ADF-SERIALS
Australian & New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials & History

RAAF A80 Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly

RAN Westland Dragonfly

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Dragonfly A80-636 Photo Roger Alder
 
 

Dragonfly Image Gallery

  
     
 

RAAF S-51 Dragonfly

  
     
 
Aircraft Serial Aircraft History
A80-1 Delivered 03/10/47.
Served with ARDU then RAAF 21 Sqn.
Crashed 11/51, into Murray River and was converted into components.

Highlight for Album: Dragonfly A80-1  RAAF Form E/E.88 Aircraft Status Card
A80-2 Records indicate this was allocated to Sycamore WV695, re-serialled A91-1.
We are not sure if A80-2 was ever applied.

Highlight for Album: Sycamore A91-1  RAAF Form E/E.88 Aircraft Status Card

A80-374 Served with 22 Sqn, then went to No.2 Aircraft Development.
In 1961 it went to 81 wing.
In 1964 it was converted to an instructional airframe and sent to Wagga Wagga NSW.
Currently on display RAAF Museum, Point Cook VIC.

Highlight for Album: Dragonfly A80-374  RAAF Form E/E.88 Aircraft Status Card
A80-636 Served with 23 Sqn.
Crashed 10/12/52 and was broken up for spares.

Highlight for Album: Dragonfly A80-636  RAAF Form E/E.88 Aircraft Status Card
 
     
 

USN Dragonfly's loaned to RAN

  
     
 

Sikorsky HO3S-1 Dragonfly UP-21 BuNo 124350 USS New Jersey 14th April 1953

  
     
 

During the Korean War the US Navy helicopter utility squadron HU-1 Pacific Fleet Angels lent the Royal Australian Navy a Sikorsky HO3S-1 (Dragonfly) with crew to serve aboard HMAS Sydney as a rescue helicopter.

Photographs indicate that two examples were used UP-21 (BuNo 122714 or 124350?) and UP-28, (BuNo ?) referred to as "Uncle Peter".

  
     
 

RAN/USN HO3S-1 Image Gallery

  
     
Aircraft Serial Code Aircraft History
122714 or
124350?		 UP-21 Notes:
HO3S-1 122714 (c/n 5196)
To HU-1 Named "Honey Bucket".
No further details.

HO3S-1 124350 (c/n 51210)
To HU-1,
To US civil register as S-51 N5557A.
Last know owner: Ming Ayer Inc, Linden, NJ.
Cancelled from Register 27/01/1971.

Sikorsky HO3S-1 Dragonfly UP-21 HMAS Sydney c August 1951 -February 1952 Photo Alan Wallace White 

? UP-28 Sikorsky HO3S-1 Dragonfly UP-28 HMAS Sydney Kure, Japan 1951 
     
 

RN Dragonfly's loaned to RAN

  
     
 

Westland Dragonfly HR3 WP498/K Attached to HMAS SYDNEY possibly at Iwakuni. c1954 Photo via Joe Barr

  
     
  Westland Dragonfly helicopters were loaned from the Royal Navy to HMAS Sydney on a number of occasions.  
     
Aircraft Serial Type Aircraft History
VZ965 HR.1 From ARS Iwakuni to Ship's Flight HMAS SYDNEY 29 Oct 1951.
Length of service not known but recorded as issued from ARS Iwakuni to Ship's Flight HMS GLORY 16 Apr 1952
WG707 HR.3 From HMS OCEAN to HMAS SYDNEY 6 Nov 1953.
To AHU Sembawang 18 May 1954.
WG753 HR.3 Reported as attached HMAS SYDNEY circa 6 Nov 1953 (previous recorded allocation was HMS OCEAN 10 April to July 1954).
Ditched Sydney Harbour 5 Jan 54.
WP498 HR.3 HMAS SYDNEY 18 Jan 1954 (after arriving in Japan on cruiser HMS BIRMINGHAM),
Next reported to AHU Sembawang 19 May 54.

Westland Dragonfly HR3 WP498/K Attached to HMAS SYDNEY possibly at Iwakuni. c1954 Photo via Joe Barr 

     
 

ex RN Dragonfly with the RAN FAA Museum

  
     
 

Westland Dragonfly WG725 FAAM Nowra 2001 Photo Glenn Alderton

  
     
     
  The Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra received an ex Royal Navy Westland Dragonfly HR3 Serial number WG725.

History of WG725 as researched by Ray Sturtivant et al in their book "Fleet Air Arm Helicopters Since 1943" :

  
     
Aircraft Serial Type Aircraft History
WG725 HR.3 First flight 28.10.52.
Delivered AHU Gosport 25.11.52.
A&AEE Boscombe Down 12.1.52 for navigation trials;
Detached to Netherlands 5.2.53 to 9.2.53 for Dutch flood relief operations;
Detached White Waltham 12.6.53;
A&AEE Boscombe Down 13.7.53;
Detached White Waltham 15.7.53;
Westland Aircraft Ltd, Yeovil 23.11.54 for mods;
To permanent Controller Supplies (Air) charge 14.2.55;
RAE Bedford 16.7.56 to investigate deck landing techniques and for blade motion studies;
Boscombe Down to HMS CENTAUR 8.1.59;
RAE Bedford 21.1.59.
Withdrawn from use by 10.6.60.
To 8 School of Technical Training, RAF Weeton 7.11.60 as GI 7703M;
RAF St Athan by 9.65 to 9.67;
Static display at RAF 50th anniversary, Abingdon 6.68; RAF Colerne by road by 1969;
Static display RAF Odiham by road 4.12.75;
Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop, by road 27.4.78;
Exchanged for Auster aircraft and to Southen by road 26.10.81 then prepared for Venezuelan AF celebrations marked as "0020" and registered N9987Q;
Deal fell through and stored Southend;
Cornwall Aero Park, Helston by road 21.9.86 (restored as "WG754" '912/CU');
Aircraft Maintenance Group, RNAS Culdrose by road 3.2.2000 for dismantling;
Shipped to RAN Museum, Nowra 16.2.2000.

Highlight for Album: Westland Dragonfly WG725
     
     
     

The Authors of this page are Darren Crick, Martin Edwards and Brendan Cowan.

Source: CASA Aircraft Records, AWM website, http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries13.html ,

Emails: Brendan Cowan, Joe Barr

Updated 29 June 2015
     

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