Times of Malta, Tuesday November 28, 1950
The latest thing out of the famous de Havilland stable, the D.H. Heron, landed at Luqa yesterday and was a centre of attraction at the airport throughout the day. It leaves this morning on the next stage of the trip through to Nairobi where it will undergo tropical trials.
The Heron is the only aircraft of its type in the world, the first to be built by the de Havilland company and intended for use by private air companies.
D.H. test pilot, Goeffrey Pike, who pilots the Heron, stated yesterday: “Our aim was to build a robust aircraft of economical running costs which would also be a multi-purpose machine.”
With him in the Heron going out are a radio operator, service engineer, installation engineer, aerodynamist (all from the company) and a member of the Air Registration Board who will watch the tests. Tropical trails are necessary for the aircraft to be licenced for service in Africa and similar regions.
There will be two type of Herons available eventually, selling at around £35,000. The fixed undercarriage type – the prototype is one of those – will cost less than the other, which will have retracting mechanism. Advantages of the “fixed undercart” are increased payload through weight-saving, and reduced maintenance costs; with a cut of 12 to 15 m.p.h. in cruising speed.
Data on the Heron gives it 14 to 17 passengers with one or two crew; cruising speed of 160 m.p.h. (175 m.p.h. for retractable undercarriage version); 400 miles ranges with capacity payload of 3,420 lbs. The power plant is four 250 b.h.p. Gypsy Queen 6-cylinder engines.
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| AIRCRAFT |
OPERATOR |
REG. |
NOTES |
HISTORY |
| DHC-4A |
New-Cal Aviation |
5H-AAB |
A demonstrator with a difference. Having arrived on 11.03.81, it was destined never to fly again. Purchased by New-Cal Aviation, it was used as a test bed for a turbo-prop conversion. |
c/n 244, JW9003 Tanzanian AF; N1017L ?; N3262W NTU; 5H-AAB J.W.I.; 5H-AAB New-Cal Av. Purchased 06.86; to International Fire & Safety School, Hal-Far, 14.02.94, scrapped. |
| DHC-4A |
New-Cal Aviation |
N95NC |
Observed on 20.11.91 and subsequent dates with spray gear. |
c/n 135, 62-4191 US Army; 61-4191 US AF; T9-30/37-08 Spanish AF; N95NC New-Cal Av. |
| DHC-4A |
New-Cal Aviation |
N555NC |
Was given “Clean Seas” titles by 16.05.92. Gave spraying demonstrations outside Grand Harbour during November 1993 Clean Seas conference. |
c/n 15, 60-3764 US Army; T9-13/353-13 Spanish AF; N555NC New-Cal Av.; Purchased Pen Turbo Aviation Inc, stored Cape May, New Jersey. |
| DHC-5 Super Buffalo |
De Havilland of Canada |
C-GBUF |
Arrived from Algeria on 08.06.76 at 20:00, departing for Athens the following day at 13:10. Fuselage was in three-tone camouflage, red fin outlined in white, with “Super Buffalo” in yellow and white respectively. |
c/n 60. |
| DHC-6-400 |
Pacific Sky Aviation |
C-GVKI |
Three day stop-over between 28-31.01.20.
The aircraft arrived in a digital, or pixilated, camouflage as part of its World Demonstration Tour with detailed briefings and demonstration flights scheduled for Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Portugal, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Belgium, and Canada.
