26th October 1931

[antarmike]

First flight of the De Havilland Tiger Moth trainer.

 

Entering RAF service in Febraury 1932, the Tiger moth stayed in RAF service until 1952. 500 were available at the start of WW2.

 

(Aussie Moths)

 

It was based on earlier aircraft in the moth series, the changes in the Tiger moth being to improve the ease with which the trainee pilot could exit the plane with his parachute. Early Moths had the fuel tank in the top wing directly above the front Cockpit. The Tiger moth saw the fuel tank moved forwards, and the upper wing swept back to keep the centre of lift in the same place, Some wing struts were also moved to improve access and exit from the front Cockpit. The Bi-plane Tiger moth thus became the RAF's first swept wing Aircraft!

 

Most of us know the Tiger Moth as an open cockpit twin seat trainer, but the Canadian version, the DH82.C had an enclosed cockpit with heating!!!.

although in the summer you could strip off the Cockpit.....

During 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 at Cowley, Oxford.

In Canada, de Havilland manufactured 1,523 of the DH 82C, which had a 145 hp D.H. Gipsy Major 1C engine and other modifications including a tail wheel replacing the original tail skid,

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 went on after the war in the antipodes as crop dusters, the trainees cockpit being replaced with a dry powder tank. But a large number still fly today in private hands.

 

Royal Navy Tiger Moths utilised as target tugs and "air experience" machines became the last military examples when the service purchased a batch of refurbished examples in 1956

Edited October 25, 2008 by antarmike