VH-EBT (1)  DHA-3 Drover                               (c/n  5009)

                                 

                                     A rare shot from the Gus Grulke collection, taken at Eagle Farm in 1952.   The aircraft, at the time,
                                     was about to depart for Papua New Guinea where it was based with the rest of the Qantas Drover
                                     fleet.  It had the original Drover power plant of DH Gipsy Major Mk 10 engines with DH Hydromatic
                                     variable pitch props.    A DCA investigation into several Drover accidents proved that this model of
                                     propellor suffered structural failures, allowing the prop to break away in flight.  Consequently the DH
                                     props were replaced with Fairey-Reed fixed pitch propellors, resulting in a serious drop in aircraft
                                     performance.  This was rectified somewhat the later Mks 2 and 3 Drover.   VH-EBT went on to Fiji
                                     Airways as VQ-FAP before returning to Australia as VH-ADN, an identity under which it is still
                                     flying today.