Return of the Drover

An iconic piece of Australia’s aviation history, a de Havilland Drover aircraft, is being restored and relocated to the new Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) Mount Isa Base and Visitor Experience Centre.

With only 20 Drover's manufactured in the world, and just a handful left in existence, the aircraft is a significant asset to the Flying Doctor and Mount Isa community.

Drover's history

The Drover was designed in the late 1940s by Hawker de Havilland as a light passenger aircraft replacement for the de Havilland DH-84 Dragon biplanes in Australia.

It had similarities to the de Havilland Dove but was simpler in design to suit outback conditions. Only 20 Drovers were manufactured and were used by QANTAS Empire Airways, Trans Australia Airlines, the Department of Civil Aviation, the Commonwealth Department of Health - Northern Territory Medical Service and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

By 1967 the Flying Doctor Drover era came to an end when the RFDS (Queensland Section) replaced the aircraft with Beechcraft Queen Airs.

Latest News

Road to restoring the Drover

15 Sep 2025

An iconic piece of Australian aviation history, the de Havilland Drover aircraft, is being carefully restored after spending more than 45 years on display at Mount Isa’s George McCoy Park.

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New lease on life for the Drover

28 Aug 2025

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Ben Dannecker

Former RFDS pilot Ben Dannecker was the mastermind behind the Drover's original restoration in 1980.

Ben sourced parts from two separate aircraft, the VH-DRD and VH-AZN, to form a hybrid design aircraft. One was wrecked at Austral Downs Station in 1957 and the other wrecked on Mooraberree Station, south-east of Bedourie in 1952.

Thanks to support from locals including the Lions, Rotary and Apex Clubs, as well as Mount Isa Mines, the Drover was hoisted up onto poles at George McCoy Park as a reminder of the Flying Doctor's work and connection with the community.

Meet the restoration team

John Larkin - Head of RFDS Tourism

John has more than 30 years experience in tourism and has built 12 attractions across Australia, including the Royal Flying Doctor Outback Heritage Experience Centre in Broken Hill and the RFDS Visitor Experience Centre in Dubbo.

Over the past few years, John has acquired and restored the entire RFDS fleet from New South Wales for display. Now, he’s the project lead for the new Mount Isa Visitor Experience Centre, which is set to open its doors in 2026, ahead of the organisation's centenary in 2028.

Jim Shannon - Aviation Engineer

Jim started his apprenticeship as an engineer in January 1980 with a small operator who had a Post Office contract in Far North Queensland delivering mail to remote cattle stations on Cape York and the Gulf of Carpentaria. This was when he gained his pilot licence.

He later gained his engineering licences and worked for Regional Express at Mascot for 18 years, retiring as the Group Engineering Training Manager in 2018.

During his retirement, Jim helped to refurbish the Visitor Experience Centres at Dubbo and Broken Hill. Jim assisted with the restoration of RFDS's historical fleet including a King Air and two Nomad aircraft for displays.

Lenita Woodsbey - Mount Isa local

Lenita completed her trade as an aircraft maintenance engineer in Bundaberg alongside legends of the game where we also restored and rebuilt several old aircraft to return them to gleaming flying machines.

Lenita believes the Drover restoration project is an opportunity to give back to the community in a field dear to her heart. This unique project will also support the RFDS and all the fabulous work they do.

Peter Braithwaite - Contractor

Peter is a highly regarded contractor in Queensland who has worked alongside John for many years to create the Royal Flying Doctor Outback Heritage Experience Centre in Broken Hill and the RFDS Visitor Experience Centre in Dubbo.