Westland Dragonfly HR3 WG725

A very interesting development within the restoration projects underway at RAAF Base Amberley Qld, under the RAAF Heritage Branch, is one of the first practical Helicopters in RAAF service, a Westland built Dragonfly HR3 Serial number WG725.

The aircraft was at the Fleet Air Arm Museum (FAAM) at Nowra NSW until May 2020 when she moved to Amberley RAAF Base and she will be fully restored. Some basic restoration had been carried out at Nowra but this is a full project which will require some time to complete but as it’s an extremely rare aircraft it will be well worth the wait. There is also a restoration underway at Amberley of Avro Anson Mk 1, W2472 as reported on recently, so there’s a lot of exciting restoration news coming from Amberley Qld.

The RAAF and RAN operated several of the Dragonfly from 1947 until around 1963. The RAAF received 3 aircraft Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly built aircraft A80-1, A80-374 and A80-636 of which only A80-374 survives at the RAAF museum where she is currently on display. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) also utilized 2 borrowed Sikorsky built S-51 Dragonflys UP 21 and 28, borrowed from US Navy helicopter utility squadron HU-1 Pacific Fleet Angels. These aircraft operated from HMAS Sydney as a rescue helicopter.

The RAN also borrowed a total of 4 Royal Navy Westland Dragonfly HR aircraft on HMAS Sydney again as Rescue Helicopters. Aircraft were VZ965 a HR.1, WG707 HR.3, WG753 HR.3 and WP498 HR.3. As stated earlier the sole survivor of these early Helicopters, A80-374 survives at the RAAF museum however another aircraft which is the subject of this article is HR.3, a Westland built example.

This machine was delivered to Aircraft Holding Unit (AHU) at RNAS Gosport UK in 1952 and later that year to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down for trials. In Feb 1953 the aircraft served in flood relief in the Netherlands and in June that year it is noted at White Waltham UK before returning to A&AEE in July 1953 and then back to White Waltham. In November 1956 the Helicopter returned to Westlands for modification and then reissued to controller Supplies (air) from which she was sent to Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Bedford and then back to Boscombe Down in 1959 before transfer to HMS Centaur in Jan 1959.

The helicopter returned to RAE Bedford later in January 1959 and was then withdrawn from use in June 1960. In November 1960 she was then sent to the RAF Technical training School at RAF Weeton in November 1960 and then on to RAF St Athan from 1965 until 1967. The aircraft took part as a static exhibit in the RAF 50th anniversary display at RAF Abington in 1968 and was then sent to RAF Colerne in 1969. In 1975 the Dragonfly was transferred to RAF Odiham where she remained until she was sent to the Museum of Army Flying in 1978.

Following an exchange arrangement the helicopter moved to Southend in 1981 and was repainted for Venezuelan AF celebrations marked as “0020” and registered N9987Q. However the arrangement failed and the aircraft was stored on site at Southend, moving to Cornwall Aero Park, Helston in 1988. She was  repainted as “WG754” 912/CU where she remained until 2000 when she passed to the Aircraft Maintenance Group, RNAS Culdrose and was then acquired by the Fleet Air Arm Museum (FAAM) at Nowra NSW in February 2000. Since then the aircraft has spent her time in storage until acquired by the RAAF and moved to RAAF Base Amberley in May 2020. The intent will be to display the aircraft at the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre representative of A80-636 as flown by 23 SQN at RAAF Amberley.

Warbirds Online will continue to monitor progress on Dragonfly HR3 WG725 as it moves towards completion. We would like to thank AIRCDRE John Meier and SQNLDR Paul Ashby of the RAAF History and Heritage Branch for facilitating this article.

© John Parker 2021