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Aircraft Type > D62B
Registration> G - AWST
Serial N/o > RAE.637
D.62B Condor (100 hp Continental O-200-A). Regd G-AWST 31.10.68 to Rollason Aircraft &
Engines Ltd. CofA issued 16.4.69 and re-regd to N H Jones 28.7.69. Operated by South
Yorkshire Flying Club, Doncaster 1971; crashed 1.7.71 at Old Edlington, Yorkshire.
Repaired and operated at Doncaster until 1975 and RAF Cranwell 1976-78. Cld 12.1.79 and
re-regd 12.3.79 to R E Greenslade t/a Humberside Aviation, Kirmington. Permit expired
16.7.82 and stored at Doncaster. Re-regd 1.11.93 to P L Clements, Beeches Farm, South
Scarle, Notts. and new Permit issued 19.9.96 following rebuild. Since 17/06/02 has been
owned by Trevor Lowe.
The
Rollason Condor was actually conceived by French aviator Roger Druine, his initial
attempts at designing a small ‘minimum’ aircraft resulted in the D.3 he called
the Turbulent, which became very popular with French home builders. Also through the
Popular Flying Association it attracted an enthusiastic UK following. Rollason then an
aircraft repair company that had recently been bought by Norman Jones, founder and
chairman of the unique Tiger Club, built a small production run. He thought it would be an
excellent idea to build some examples for the club. He obtained Druines permission and a
production license. Jones himself flew the first prototype G-AWPB (designated a D.31A) on
new years day, 1958. Soon afterwards Roger Druine flew his own Turbulent over to Redhill
to inspect the first Rollason production machine, and pronounced himself well pleased with
the improvements over his own prototype. He returned home a happy man, only
to die of leukemia just a week later.Pleased with the success of the Turbulent, Jones and
Rollason decided to expand their horizons and put the larger two-seat Druine D.6 into
production to provide a UK trainer to compete against the Jodel and several U.S. imported
designs, which were arriving on the UK register in ever-increasing numbers. This
design followed on from the D.5 Turbi, which was a tandem open-cockpit
configuration. The D.6 featured fully enclosed canopy and side-by-side seating with
dual controls.The initial version (for homebuilders) was designated the D.61, and
sported a Continental A65 or C75 on the nose. As
with the Turbulent, Rollason incorporated many improvements, calling their version the
D.62 Condor. Three sub-variants
followed: the D.62A fitted with a Rolls-Royce (Crewe) built 0-200-A; the D.62B which had a
four-inch shorter fuselage and was equipped with plain flaps; and the D.62C which had a
bigger canopy, larger-diameter wheels and a strengthened firewall and was powered by the
130 hp RR 0-240-A. (Only four of the D.62C were built.)There was also a D.62D version, which was to have had a
tricycle undercarriage, but this never went into production. Most A and B versions
originally had rounded wingtips; the C had straight tips carrying a flat plate-type
device. This was found to improve handling at low speed and many earlier versions
have been retrofitted, usually during rebuild or restoration.The first UK Condor to fly
was actually an unfinished PFA D.62 homebuilt project registered to Don Wiggins, which
Rollason bought and completed, having meantime moved their factory to Shoreham following
the closure, in September 1959, of Croydon Aerodrome. It was given the construction
number 602 and, as G-ARHZ, first flew in 1961 fitted with a 75 hp Continental A75. I
am informed by Pilot's editor (himself a long-time active member of the Tiger Club) that
the initial test-flying of the prototype Condor was done by the late Neil Williams who,
when he had finished, vowed never to fly in a Condor again!G-ARHZ was subsequently
converted to a D.62A by replacing the A75 with a 0-200-A. The production Condors
were given c/ns 606 to 656 inclusive, the first production D.62A Condor (c/n 606, G-ARVZ)
flying in 1964. Thereafter the type became reasonably popular through an
innovative leasing system devised by Norman Jones by which flying clubs could 'own' their
own Condors.The four 130 hp versions were especially popular with gliding clubs as tugs,
though the early versions of Rolls-Royce's 0-240 (basically, an 0-200 with 0-300
cylinders) proved not as reliable as others of that prestigious manufacturer's power
plants. The last Condor off the line, a D.62C (c/n 652), flew in 1971, and work
ceased on the remaining four airframes, allocated c/ns 653-656, though 653 did
eventually appear as a D.62B, G-BADM. |