Percival Prince

"I consider that this type of aircraft is definitely unsafe and should not be reintroduced...In view of the repeated technical failures" said an RAAF document after nose-wheel shimmy damaged a Prince aircraft beyond economical repair at RAAF Edinburgh. The same file indicates that the nose wheel arrangment could be re-engineered to fix the problems. However it was decided to not persist with the type.

An RAAF Percival Prince conveyed Sir William Penny to the Emu area (Dingo Claypan?) in mid-September 1952.   The party on the claypan had set a white smoke flare presumably to guide the pilot to the remote location and or to help him choose landing direction.

The Percival Prince III was all metal with a retractable tricycle undercarriage.  It was designed to carry 8 passengers or 6 VIP's or 6 streacher patients and two medical attendants. The RAAF had 3 Percival Prince aircraft. A90-1,-2,-3

Particulars

* denotes typical figures
Wing Span 56 feet
Length 42.92 feet
Max. Speed 195* knots
Cruise Speed 170* knots
Ceiling 21,000* feet
Range 1,100* miles
Empty Weight 7824 to 8450* lbs
Max. Take-off Weight 11,000 lbs
Engines Alvis Leonides502/4 540/560 hp
Propellors De Havilland hydromatic 3 blades, 9 feet dia.

Bibliography