Tiger Moth biplane: 80-year-old vintage flyer

Published on 14/08/2012 00:00

The Tiger Moth biplane was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, one of Britain’s foremost aviation designers, and first took to the air in October 1931.

Primarily used as a training aircraft, the Tiger Moth entered service at the RAF Central Flying School in February 1932.

By the start of the Second World War, the RAF had 500 of the aircraft in service.

During the war, more than 7,000 Tiger Moths came off the production line, half of them built by Morris Motors at Cowley.

The plane also became the primary trainer in countries throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere and remains in widespread use around the globe, mainly as a recreational aircraft.

The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until it was replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952.

Redundant Tiger Moths took up new roles in aerial advertising, air ambulance, aerobatics and crop-spraying, and it is popular with pilots to this day.