The 1950s and 1960s produced many attempts in East and West to design an aeroplane to replace the Douglas DC3 and C47 Dakota.
None that flew seemed to fill the gap, and many Daks flew on. Or do you think there was a built or unbuilt Dak replacement that cut the mustard?
It struck me a while ago that the obvious British Dakota replacement may be a pre-war design - the De Havilland Flamingo. It's about 75% of a Dakota in size and capability, but re-engining it with the Twin Wasp and giving it a fuselage stretch might have been interesting. It's a pity the order for 40 Hertfordshires (Flamingos in camo) was cancelled to allow DH to concentrate on the Tiger Moth.
I don't think it could have become a Dakota replacement post-war, but I think the opportunity to develop it into a Dakota competitor pre-War might have been interesting.
DH's Ron Bishop was ahead of you, he wanted to tweak the Flamingo to match the DC-3 and in August 1943 sketched up the Flamingo Mk.II (possibly numbered DH.97).
- new single tail (Mosquito style)
- 950hp Perseus XA engines in new, cleaner design nacelles for 13mph increase in cruising speed (254mph max)
- 2ft longer rear fuselage but internally the cabin was 2ft 10in longer and the luggage compartment 1ft longer
- a large loading hatch big enough to get a piston engine through
- stronger structure for 19,500lb AUW (that was an increase of 1,900lb)
- lengthened nose to give the radio operator's compartment 6in more room
- Exactor engine controls replaced with cables
- a modern high-pressure hydraulic system
- redesigned ailerons
- range would be 1,564 miles (1,780 at most economical cruising speed)
It was killed off by a few things; DH focused on war programmes, Perseus XA never entered production and Spec 26/43 for Brabazon Type 5B soon appeared and which asked for a more advanced aircraft.
Its possible Arthur Hagg at Airspeed was influenced by the Flamingo Mk.II when he drew up the Ambassador in 1944, but there is no direct evidence of that.
There was a good article on the Flamingo Mk.II in
Air Enthusiast, Nov/Dec 2005