 | How to fly a Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth was a 1930s biplane designed by de Havilland and operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until 1952 when many of the surplus aircraft entered civil operation. Many other nations used the Tiger Moth both in military and civil applications and the ubiquitous little trainer still is in great demand worldwide as a recreational aircraft. Design and development 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.[4] 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 General characteristics Crew: 2, 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) Wing area: 239 ft² (22.2 m²) Empty weight: 1,115 lb (506 kg) Loaded weight: 1,825 lb (828 kg) Powerplant: 1× de Havilland Gipsy Major I inverted 4-cylinder inline , 130 hp (100 kW) Performance Maximum speed: 109 mph at 1,000 ft (175 km/h at 300 m) Range: 302 miles (486 km) Service ceiling: 13,600 ft (4,145 m) Rate of climb: 673 ft/min (205 m/min) |
 | Westland Lysander in Action The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft used in the Second World War. It achieved fame through its ability to operate from short stretches of unprepared airstrip and its clandestine missions to plant or retrieve agents from behind enemy lines, particularly in Nazi-occupied France. Like other British army air co-operation aeroplanes, it was given the name of a military leader, in this case, the Spartan Lysander. In 1934, the Air Ministry issued the Specification A.39/34 for an army co-operation aircraft to replace the Hawker Hector. Initially, Hawker Aircraft, Avro and Bristol were invited to submit designs, but after some debate within the Ministry, a submission from Westland was invited as well. The Westland design, internally designated P.8, was the work of Arthur Davenport under the direction of "Teddy" Petter. It was Petter's second aircraft design and he spent considerable time interviewing RAF pilots to find out what they wanted from such an aircraft, suggesting that field of view, low-speed handling characteristics and STOL performance were the most important factors. Davenport and Petter worked to design an aircraft around the requested features: the result was highly unconventional and looked, by its 15 June 1936 maiden flight, rather antiquated. The Lysander featured a Bristol Mercury radial engine, high gull wings and a fixed taildragger landing gear inside huge spats. The spats had mountings for small, removable stub wings that could be used to carry bombs or supply canisters. In appearance it was not dissimilar to the Polish LWS-3 Mewa. It was equipped with automatic wing slats and slotted flaps, which were novel features for the era. The combination of these wing enhancements gave the Lysander a stalling speed of 65 mph. It also featured the largest Elektron alloy extrusion made at the time: a single piece inside the spats supporting the landing gear wheels. The Air Ministry requested two prototypes of the P.8 and the competing Bristol Type 148, quickly selecting the Westland aircraft for production, issuing a contract in September 1936. The first Lysanders entered service in June 1938 equipping squadrons for "Army Co-operation" and were initially used for message-dropping and artillery spotting. When war broke out in Europe, the earlier Mk Is had been largely replaced by Mk IIs, the older machines heading for the Middle East. Four regular squadrons equipped with Lysanders accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France. These were put into action as spotters and light bombers. In spite of occasional victories against German aircraft, they made very easy targets for the Luftwaffe unless escorted by Hurricanes. Almost half the Lysanders operating in and over France were lost and, with the fall of France, the type was quickly withdrawn from its army co-operation role. Back in England some went to work operating air-sea rescue for RAF pilots in the English Channel. Fourteen squadrons and flights were formed for this work during 1940/1941, dropping dinghies to downed pilots. Specifications (Lysander Mk III) General characteristics Crew: One, pilot Capacity: 1 passenger (or observer) Length: 30 ft 6 in (9.29 m) Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m) Height: 11 ft 6 in (3.50 m) Wing area: 260 ft² (24.2 m²) Empty weight: 4,044 lb (1,834 kg) Loaded weight: 5,833 lb (2,645 kg) Max takeoff weight: 6,305 lb (2,866 kg) Powerplant: 1× Bristol Mercury XX radial engine, 870 hp (649 kW) Performance Maximum speed: 212 mph (341 km/h) Range: 600 miles (966 km) Service ceiling: 21,500 ft (6,550 m) Rate of climb: 1,410 ft/min (7.2 m/s) Wing loading: 22 lb/ft² (109 kg/m²) Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (250 W/kg) |
