Iraq Petroleum Corporation DH89A's & DH Doves

Crashed Dove

IPTC De Havilland Dove G-AJHX had an interesting history. On 30th January 1955 it was taxiing on a desert airstrip at the camp of an IPC subsidiary at Fahud, Oman when the pilot allegedly retracted the undercarriage – hence the damage. The same aircraft was involved in an accident at Abu Dhabi on 22 November 1966 when it was returning company personnel from a dance in Sharjah. Sea fog obscured the runway and the pilot collided with an oil drum on landing. After this it was repaired and returned to the UK.

The second photo shows three IPTC Doves on an airstrip in the desert – possibly Umm Said in Qatar, circa 1954. One of the aircraft is Newark Museum’s G-AHRI.

Checked on Newark’s Virtual Museum CD ROM and it states that their Dove G-AHRI was operated by IPTC [Iraq Petroleum Transport Company between 1947 and 1957, when it was sold to P.D.Keegan.

Last time I was there someone told me they were possibly planning to repaint G-AHRI in IPTC colours.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/aircraftlist.htm

I also heard that G-AHRI was oldest Dove still preserved.

One of their Rapides lives on as a pleasure flying aircraft with Air Atlantique Classic Flight at Coventry, a little on its history:

Rapide G-AGTM : construction number 6746

1944 Constructed at Brush Works Loughbourgh as part of contract 6/AIRCRAFT/2580/C20a
05/44 Delivered to 18MU
1945 To Airwork & General Trading Co for modifications
19/09/45 G-AGTM Iraq Petroleum Transport Co Ltd, Halifa
06/12/45 Issued with a C of A
24/04/53 Reg cancelled as sold to Lebanon
03/09/53 OD-ABP Saad Transport, Beirut
23/04/62 JY-ACL Arab Contracting & Trading, Amman, Jordan
??? Modified to Mark 6
25/03/64 G-AGTM Army Parachute Association, Netheravon
10/04/64 Delivered via Gatwick
12/05/64 Issued with C of A
1964 Named Valkyrie
01/03/67 Parachute Regiment Free Fall Club, Netheravon
26/02/68 Badly damaged in landing accident at Netheravon
04/11/68 Army Parachute Association, Netheravon
09/77 Sold to Martin Barraclough & Partners, Netheravon
09/77 Overhaul and repaint to NF875 in Royal Navy colours as [ 603:CH ]
08/03/78 Sealion Shipping Ltd ( a Martin Barraclough company ), Redhill or Duxford ??
25/09/80 Airbourne Taxi Services Ltd, Duxford
01/03/83 Russavia Ltd, Duxford
21/06/87 Damaged in a ground loop at Duxford with the aircraft ending up in the car park!
02/88 To Audley End for rebuild to flying condition
10/93 Moved to Rush Green for sale
20/01/94 Aviation Heritage Ltd
01/03/94 Ben Borsberry, Kidmore End, Reading for continued restoration.
01/08/95 S Evans, Farnborough, continued restoration.
13/11/96 First Flight on completion of restoration.
15/11/96 New C of A issued and based at Kemble
01/99 Leased to Air Atlantique and moved to Coventry
05/02 Acquired by Air Atlantique

Currently operates in 8 seat configuration, overall dark blue with silver wings and details. See www.classicflight.com

IPC aircraft

I have several photos of IPC aircraft including Doves – one of them is shown on the website http://www.greenmountainpress.co.uk/id2.html