Havilland Tiger Moth DH 82 A – BB803 G-ADWJ
G-ADWJ was built in 1935 by deHavilland Aircraft and delivered to Prestwick ( registered to Scottish Aviation Ltd.) as part of the initial fleet for 12 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School.The unit became 12 EFTS in October 1939.
In March 1941 BB803 was transferred to 20 EFTS Yeadon on the formation of that unit.It crashed at Yeadon on the 8th August 1941 and was sent to Lundy and Atlantic Coast for repairs.After repair it was delivered to 9 EFTS Ansty and stayed there until transferred to storage in March 1944 at 38 MU Llandow.
It is believed by Air Britain that WJ remained in storage until being sold to Defford Flying Club in January 1950 and was then used for spares for G-AMBD and G-AMFN. It was never issued with a new civil registration aircraft log book.
Clive Hardiman(Shobdon) purchased the aircraft March 1991 and commenced the process of restoration.It was then sold on to Christopher Adams(Hereford) in July 1997 who continued with the restoration.All work on the project ceased in 2003.
It was purchased by Kevin Crumplin in May 2009 and moved to it’s current home at Henstridge Airfield. Restoration was completed to its 1941 condition i.e. as it was at 12 EFTS Prestwick. This meant that all instrumentation is as per it’s 1941 specification.
It has been fitted with navigation and identification lighting, first aid box, fire extinguisher, “course and height indicator” stowage, morse key, “Windy”airspeed indicator and Gosport tubes.
The engine was zero timed by Deltair Airmotive Ltd.
G-ADWJ received its C of A on the 2nd March 2012 and is due to be transferred to the LAA permit scheme this year.
de Havilland Tiger Moth DH 82 – A – NM 138 G-ANEW
G-ANEW(NM138) was built by Morris Motors at Cowley in 1943 and delivered to RAF Aston Down (aircraft storage park)on the 31st Jan 1944.RAF movements were: 29EFTS RAF Clyffe Pypard, 8 MU RAF Little Rissington,8 RFS RAF Woodley, Goodhew Aviation,10 MU RAF Hullavington and finally 41Gp at RAF Andover.
She was then sold to the Association of British Aero Clubs on the 1st Nov.1953. While with the BAC she was based at Croydon and flew with the Surrey Flying Club and Aero Airways Flying Club.
In May 1957 she was sold to John Crewdson,who sold her to Overseas Aviation Ltd. A week later she was re acquired by John Crewdson.In Feb.1959 she was sold to the Agricultural Aviation Company Ltd who sold her onto Hants and Sussex Aviation Ltd.in Aug. 1959 where she was converted into a crop sprayer.June 1961 saw her being sold to Southern Counties Aerial Contracts Ltd. With her final working life(crop sprayer) being seen out with Bardock Aviation Services Ltd, to whom she was sold in March 1963.
After having been purchased by Tony Young in June 1966 she was moved to her final resting place Henstridge Airfield.She was then rather poorly stored for the next 40 years until 27th Jan. 2007 when she was sold to the current owner Kevin Crumplin who removed the aircraft to new hangarage at Henstridge.
The main objective of G-ANEW’s restoration) which was carried out in the owners workshop and Henstridge) was to return her to “museum standard flying condition” i.e. as she would have been in 1944 at 9 RAF EFTS Clyffe Pepard .
This meant that all instrumentation is as per the 1944 specification. These instruments have been overhauled and restored by Airtron Instruments .The aircraft has been fitted with navigation and identification lighting ,first aid box,fire extinguisher,“course and height indicator” stowage, morse key, “Windy” speed indicator and Gosport tubes.
The engine has been rebuilt(zero timed) by Deltair Airmotive Ltd. Waterlooville.
NM 138 received it’s Certificate of Airworthiness on 7th July 2011.
de Havilland Tiger Moth DH 82A N9328 G-ALWS
G-ALWS (N9328) was built by de Havilland Aircraft in Hatfield in late 1939 and taken on charge by 5 MU RAF on the 16th October 1939.
She then spent the rest of her military time seeing service at Farnborough, Duxford, various maintenance units, 19 EFTS Sealand ,
15 EFTS Kingstown Carlisle, 17 EFTS Peterborough, 13 EFTS and 6 FTS before going to 8 MU pending her sale to AST Hamble.
N9328 then acquired her civil registration G-ALWS and was moved to Perth for “instructional purposes” where she eventually ended up on the “office roof” in the hangar. Her next resting place was Southampton with a very unclear history before being sold to Christopher Weaver in 1993. Anthony Beynon bought her in March 1995 and kept her in storage at Sleap before selling her to Kevin Crumplin in March 2012.
She has now undergone a ground up restoration at Henstridge returning her to her 1939 wartime specification (similar to her sister Tigers) with her engine being zero timed by Deltair Airmotive.
G-ALWS received her Certificate of Airworthiness on the 1st.June 2014 .
Jim Norris bought WS in November 2014 and is keeping her in her current hangar with TMT.
G-ANFP (N9503)
G-ANFP (N9503) was built in Hatfield and delivered to the RAF 17 Nov 1939 and issued to 4EFTS Brough, transferred to 4RFS Brough 26 June 1947, 2 RFS Barton 6 May 1948,7RFS Desford 24 April1948,returned to 2 RFS Barton 29 Sept.1949 and finally delivered into storage at 10 MU Hullavington on the 24 Oct 1951.