 | de Havilland DH98 Mosquito More Mosquito footage, some good quality stuff. The de Havilland Mosquito was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World War. It served with the RAF and many other air forces both in the Second World War and postwar. The Mosquito was powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Merlins with the pilot and navigator sitting side by side. In the conceptual design stage, de Havilland designers found that adding any defensive armament would significantly reduce the aircraft's maximum speed. Realising that the loss in performance was not worth the benefit, the initial bomber version was designed without any guns. The various roles of the Mosquito included: tactical bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike and photo reconnaissance aircraft. The de Havilland company conceived the idea of a wooden aircraft to take advantage of the underused resources and skills of the furniture industry at a time of great pressure on the conventional aircraft industry combined with wartime shortages of steel and aluminium. The Air Ministry was initially not interested in the innovative approach; de Havilland, under chief designer Ronald Bishop, developed the Mosquito on a speculative basis. The ministry became interested when they saw the Mosquito prototype's performance. Throughout the 1930s, de Havilland had established a reputation in developing innovative high-speed aircraft such as the DH.88 Comet mailplane and DH.91 Albatross airliner that had already successfully employed the composite wood construction that the Mosquito would use. Construction: The bulk of the Mosquito was made of plywood. Stronger and lighter than most grades of plywood, this special plywood was produced by a combination of 3/8" sheets of Ecuadorean balsawood sandwiched between sheets of Canadian birch plywood. Like a deck of cards, sheets of wood alternated with sheets of a special casein-based (later formaldehyde) wood glue. The fuselage was formed in concrete moulds. Left and right sides of the fuselage were fitted with bulkheads and structural members separately while the glue cured. Reinforcing was achieved with hundreds of small brass wood screws. This arrangement greatly simplified the installation of hydraulic lines and other fittings, as the two halves of the fuselage were open for easy access by workers. The halves were then glued and bolted together, and covered with doped Madapolam fabric. The wings were also made of wood. To increase strength, the wings were made as one single assembly, onto which the fuselage, once both halves had been mated, was lowered and attached. Metal was used sparingly in the construction of structural elements. It was mostly used in engine mounts and fairings, control surfaces, and, of course, brass screws. The glue used was initially casein-based. It was changed to a formaldehyde-based preparation when the Mosquito was introduced to fighting in semi-tropical and tropical climates, after some unexplained crashes led to the suspicion that the glue was unable to withstand the climate. De Havilland also developed a technique to accelerate the glue drying by heating it using microwaves. In England fuselage shells were mainly made by E. Gomme, Parker Knoll and Styles & Mealing. Wing spars were made by J.B. Heath and Dancer & Hearne. Many of the other parts, including flaps, flap shrouds, fins, leading edge assemblies and bomb doors were also produced in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which was well suited to these tasks due to a well established furniture making industry. Dancer and Hearne processed much of the wood from start to finish, receiving timber and transforming it into finished wing spars at their High Wycombe factory. Around 5,000 of the total 7,781 Mosquitos ever made contained parts made in High Wycombe. The specialized wood veneer used in the construction of the Mosquito was made by Roddis Manufacturing in Marshfield, Wisconsin, United States. Hamilton Roddis had teams of dexterous young women ironing the (unusually thin) strong wood veneer product before shipping to the UK. General characteristics (DH.98 Mosquito B Mk XVI) Crew: 2: pilot, bombardier/navigator Length: 44 ft 6 in (13.57 m) Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in (16.52 m) Height: 17 ft 5 in (5.3 m) Wing area: 454 ft² (42.18 m²) Empty weight: 14,300 lb (6,490 kg) Loaded weight: 18,100 lb (8,210 kg) Max takeoff weight: 25,000 lb (11,000 kg) Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Merlin 76/77 (left/right) liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,710 hp (1,280 kW) each Performance Maximum speed: 361 knots (415 mph, 668 km/h) at 28,000 ft (8,500 m) Range: 1,300 nm (1,500 mi, 2,400 km) with full weapons load Service ceiling: 37,000 ft (11,000 m) Rate of climb: 2,850 ft/min (14.5 m/s) Wing loading: 39.9 lb/ft² (195 kg/m²) Power/mass: 0.189 hp/lb (311 W/kg) Armament: Bombs: 4,000 lb (1 800 kg) Avionics: GEE radio-navigation |
 | Golden Age Pioneers - Amy Johnson Amy Johnson was born July 1, 1903, in Hull Yorkshire and lived there until she went to Sheffield University in 1923 to read for a BA. After graduating, she moved on to work as a secretary to a London solicitor where she also became interested in flying. Amy began to learn to fly at the London Aeroplane Club in the winter of 1928-29 and her hobby soon became an all-consuming determination, not simply to make a career in aviation, but to succeed in some project which would demonstrate to the world that women could be as competent as men in a hitherto male dominated field. Her first important achievement, after flying solo, was to qualify as the first British-trained woman ground engineer. For awhile she was the only woman G.E. in the world. Early in 1930, she chose her objective: to fly solo to Australia