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The Guardian 400 is a special mission variant of the DHC-6-400 Twin Otter aircraft designed and developed by Viking Air Limited, an aircraft manufacturer based in Canada which, in 2005, purchased the parts and service business for all the older de Havilland Canada aircraft from Bombardier Aerospace. |
| Dash 7 |
De Havilland Canada |
C-GNBX |
Aircraft arrived on 15.09.78, probably left on the 23rd. Carried Dash-7 on the fin. |
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| Dash 8 |
De Havilland Canada |
C-GGPJ |
Performed a number of flights for Tunisavia during June-July 1985. |
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| Dash-8-402 |
Bombardier Inc. |
C-GLFS |
Arrived in a Spice Jet livery, c/s BBA01 on 05.02.12, departing on the 6th. Night-stopped again between 20-21.02.12. |
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| Dornier 228 |
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D-CBOL |
Brought to Malta for demonstrations to Armed Forces of Malta officials between 09-11 July 1986. See Air Squadron page for further details. |
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| EMB-110P1K Bandeirante |
Embraer |
PP-ZAD |
Noted at Luqa Airport on 10.04.82 |
c/n 110-374. |
| EMB-121A1 Xingu |
Embraer |
PT-MBN |
Noted at Luqa Airport on 10.04.82 |
c/n 121014 |
| EMB 312 Tucano |
Embraer |
PP-ZDZ |
Noted at Luqa Airport on 10.04.82 |
c/n 312-002. Aircraft crashed on 10.08.82 |
| Embraer E-134 Super Tucano |
Embraer |
PT-ZTU |
Aircraft made a brief re-fuelling stop on 09.06.19.
This same aircraft would again be seen twice later in the year, a night stop between 14/15.11.19, and another night stop between 23/24.11.19. Another night-stop between 08-09.11.21 on its way to the Dubai air show, returning for a night stop between 21-22.11.21. (See also under Military Jet Demos.) |
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| GAF Nomad N.22 |
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VH-AUH |
Noted at Luqa on 21.03.77, it visited a number of countries on a demonstration/sales tour. |
Later registered ZK-NOM, but was destroyed in a crash on Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand, on 25 October 1993. |
| Grob G-140TP |
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D-ETPG |
Arrived in July 2011, and was parked at Park 7, the base for the Armed Forces of Malta’s Air Wing. Departure date unknown. Again seen on 27.03.14. |
c/n 86000 |
| HP Marathon |
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G-ALUB |
Arrived on 04.08.50 at 09:15. Departed Blackbushe (3rd) at 09:45z, Ajaccio (4th) at 05:30z. Carried 5 crew. |
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| HS (Avro) 748-100 |
Avro Co. |
G-ARAY |
Arrived from Woodford on 04.04.63 at 19:15, departing for Khartoum, Sudan on the 6th at 09:15. |
c/n 1535, conv to Srs -200 11.61. Broken up 04.90. |
| HS. 748 |
Hawker Siddeley Aviation |
G-ATAM |
Carried Hawker Siddeley 748 titles. 1970, but exact date as yet not known. Rr TR-LQY, see “Deliveries” page. |
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| HS. 748 |
Hawker Siddeley Aviation |
G-AYYG |
Seen on 08.11.71, and again on 02.12.71. |
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| HS. 748 |
Hawker Siddeley Aviation |
G-AZJH |
Arrived at 17:00 on 20.09.72, departing the following morning at 10:20. Destination from, and to, were both listed as Cairo. Described as a ferry flight. |
c/n 1698. |
| HS.748 Srs.2A |
BAe |
G-BDVH |
Aircraft arrived on 07.07.78. Departure date unknown. Aircraft in full camouflage, British Aerospace titles, and ‘748’ on the nose in white lettering. |
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| AIRCRAFT |
OPERATOR |
REG. |
NOTES |
HISTORY |
| Kodiak 100 |
Fayard Enterprises LLC |
N139KQ |
Same day arrival & departure on 03.05.16 for a refueling stop on its way to an African tour. Adorned with the flags and name of 10 countries (Zambia, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, S. Africa, Mozambique, Morocco, S. Sudan & Zimbabwe). Also carried stickers with “No Runway? No Problem!”, “Built Tough. Built for Africa” and “Tour 2016”. Had a map of the African continent on the fin, with “Sky Quest” written over it. |
c/n 100-0139. US registration cancelled on 15.03.18, on export to Namibia. |
| Partinavia P.68 Observer |
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I-OBSV |
Brought to Malta for demonstrating to Armed Forces of Malta officials. Left on 11 July 1985. |
