Mildura pilot restores WWII De Havilland Tiger Moth

[Old Farang]

Mildura pilot restores WWII De Havilland Tiger Moth biplane for spin at bygone era

Mildura pilot restores WWII De Havilland Tiger Moth biplane for spin at bygone era - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-30/de-havilland-tiger-moth-restored-warbirds-mildura-pilot/13087162)


"The engine itself, and this aeroplane, was built by General Motors Holden. It was built in '42, and the first Holden motor car wasn't built until, I think, '48," he said.

[JDNSW]

I note that it has a tail wheel, and hence, presumably, brakes.

I have only once had the opportunity to fly a DH82A - that was in Georgetown NQ in 1968, of all places! But that engine plate looks familiar - the engine in the Auster I used to own was also a Gipsy Major made by GMH.

[Tins]

But that engine plate looks familiar - the engine in the Auster I used to own was also a Gipsy Major made by GMH.

Might have been worth a bob or two, had you kept it...

Aero Engine - General Motors-Holden's Ltd, Gipsy Major Series I, 4-Cylinder Inverted, Melbourne, Victoria, 1941 (https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/405154)

[JDNSW]

Might have been worth a bob or two, had you kept it...

Aero Engine - General Motors-Holden's Ltd, Gipsy Major Series I, 4-Cylinder Inverted, Melbourne, Victoria, 1941 (https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/405154)

For what it is worth, the Auster appears to be still flying (VH-ADT), so the engine presumably is still in use. Last picture I saw of it was repainted in military colours, but it has always been in civilian ownership. This picture was taken at Archerfield in 1969.

[Tins]

For what it is worth, the Auster appears to be still flying (VH-ADT), so the engine presumably is still in use. Last picture I saw of it was repainted in military colours, but it has always been in civilian ownership. This picture was taken at Archerfield in 1969.

Was Alpha Delta Tango its reg when you had it? Going by the date I'd say yes.

[JDNSW]

Yes. From memory, it had been VH-ADT from when it was imported new to Australia in, I think, 1953. I bought it from Kingsford Smith Aviation at Bankstown in 1967, traded it on a Cessna 180 in 1969 to Schutt in Melbourne after I moved to PNG.