https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Tiger_Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de
Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the
Royal Air Force (RAF) and many other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. In
addition to the type's principal use for ab-initio training, the Second World
War saw RAF Tiger Moth operating in other capacities, including maritime
surveillance, defensive anti-invasion preparations, and even some aircraft that
had been outfitted to function as armed light bombers.
The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until it was succeeded and
replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk during the early 1950s. Many of the
military surplus aircraft subsequently entered into civil operation. Many
nations have used the Tiger Moth in both military and civil applications, and it
remains in widespread use as a recreational aircraft in several different
countries. It is still occasionally used as a primary training aircraft,
particularly for those pilots wanting to gain experience before moving on to
other tailwheel aircraft. Many Tiger Moths are now employed by various companies
offering trial lesson experiences. The de Havilland Moth club, founded 1975, is
now an owners' association offering a mutual club and technical support.
One of the main changes made from the preceding Moth series was necessitated by
a desire to improve access to the front cockpit, since the training requirement
specified that the front seat occupant had to be able to escape easily,
especially when 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 cabane 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
system.
On 26 October 1931, the first 'true' Tiger Moth, the prototype E6, conducted its
maiden flight at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware, London; de Havilland Chief Test
Pilot Hubert Broad was at the controls during this first flight. Shortly
thereafter, construction of the first 35 production aircraft for the RAF,
designated K2567-K2601, commenced following the issuing of Specification
T.23/31; in addition, two float-equipped seaplanes, S1675 and S1676, were also
built according to Specification T.6/33
The Tiger Moth quickly became a commercial success, various models of the
aircraft were exported to more than 25 Air Forces of various overseas nations.
In addition to the military demand, aircraft were also produced for the civil
market. At one point, the flow of orders for the Tiger Moth had effectively
occupied almost the entirety of de Havilland's capacity to manufacture aircraft
and little capacity could be spared to accommodate domestic customers. In 1932,
de Havilland also developed an affordable air taxi from the Tiger Moth; using
almost all of the main components of the former in combination with a new
plywood fuselage seating four people in an enclosed cabin, it was marketed as
the de Havilland Fox Moth. Following the end of all manufacturing, third parties
would occasionally re-build Tiger Moths to a similar configuration to the Fox
Moth, such as the Thruxton Jackaroo.
Role
Trainer
Manufacturer
de Havilland Aircraft Company
de Havilland Canada
Designer
Geoffrey de Havilland
First flight
26 October 1931
Introduction
February 1932
Retired
1959
Status
Retired from military service, still in civil use
Primary users
Royal Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Produced
Number built
8,868
Developed from
de Havilland DH.60 Moth
Variants
Thruxton Jackaroo
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 little machine. The RAF found the Tiger Moth's handling ideal for
training future fighter pilots. Whilst generally docile and forgiving in the
normal flight phases encountered during initial training, when used for
aerobatic and formation training the Tiger Moth required definite skill and
aircraft to stall or spin. From 1941 onwards, all military and many civil Tiger
Moths were outfitted with anti-spin strakes positioned on the junction between
the fuselage and the leading edge of the tailplane, known as Mod 112; later on,
the aileron mass balances were removed for improved spin recovery performance.
In December 1939, owing to a shortage of maritime patrol aircraft, six flights
of Tiger Moths were operated by RAF Coastal Command for surveillance flights
over coastal waters, known as "scarecrow patrols". The aircraft operated in
pairs and were armed only with a Very pistol. The intention was to force any
encroaching U-boat to dive; one aircraft would then remain in the vicinity while
the other would search for a naval patrol vessel which could be led back to the
spot. Because they were not radio equipped, each aircraft also carried a pair of
homing pigeons in a wicker basket to call for help in case of a forced landing
at sea. A 25-pound (11.5 kilogram) bomb was sometimes carried, but there is no
record of one being dropped in action.
Specifications (DH 82A)
General characteristics
Crew: two, student & instructor
Length: 23 ft 11 in (7.34 m)
Wingspan: 29 ft 4 in (8.94 m)
Height: 8 ft 9 in (2.68 m)
Empty weight: 1,115 lb (506 kg)
Useful load: 710 lb (323 kg)
Loaded weight: 1,825 lb (828 kg)
(100 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 109 mph at 1,000 ft (97 kn, 175 km/h at 300 m)
Cruise speed: 67 mph (59 kn)
Range: 302 miles (250 nm, 486 km)
Service ceiling: 13,600 ft (4,145 m)
Rate of climb: 673 ft/min (205 m/min)
Armament
8x 20 lb bombs
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