THE CAMDEN MUSEUM
OF AVIATION
OF AVIATION
Tiger Moth DH 82A A17-680A17-680 was the 348th Tiger Moth built by De Havilland Aircraft Company, England - Constructor's No 82348, and arrived in Australia in February 1940. It operated with the Newcastle Aero Club as VH-ADH. In July 1940, the aircraft was impressed into service with the RAAF under the serial No A17-680, operating with No 4 Elementary Flying Training School, then with No11 EFTS and in December 1944 was transferred to Air Gunnery School. In May 1946, it was retired from the RAAF service and put back on the civil Register as VH-ADH. Finally, after conversion to a crop-duster and being operated by Airfarm Associates Pty Ltd, it was removed from the register in August 1965 and was obtained by the Museum in July 1968. The Tiger Moth was gradually evolved from the DH60 Moth and the prototype of the first true Tiger Moth version flew in October 1931, when it was adopted as the new RAF basic trainer. By 1934, the improved design DH-82A was being used by a large number of civilian operated Elementary and Reserve Flying Schools throughout England to give RAF pilots their initial training. Nearly all British and Commonwealth civil Tiger Moths were impressed into their Air Forces in 1939 and 1940, and some 861 of these elementary trainers served with the RAAF with service pilots having flown one at some stage.From 1946, large numbers of the Tiger Moths were returned to civil use again for Club flying and training and also for commercial work. In fact, a Tiger Moth was the first aircraft to be used as a crop-duster in Australia and thus played an important part in building up a thriving agricultural industry. |
 Tiger Moth Trainers Photograph courtesy of N M Parnell |
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||