and to beat Bert Hinkler's record of 16 days. At first, her efforts to raise financial support failed, but eventually Lord Wakefield agreed his oil company should help. Amy's father and Wakefield shared the 600 pound purchase price of a used DH Gypsy Moth (G-AAAH) and it was named Jason after the family business trademark. Amy set off alone in a single engine Gypsy Moth from Croydon on May 5, 1930, and landed in Darwin on May 24, an epic flight of 11,000 miles. She was the first woman to fly alone to Australia. In July 1931, she set an England to Japan record in a Puss Moth with Jack Humphreys. In July 1932, she set a record from England to Capetown, solo, in a Puss Moth. In May, 1936, she set a record from England to Capetown, solo, in a Percival Gull, a flight to retrieve her 1932 record. With her husband, Jim Mollison, she also flew in a DH Dragon nonstop from Pendine Sands, South Wales, to the United States in 1933. They also flew nonstop in record time to India in 1934 in a DH Comet in the England to Australia air race. The Mollisons were divorced in 1938. After her commercial flying ended with the outbreak of World World II in 1939, Amy joined the Air Transport Auxiliary, a pool of experienced pilots who were ineligible for RAF service. Her flying duties consisted of ferrying aircraft from factory airstrips to RAF bases. It was on one of these routine flights on January 5, 1941, that Amy crashed into the Thames estuary and was drowned, a tragic and early end to the life of Britain's most famous woman pilot. While flying an Airspeed Oxford from Blackpool to RAF Kidlington near Oxford, she went off course in poor weather. She drowned after bailing out into the Thames estuary. Although she was seen alive in the water, a rescue attempt failed and her body was never recovered. The incident also led to the death of her would-be rescuer, Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher of HMS Hazlemere. She was the first member of the Air Transport Auxiliary to die in service. Her death in an Oxford was ironic as she had been one of the original subscribers to the share offer for Airspeed. |
 | 1923 Motorized Glider crosses English Channel May 1923, Georges Barbot, French aviator, holder of the world's record for duration of gliding flight, flew across the English channel and back in a tiny monoplane, equipped with only 15 horsepower and carrying but one gallon of gasoline. Sixty-one minutes' flight from St. Inglevert, France, to Lympne, England, and forty-four minutes' flight back from England to France, won the aviator a prize of 25,000 francs offered by the Paris Matin. |
 | Luftwaffe propaganda footage. The forerunner of the Luftwaffe, the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte), was founded in 1910 with the emergence of military aircraft, although they were intended to be used primarily for reconnaissance in support of armies on the ground, just as balloons had been used in the same fashion during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870--1871 and even as far back as the Napoleonic Wars. It was not the world's first air force, however, because France's embryonic army air service, which eventually became the Armée de l'Air, had also been founded in 1910, and Britain's Royal Flying Corps (which merged in 1918 with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force), was founded in 1912. At the outset of the world war II, the Luftwaffe was one of the most modern, powerful, and experienced air forces in the world, dominating the skies over Europe with aircraft that were much more advanced than their initial counterparts. The Luftwaffe was central to the German Blitzkrieg doctrine, as the close air support provided by Stuka dive bombers and an overwhelming force of tactical fighters were key to several early successes. The Messerschmitt Bf. 109 was the most versatile and mass produced aircraft of the Luftwaffe. It was designed when the biplane formula was still predominant. Many versions of this aircraft were made. Each of the new models had something better from the old model. The engine was a Mercedes Benz DB 601 Liquid Cooled Engine. The first models generated up to almost 1010 horsepower. This power increased as direct fuel injection was introduced to the engines. The Focke Wulf Fw. 190 was considered the best German fighter of World War II. It had relatively short wings and was powered by a radial B.M.W. engine. The Junkers Ju. 87 was a main asset when the Blitzkrieg (lightning war) was put into action. This dive bombing aircraft could drop bombs with deadly accuracy. The French and the Poles were prepared for a trench war like World War I. The Polish and French air force had out of date aircraft and were unable to fight back the Luftwaffe. The leaders of the Luftwaffe was Hermann Goering. He was an obese man and did not really care about the Luftwaffe. He rarely attended important meetings to go to fancy parties. Opposite to Goering was Erhart Milch. He was the former director of Lufthansa.