de Havilland’s diminutive Fox Moth
Mar 7, 2023 19:26:28 GMT 12
Dave Homewood, madmac, and 4 more like this
Post by Antonio on Mar 7, 2023 19:26:28 GMT 12
A lovely tribute..
From General Aviation News
By Frederick Johnsen · February 6, 2023
The rising forested slopes of British Columbia make the colors pop on Myles Robertson’s de Havilland Fox Moth in August 1975 at the Abbotsford International Air Show. Piloting the classic cabin biplane is test pilot and air show legend Bob Hoover.
If front-line British warplanes advanced with the global state of the art from the 1930s into the postwar 1940s, some smaller utility aircraft remained delightfully unfazed by the eternal quest for speed or modernity. Such was the case with de Havilland’s diminutive Fox Moth biplane.
Conceived in 1931 and first flown on Jan. 29, 1932, the D.H.83 Fox Moth was a frugal blend of wings, tail, and engine from the open-cockpit, two-place Tiger Moth trainer mated to a new wooden fuselage that included enclosed seating for, typically, three passengers. The Fox Moth pilot rode behind and above the passengers in a cockpit that could be open or fitted with a sliding hood.
The de Havilland Fox Moth economized by sharing powerplant, wings, and tail surfaces used on the company’s Tiger Moth. The landing gear was also an efficiency, with struts and braces interchangeable left and right.
In the UK, a number of Fox Moths earned their way as feeder airliners. The nature of the fuselage lines on the Fox Moth contributed streamlining that gave this variant faster cruising speed than the open cockpit Tiger Moth.
Keeping abreast of international aircraft developments, the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) reviewed the Fox Moth and published Aircraft Circular No. 162 describing the biplane in May 1932. The report noted that various de Havilland Moth series aircraft found great utility in far-flung parts of the world and varied climates, so the company took pains to ensure the wooden airframes were painted with weather-proof nitrocellulose that impregnated fabric covering the wooden structure wherever possible. To allow for shrinkage of the wooden parts, bolts were passed through spring-loaded dished steel washers that retained tension even if the bolts were slightly backed off.
Arthur Ernest Hagg is given credit for the Fox Moth design. In England, Hagg worked on a number of air racers and special-purpose speed machines, including the de Havilland DH.88 Comet twin-engine racer of 1934.
Some early Fox Moths were shipped to de Havilland’s Canadian facility for assembly. So popular did they prove to be in North America that the production run from England was shared evenly with Canada, with 49 Fox Moths emerging from each of the company’s plants in the UK and Canada.
As designed, the Fox Moth’s biplane wings could fold aft so the airplane could be stowed in smaller spaces. Large cabin windows afforded good visibility for passengers. Each side of the cabin had an entry/exit door. The seats were removable, creating an enclosed space for an estimated 750 pounds of cargo, according to the NACA report.
A number of Fox Moths were sold in New Zealand, where some aircraft were pressed into the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during World War II. For awhile after the war, the Fox Moth originally registered as ZK-ADI (given RNZAF serial number NZ566) still served the Air Force as a forest fire spotting aircraft.
Re-registered as ZK-ASP when no longer needed by the military in New Zealand, this Fox Moth eventually became a bright sight at air shows in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada in the 1970s.
Banking toward the camera plane, the de Havilland Fox Moth shows its Tiger Moth style wings with slight stagger and sweep. Test pilot and air show legend Bob Hoover is at the controls. (All photos by Frederick A. Johnsen)
The April 15, 1946 issue of Aviation News — a forerunner of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine — carried a report that de Havilland of Canada breathed new life into the classic Fox Moth with a postwar production run of Canadian-built variants that were well-suited to bush flying roles.
Labeled DH.83C, these post-war Fox Moths employed the Gipsy Major engine. They deleted the wing-folding mechanism of earlier Fox Moths. Featured was a doorway large enough to permit a stretcher patient to be carried.
The post-war Canadian Fox Moth was said to be able to carry more than 500 pounds of freight for 375 miles on 25 gallons of gas. Canadian production after World War II contributed an additional 53 Fox Moths.
Iterations of the well-liked de Havilland Gipsy four-cylinder inverted inline engine powered the Fox Moth. The Gipsy III produced 120 horsepower through a fixed-pitch propeller. The NACA report credited the Gipsy III with giving the Fox Moth a top speed of about 110 miles per hour, while cruising at 90 to 95. Gipsy IIIA versions gave 130 horsepower. The postwar Canadian-built Fox Moths (and some earlier variants) had 145 hp Gipsy Major 1C engines.
More than 10 Fox Moths are likely to still be in existence, with populations in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Germany reported.
ABOUT FREDERICK JOHNSEN
Fred Johnsen is a product of the historical aviation scene in the Pacific Northwest. The author of numerous historical aviation books and articles, Fred was an Air Force historian and curator. Now he devotes his energies to coverage for GAN as well as the Airailimages YouTube Channel. You can reach him at Fred@GeneralAviationNews.com.