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| P. Seneca |
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D-GHFS |
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Seneca demonstrator seen on 14.07.72. |
| Lake Seawolf |
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N1402J |
Brought to Malta for demonstrating (including water operations) to Armed Forces of Malta officials on 25 September 1985. Spent several days parked at NCA, Safi. |
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| Pilatus Britten-Norman Turbine Islander |
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G-DEMO |
Brought to Malta for demonstrating to Armed Forces of Malta officials in April 1985. |
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| Pilatus BN Turbine-Islander |
Pilatus BN Ltd. |
G-OPBN |
Brought to Malta for demonstrating to Armed Forces of Malta officials between 10-15.04.85. Also brought again between 29.09-02.10.87. Demonstration flight on 1st Oct. |
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| S. Belfast C.1 |
Short Bros. |
G-ASKE |
Night stop between 15/16.11.65, arriving from Prestwick at 17:10, departing for Khartoum at 09:15. Returned from Nairobi on 16.12.65 at 13:30, departing the following day for Aldergrove via Paris at 07:30. |
c/n SH1816 first flight as G-52-24 05.01.64, registered as G-ASKE on the same day. To Royal AF as XR362 on 21.12.67. Re-registered G-BEPE on 29.03.77 TO Transmeridian Air Cargo, late to Heavylift Cargo Airlines. Stored at Southend Airport 26.10.84 for parts, broken up on 18.02.94. |
| S.30 Empire flying boat |
Imperial A/Ws |
G-AFCY |
Aircraft departed Poole, UK on 13.09.39 on a trail flight meant to introduce a flying boat service via Malta. Crew flew in via Marseille and Bizerta, landing at Malta on the 15th at 12:25. No departure date in the Custom 11 files was given, but according to a letter sent from the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the Governor of Malta, aircraft should have left for Athens on the 17th. Returned as scheduled on the 18th at 13:00, departing after a night stop at 07:00. |
c/n S.884, date of registration 15.11.37. Re-Registered ZK-AMC march 1940, scrapped 1948. |
| Short SA.6 Sealand |
Short |
G-AKLO |
Aircraft arrived on 07.11.54 at 14:59, but no departure date, time or destination given. |
c/n 1564 G-AKLO was a demonstration aircraft which made an extensive tour of Europe and North Africa, resulting in sales to Norway, Yugoslavia and Egypt. It was later sold to the Shell Petroleum Co as VR-SDS for use in its Borneo oil fields operating out of Balik Papaan. It was later registered in Brunei as VR-UDS. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac5/ROW%20Europe/G-AKLO.html |
| Short SC.7 Skyvan 200 |
Short Brothers |
G-AWSG |
Noted at Luqa airport on 09.11.68, but arrival/departure dates unknown. |
c/n SH.1851. Company demonstrator. |
| V. Viking |
Vickers Amstrong |
G-AJJN |
Landed on 24.03.48 at 16:45. Routed via Hurn, Elmas (Sardinia) to Cairo. Returned from Ankara on 01.05.48. |
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| V. Viscount 630 |
MOS/Vickers |
G-AHRF |
Arrived for a night-stop between 05/06.06.50 at 16:42, flight number AGNT.2726C. Arrived from Blackbushe, departing for El-Adem and Cairo. Other destination/s unknown. Returned on 08.07.50 at 11:45, departing on the 10th at 08:10 Carried 11 crew. |
c/n 1, previously VX211, registered on 23.05.46. Crashed near Khartoum, Sudan on 27.08.52, canx. |
| V. Viscount |
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G-AMAV |
Arrived from Hurn on 05.10.51 at 16:15, departing for Khartoum at 08:35. Flight no. listed as "Tropical trials". Returned on 26.11.51 at 17:10 (owner listed as Ministry of Supply).
Returned on 21.06.52, landed Hal-Far between 11:40-14:45. Owner listed as Vickers Armstrong, destined for Lebanon. (Inbound GD on Custom 19 files had “Test flight Scheduled", Custom 12 had “test flight”, nothing else.)
Brought for a demonstration flight between 23-26.07.52, landing at 18:15, departing at 09:30. Demonstration flights dates unknown.
A B.E.A. training session took place between 12-14.09.52, landing at 16:03, departing at 15:00. BE TRNG 1209 as flt number.
A same-day B.E.A. training session took place on 20.11.52, between 11:30-13:45. c/s TRNG 34.
Another three-day (training?) visit took place between 02-05.09.54.
Last known proving/demonstration flight on 15.08.55, landing at 17:22, departing for El Adem at 07:30. Owner given as Vickers Armstrong.
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