She was then sold in a sealed bid auction to the Association of British Aero Clubs and registered as G-ANFP by Cardiff Aeroplane Club on 28 Oct 1953.Hants and Sussex Aviation bought her on 24 Sept 1958 and converted her into an agricultural configuration..Her C of A was issued on 18 Jan1959 and she was registered to the Agricultural Aviation Company 27 Feb 1959.The aircraft was delivered to Panshanger but crashed on a local flight from Londonderry on the 27 July 1959.
After being repossessed by Hants and Sussex Aviation on 2 Dec 1959 she was stored at Portsmouth until being sold to Farm Aviation on 17 July 1961.She was dismantled after her next C of A expiry on 1 July1963.The Biplane Club then bought her and allowed her to become derelict.
Stuart Howe then bought her and she was taken into care by the Mosquito Aircraft museum,Salisbury Hall on the 2 Nov 1975.Her remains were then traded with Ross Aviation in exchange for Sea Vixen spares and then sold to David Taylor in August 1999. Her history is then less clear until it was sold on to Graham Horn on 10 Dec 1999 .
Graham Horn then sold her to Kevin Crumplin on 28 Aug 2013 who has restored her at Henstridge to her wartime specification (at 4 EFTS Brough).
The engine has been zero timed by Deltair Airmotive.
G-ANFP obtained her C of A on the 26thMay 2016.
Richard Santus (Czech Republic) bought FP and flew her back Prague in temperatures down to -15 degrees C !- an epic journey !.
We are delighted that Richard will remain associated with us and is now Director, Tiger Moth Training, Czech Republic !.
Richard has now bought one of Tiger Moth Training’s first restored Tiger Moths (G-AMIV) from the Air Fighter Academy in Germany. See Tiger Moth Training Czech for more details .
G-BWMK (T8191)
G-BWMK (T8191) was built by Morris Motors ,Cowley towards the end of 1940 and delivered to 15 MU purgatory store near Oxford on 10April 1941.Issued to 3EFTS Watchfield 25 May 1941 and then on to 3(P) AFU South Cerney in 1942.
She was damaged 24 Aug 1942 when the tailskid sheared off when taxiing across Summerfield tracking.After being repaired she was allocated to 4 FIS Cambridge 17Dec 1942 and later used by 22 EFTs Cambridge where a navy pilot broke the undercarriage during a heavy landing on 22June 1945.She was then posted to 5MU Kemble 13 Aug 1946 to be transferred to the Admiralty 3 Oct 1946 and delivered to 3 Ferry Flight RNAS Anthorn 22 June 1949. Serving out her remaining service time in the navy she moved all around the UK starting at RNAYDonibristle 21Jan 1949,RNAS Stretton8 Feb 1949,RNAS Culham 37 Jul 191951,RNAS Gosport 17Sept1952,RNAS Stretton(storage)22 Sept1952,RNAS Anthorn 11 Jul1953,RNAS Stretton 14 Aug1953,RNAS Anthorn 19Jul 1954,RN Gosport(repair) 17 Aug 1954,RNAS Lee on Solent 12 May 1955,RNAS Ford 11 July 1955,RNAS Lee on Solent for BRNC Dartmouth Flight 23 July 1955.
After heavy landing she was stored and repaired at RN Arbroath,31 July 1958,RNAS Lossiemouth 14 July1959,RN Arbroath(engine change)29 Sep1959,Dartmouth/Roborough 16 Nov 1960 -heavy landing,.RNAS Culdrose 14 July1966,Station Flight RNAS Yeovilton 15 March 1972,
Historic Flight Yeovilton 19 March 1973.Took part in “Famous Grouse Rally and came 24th probably caused by being overweight as the Navy insisted on full safety equipment including immersion suits and life jackets (overland!) .
T8191 was withdrawn from service 2 Dec 1986 and placed in store at Lee on Solent,she was then struck off charge due to reorganization of defence funds in 1994.Put up for sale through Sothebys she was purchased by John Lloyd for £12,000 and moved to Pool Quay,Welshpool for restoration..
No work was carried out and she was sold to Schneider Trophy Ltd 9 Feb 1996 who sold her on to Tony Beynon(APB Leasing) 28Feb 2002.She was bought by Kevin Crumplin 30 March 2012 who commenced restoration in 2015 .She has been finished in silver with yellow training bands, as she was at Dartmouth/ Roborough in 1960, and is based at Henstridge.
Her engine was overhauled and zero timed at Deltair Airmotive.
T8191 is part of the “Navy Wings” associate scheme.
G -AANO/ NC590N- Gipsy Moth
A brief (very!) history of this Gipsy.
G-AANO was built by The Moth Corporation/Wright Aeronautical Corporation in August 1930 as a Gipsy Moth 60 GMW. The first 3 owners lived in Nebraska.
It was first damaged in late 1931, repaired and crashed again in 1936 where both pilot and passenger were killed. After a dispute on ownership was resolved it was removed from the American register.
Cliff Lovell bought the remains from America and sold them on to Ron Souch who started the restoration but sold the project on to Tony Jenkins in 1989 . Tony carried out a considerable amount of research on the Gipsy but was unable to complete the restoration.
The project was registered with the Popular Fling Association (now LAA) in 1992 but little or no work was done on completing the project apart from replacing the Wright engine with a British built Gipsy which was sent to Vintech for a complete overhaul (zero timing).
While one expects problems with long dormant projects, this one had them in plenty - some easily remedied, but some potentially extremely dangerous, with misbuilt components and fuselage drawings not being followed. Some parts included were Tiger Moth rather than Gipsy.
The actual restoration was paused for just over 2 years whilst Richard's Magister was restored.
It is however, now ready for its test flight - so all being well, it should obtain its permit to fly this year.
