de Havilland Moth Minor
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (November 2010) |
| DH.94 Moth Minor | |
|---|---|
| |
| An ex-RAAF DH.94 Moth Minor at the Benalla Aviation Museum in June 2012. | |
| Role | Tourer/Trainer |
| Manufacturer | de Havilland |
| Designer | J.P. Smith |
| First flight | 22 June Template:Avyear |
| Number built | c.140 |
The de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor was a 1930s British two-seat tourer/trainer aircraft built by de Havilland at Hatfield Aerodrome, England and by de Havilland Australia at Bankstown Aerodrome, Australia.
Design and development
The Moth Minor was designed as a low-wing monoplane to replace the biplane Moth series, and was intended to give similar performance with less power, without the need for rigging. Its predecessor was the DH.81 Swallow Moth monoplane of 1931, of which only one was built. The wooden prototype of the DH.94 was first flown by Geoffrey de Havilland on 22 June 1937 at Hatfield Aerodrome.[1] Production started and nearly 100 examples had been built by the outbreak of World War II. With a selling price of only £575[1] the Moth Minor was popular with flying clubs keen to acquire modern monoplanes. Nine aircraft were specially built with hinged coupe tops instead of the normally open cockpit.
As the factory at Hatfield was needed for the war effort, the drawings, jigs, components and unfinished aircraft were shipped to the de Havilland factory at Bankstown, Sydney. More than 40 aircraft were produced in Australia.[1]
Civil aircraft operated in the United Kingdom were commandeered for use by the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm, and one example was used by the United States Army Air Corps. A large number of civil aircraft from the UK were sent to Australia, where they and a handful of locally-built Australian civil aircraft were commandeered by the Royal Australian Air Force.[2]
After World War II several Moth Minors continued to be flown by private owners in the United Kingdom.
Variants
- DH.94 Moth Minor : Two-seat touring and training aircraft.
- Moth Minor Coupe : Two-seat touring and training aircraft, with a built-up rear fuselage and hinged cabin top.
Operators
Military operators
Specifications
Data from British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Vol 2 [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
Performance
Surviving aircraft
- VH-AIB ex RAAF A21-38 C/N DHP17, still airworthy, is owned by Steve Jenkins and located at Goolwa SA.[3][4][5][6]
- VH-CZB ex RAAF A21-42 C/N 94067, still airworthy, is owned by Mark Carr and located at the Benalla Aviation Museum, Vic.[3][7][8][9]
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
- List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
- List of aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force
- List of aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and Royal New Zealand Navy
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d Jackson, A.J. (1973). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ ADF Serials list of RAAF Moth Minors. Retrieved: 11 December 2008
- ^ a b ADF Serials list of RAAF Moth Minors. Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- ^ Clyde North Aeronautical Preservation Group. Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- ^ Airliners.net. Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- ^ Ed Coates Aircraft Photographs. Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- ^ Adventure Flights Benalla - List of Aircraft Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- ^ Australian Warbirds. Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- ^ Airliners.net. Retrieved: 16 June 2012
- Bibliography
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "Moth Successor: The New Moth Minor Described" Flight 1939
External links
