de Havilland Tiger Moth
|
|
|
|
Type
|
trainer
|
|
|
de Havilland Aircraft Company
|
|
Designer
|
Geoffrey de Havilland
|
|
|
26th October 1931
|
|
Introduced
|
1932 - military
|
|
Retired
|
1959 – military.
1946 – phased out of RAAF
Some still in civil use.
|
|
Primary users
|
Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force, plus numerous others military & civil
|
|
Number built
|
In excess of 8,000
|
|
Variants
|
Thruxton Jackaroo (4 seat cabin bi-plane)
|
The Museum is home to a DH 82 Tiger Moth, serial number A17-161, built in NSW and entered into service with the RAAF in October 1940. This plane was first flown on October 22nd, 1940 and its last flight was in January 1963. Most of its service took place under the Empire Air Training Scheme at Cunderdin, WA – hence its yellow colour scheme. The plane came to the Museum on February 14th, 1984 – having been placed on loan for an indefinite period by its owners, Channel 7.
History
The Tiger Moth trainer prototype was derived from the de Havilland Gipsy Moth (DH 60). The main change to the DH Moth series was necessitated by an effort to improve access to the front cockpit since the training requirement specified that the front seat occupant had to be able to escape easily, even wearing a parachute.] Access to the front cockpit of the Moth predecessors was restricted by the proximity of the aircraft's fuel tank directly above the front cockpit and the rear support struts for the upper wing. The solution adopted was to shift the upper wing forward but sweep the wings back to maintain the centre of lift. Other changes included a strengthened structure, fold-down doors on both sides of the cockpit and a revised exhaust It was powered by a de Havilland Gipsy III 120 hp engine and first flew on 26 October 1931 with de Havilland Chief Test Pilot Hubert Broad at the controls One distinctive characteristic of the Tiger Moth design is its differential aileron control setup. The ailerons (on the lower wing only) on a Tiger Moth barely travel down at all on the wing on the outside of the turn, while the aileron on the inside travels a large amount upwards... this is one of the ways the problem of adverse yaw can be counteracted in an aircraft's control design.
From the outset, the Tiger Moth proved to be an ideal trainer, simple and cheap to own and maintain, although control movements required a positive and sure hand as there was a slowness to control inputs. Some instructors preferred these flight characteristics because of the effect of "weeding" out the inept student pilot.
Operational history
The RAF ordered 35 dual-control Tiger Moth Is which were designated the DH 60T. A subsequent order was placed for 50 aircraft powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major I engine (130hp) which was designated the DH 82A Tiger Moth II. The Tiger Moth entered service at the RAF Central Flying School in February 1932. By the start of the Second World War, the RAF had 500 of the aircraft and large numbers of civilian Tiger Moths were impressed to meet the demand for trainers.
With a British production run of over 7,000 Tiger Moths, a total of 4,005 Tiger Moth IIs were built during the war specifically for the RAF, nearly half being built by the Morris Motor Company.
The Tiger Moth became the foremost primary trainer throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere. It was the principal type used in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan where thousands of military pilots got their first taste of flight in this robust but forgiving little machine.
Canada manufactured 1523 of the DH 82C, which had a 145 hp D.H. Gypsy Major 1C engine and other modifications including a tail wheel replacing the original tail skid, a stronger undercarriage with wheels set farther forward and and enclosed cockpit with a sliding canopy necessitated by the northern climate. The de Havilland Canada operation also supplied 200 Tiger Moths to the USAAF, which designated them the PT-24. A further 151 were built in Norway, Sweden and Portugal while 2,949 Tiger Moths were built by other countries of the British Commonwealth.
A number of modified Tiger Moths were developed for special roles. A radio-controlled target tug version of the Tiger Moth II called the Queen Bee was built with nearly 300 in service at the start of the Second World War. The Fleet Air Arm operated small numbers of the Tiger Moth II, and the Queen Bee. In the aftermath of Britain's disastrous campaign in France, in August 1940, three proposals involved beach defence systems; 350 Tiger Moths were fitted with bomb racks to serve as light bombers. A more radical conversion involved the "paraslasher," a scythe-like blade fitted to a Tiger Moth and intended to cut parachutist's canopies as they descended to earth. Flight tests proved the idea, but it was not officially adopted. The Tiger Moth was also tested as a "human crop sprayer" intended to dispense "Paris Green" poisonous insecticide from powder dispensers located under the wings.
Postwar
In postwar use, surplus Tiger Moths were available for flying clubs and individuals. They proved to be inexpensive to operate and found enthusiastic reception in the civil market, taking on a variety of new roles including aerial advertiser, aerial ambulance, aerobatic performer, crop duster and glider tug. After the invention of aerial topdressing in New Zealand, large numbers of ex-Royal New Zealand Air Force Tiger Moths made in that country were converted into agricultural aircraft. The front seat was replaced with a hopper to hold superphosphate for aerial topdressing. From the mid 1950s, these topdressers were replaced by more modern types such as the PAC Fletcher, and a large number of good flying condition New Zealand Tiger Moths then passed to enthusiasts.
Royal Navy Tiger Moths utilized as target tugs and "air experience" machines became the last military aircraft when the service purchased a batch of refurbished examples in 1956.
Specifications
General characteristics
Crew: 2, student & instructor
Length: 23 ft 11 in (7.34 m)
Height: 8 ft 9 in (2.68 m)
Wing area: 239 ft² (22.2 m²)
Empty weight: 1,115 lb (506 kg)
Loaded weight: 1,825 lb (828 kg)
Performance
Range: 302 miles (486 km)