From General Aviation News
By Frederick Johnsen · February 6, 2023
The rising forested slopes of British Columbia make the colors pop on Myles Robertson’s de Havilland Fox Moth in August 1975 at the Abbotsford International Air Show. Piloting the classic cabin biplane is test pilot and air show legend Bob Hoover.
If front-line British warplanes advanced with the global state of the art from the 1930s into the postwar 1940s, some smaller utility aircraft remained delightfully unfazed by the eternal quest for speed or modernity. Such was the case with de Havilland’s diminutive Fox Moth biplane.
Conceived in 1931 and first flown on Jan. 29, 1932, the D.H.83 Fox Moth was a frugal blend of wings, tail, and engine from the open-cockpit, two-place Tiger Moth trainer mated to a new wooden fuselage that included enclosed seating for, typically, three passengers. The Fox Moth pilot rode behind and above the passengers in a cockpit that could be open or fitted with a sliding hood.
The de Havilland Fox Moth economized by sharing powerplant, wings, and tail surfaces used on the company’s Tiger Moth. The landing gear was also an efficiency, with struts and braces interchangeable left and right.
In the UK, a number of Fox Moths earned their way as feeder airliners. The nature of the fuselage lines on the Fox Moth contributed streamlining that gave this variant faster cruising speed than the open cockpit Tiger Moth.
Keeping abreast of international aircraft developments, the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) reviewed the Fox Moth and published Aircraft Circular No. 162 describing the biplane in May 1932. The report noted that various de Havilland Moth series aircraft found great utility in far-flung parts of the world and varied climates, so the company took pains to ensure the wooden airframes were painted with weather-proof nitrocellulose that impregnated fabric covering the wooden structure wherever possible. To allow for shrinkage of the wooden parts, bolts were passed through spring-loaded dished steel washers that retained tension even if the bolts were slightly backed off.
Arthur Ernest Hagg is given credit for the Fox Moth design. In England, Hagg worked on a number of air racers and special-purpose speed machines, including the de Havilland DH.88 Comet twin-engine racer of 1934.
Some early Fox Moths were shipped to de Havilland’s Canadian facility for assembly. So popular did they prove to be in North America that the production run from England was shared evenly with Canada, with 49 Fox Moths emerging from each of the company’s plants in the UK and Canada.
As designed, the Fox Moth’s biplane wings could fold aft so the airplane could be stowed in smaller spaces. Large cabin windows afforded good visibility for passengers. Each side of the cabin had an entry/exit door. The seats were removable, creating an enclosed space for an estimated 750 pounds of cargo, according to the NACA report.
A number of Fox Moths were sold in New Zealand, where some aircraft were pressed into the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during World War II. For awhile after the war, the Fox Moth originally registered as ZK-ADI (given RNZAF serial number NZ566) still served the Air Force as a forest fire spotting aircraft.
Re-registered as ZK-ASP when no longer needed by the military in New Zealand, this Fox Moth eventually became a bright sight at air shows in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada in the 1970s.
Banking toward the camera plane, the de Havilland Fox Moth shows its Tiger Moth style wings with slight stagger and sweep. Test pilot and air show legend Bob Hoover is at the controls. (All photos by Frederick A. Johnsen)
The April 15, 1946 issue of Aviation News — a forerunner of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine — carried a report that de Havilland of Canada breathed new life into the classic Fox Moth with a postwar production run of Canadian-built variants that were well-suited to bush flying roles.
Labeled DH.83C, these post-war Fox Moths employed the Gipsy Major engine. They deleted the wing-folding mechanism of earlier Fox Moths. Featured was a doorway large enough to permit a stretcher patient to be carried.
The post-war Canadian Fox Moth was said to be able to carry more than 500 pounds of freight for 375 miles on 25 gallons of gas. Canadian production after World War II contributed an additional 53 Fox Moths.
Iterations of the well-liked de Havilland Gipsy four-cylinder inverted inline engine powered the Fox Moth. The Gipsy III produced 120 horsepower through a fixed-pitch propeller. The NACA report credited the Gipsy III with giving the Fox Moth a top speed of about 110 miles per hour, while cruising at 90 to 95. Gipsy IIIA versions gave 130 horsepower. The postwar Canadian-built Fox Moths (and some earlier variants) had 145 hp Gipsy Major 1C engines.
More than 10 Fox Moths are likely to still be in existence, with populations in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Germany reported.
ABOUT FREDERICK JOHNSEN
Fred Johnsen is a product of the historical aviation scene in the Pacific Northwest. The author of numerous historical aviation books and articles, Fred was an Air Force historian and curator. Now he devotes his energies to coverage for GAN as well as the Airailimages YouTube Channel. You can reach him at Fred@GeneralAviationNews.com.