(German Airline Company) He would spend sleepless nights pouring over aircraft designs and war tactics. Both men would participate in endless fighting to gain Hitler's support. Near the end of the war, Goering was dispatched with disgrace when he decided to take the title of Fuhrer as Hitler was in his bunker beneath Berlin. Following the Battle of Britain, however, the Luftwaffe went into a steady, gradual decline that saw it both outclassed and outgunned by the sheer number of Allied aircraft being deployed against it. Towards the end of the war, the Luftwaffe was no longer a major factor, and despite fielding advanced aircraft like the Messerschmitt Me 262 and Me 163, was crippled by fuel shortages, insufficient production capacity, and a lack of trained pilots. The Luftwaffe were responsible for many 'accidental' bombings in Ireland one of which occurred on 26th of August 1940, this took place in Campile co Wexford. A total of 5 bombs were dropped and the blasts killed 3 local Girls who worked in the Creamery which was bombed. The bombing was covered up by the government for 4 hours until details were released. Details of the blast were actually broadcast in the USA before they were spoke about in Ireland. |
 | de Havilland flying school 1933 To be rich and British in the 1930's. Short film promoting civil flying (and Moth sales) |
 | Forgotten Aircraft - Lockheed Hudson Bomber The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and training roles as well as delivering agents into occupied France. |
 | Gloster AS 31 Survey The Gloster Aircraft Company designed this replacement for the single engined DH9 in the imperial survey and mapping role from another de Havilland Aircraft Limited concept, the DH67A. The airframe was of all-metal construction covered with fabric. To simplify work in the bush, the square-section fuselage consisted of three separate units which could be dismantled by removing a few bolts and pins. Dual controls were fitted to the open cockpit and all control cables were eliminated and replaced by push rods to guarantee better serviceability. The cockpit was reached through a door in the fuselage. In comparison with the DH-9, the cabin had ample space, and three separate camera positions were provided. A special Eyrie mounting in one position enabled the camera operator to lower the camera to a position in which it was clear of any projections on the aircraft. The tail unit consisted of a single fins and rudder of typical Gloster outline. The undercarriage was designed to stand rough handling. It was built in the form of a triangulated "V" with an oleo shock absorber housed in the vertical leg. The wings were of orthodox metal and fabric design with balanced ailerons of the Frise type fitted to the bottonn planes only. Two squat 525 h.p. Bristol Jupiter XI geared aircooled radial engines were fitted to the lower wings. Initially the aircraft was fitted with double bladed wooden propellers, but these were later replaced with wooden four bladers. In case the Bristol Jupiter might not always be available during operations in foreign countries, the engine mountings could be modified to take no less than five other types of British, French or American engine. Only two examples of this versatile aircraft were eventually built. The first received the British civil registration G-AADO and was sold to the Aircraft Operating Company. The other was K2602 built for the British Royal Air Force. In a slightly modified form, it was used for wireless experiments at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough until late 1936. In comparison with the staggering development costs of today, the AS.31 was an extremely cheap aircraft. The two exaniples were built at a total cost of only £13,000. G-AADO was completed first and taxi-ing trials began at Hucclecote aerodrone in June 1929. During one of the ground tests, the pilot, Howard Saint, opened the throttles slightly to cross a bumpy patch in the airfield surface. The AS.31 immediately took off and swung in the direction of the hangars at the side of the airfield. Although the first flight was not scheduled for this occasion, Saint applied full power, made a circuit of Hucclecote and landed safely. The flight testing programme was completed and, in January 1930 G-AADO was shown to a gathering of VIPs and newsmen at Heston. The delivery flight to Cape Town lasted from 20 March until 11 April 1930. The aircraft covered the 7,000 miles at an average speed of 128 m.p.h., only three miles per hour less than its maximum speed. On board were the Chairman of de Havilland, Mr Alan Butler, his wife, a cameraman and a ground engineer. The Aircraft Operating Company sent G-AADO to Bulawayo for use in a surveying programme in the Rhodesias and Central Africa which was to last just on three years. It flew about 500 hours and one area photographed was a 63,000 square mile slice of Northern Rhodesia. The AS.31 proved to be a very reliable aircraft, as only tyres and tailskid shoes had to be replaced during the period. Powerplant Two 525 hp Bristol Jupiter XI geared radial engines. Dimensions: Span: 61 ft Length: 48 ft 6 in Height: 18 ft 9 in Wing Area: 1,025 sq ft Weights Empty: 5,614 lb Loaded: 8,570 lb Performance Max Speed: 131 mph at 1,000 ft Climb: 7.4 min to 10,000 ft Service Ceiling: 21,900 ft Range: 495 miles |
 | 1929 Gipsy Moth Takeoff Our 1929 Gipsy Moth taking off from French Valley Airport in Murietta, CA. More information and photos can be found here: http://www.gipsymoth.com. |
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