De Havilland Fox Moth

The DH.83 Fox Moth is a small biplane passenger aircraft from the 1930s powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy Major I inline inverted engine, manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.

The aircraft was designed late in 1931 as a low cost and economical light passenger aircraft. Many components, including the engine, tailplane, fin, rudder and wings were identical to those of the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth, then being built in large quantities. These are fitted to a purpose-built fuselage, which has a plywood covering over longerons which are ash forward of the pilot and  Sitka spruce aft. The pilot sits in a raised cockpit behind the small enclosed passenger cabin, which was usually fitted with three seats for short-range flights. The "Speed Model" was fitted with a canopy and fairing. The wings could be folded for storage.

Operational history


The prototype first flew on 29 January 1932, and was sent to Canada gaining sufficient interest that seven were assembled at the company's Toronto plant. "Home" based production was shared evenly between sales within the United Kingdom and exports, with 49 aircraft each going onto the British register and being sent overseas. British-based aircraft were mostly used on short-haul joyrides or as feeder flights around the British Isles. The DH.83 Fox Moth was the first aircraft to earn a profit in commercial airline service without subsidies.

Fox Moth VH-UQM Miss Currie was purchased by Victor Holyman for £1,450 and began operating over the 108-mile route over south-eastern Bass Strait between Launceston, Tasmania and Whitemark on Flinders Island in October 1932. It was thus the inaugural aircraft of what was to later become Australian National Airways. QANTAS used Fox Moths to replace de Havilland DH.50s on the Flying Doctor Service.

Total production of the DH.83/DHC.83C Fox Moth was 153; 98 in England, two in Australia and 53 in Canada after WWII. A number of different engines were used, including the 130 hp (97 kW) Gipsy IIIA on most British-built aircraft and the 145 hp (108 kW) Gipsy Major 1C on the 53 postwar DH.83C Canadian-built aircraft. The DHC-83Cs were fitted with larger pilot cockpit openings, a larger windscreen and canopy, a large ambulance cabin door on the port side to accommodate a stretcher, and did not have folding wings. The DH.83C used DH.82 Tiger Moth main and tail landing gear. The DH.83C was an excellent and economical bush plane.

Variants

 * DH.83 Fox Moth: Light transport biplane; 98 built in the United Kingdom, plus two more in each of Australia and Canada.
 * DH.83C Fox Moth: 53 aircraft were built in Canada after World War II.
 * Gasuden KR-1: This was an unlicensed Japanese-built copy of the Fox Moth powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Gasuden Jimpu 3 radial engine. The first prototype, J-BBJI named Chidorigo (Plover) flew on 23 December 1933. Seven KR-1s were built.
 * Gasuden KR-2: The KR-1 design with modified wings and other tweaks

Military
🇦🇺 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇦 Canada 🇳🇿 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain Spanish State
 * Royal Australian Air Force
 * Brazilian Air Force
 * Brazilian Naval Aviation
 * Royal Canadian Air Force
 * Royal New Zealand Air Force
 * No. 42 Squadron RNZAF
 * South African Air Force
 * Spanish Republican Air Force
 * Spanish Air Force

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 * Fleet Air Arm
 * Royal Yugoslav Air Force

Civilian
🇦🇺 British Raj 🇨🇦 Canada 🇳🇿
 * Adastra Airlines
 * Tasmanian Aerial Services
 * Tata Airlines
 * Wardair Canada
 * Air Travel (NZ) Ltd, later National Airways Corporation operated three aircraft.

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 * Blackpool and West Coast Air Services
 * Giro Aviation
 * Hillman's Airways
 * Midland & Scottish Air Ferries
 * North West Air Services
 * Northern & Scottish Airways
 * Olley Air Service
 * Provincial Airways
 * Scottish Motor Traction
 * Aeroput

Survivors

 * DH.83 G-ACEJ was active in the UK in 2010, but since 2015 has been registered in Munich, Germany, regularly appearing at displays and meetings (still with its UK civil reg). The aircraft received attention in the 1957 British Transport Films production Holiday, taking off from Blackpool Beach whilst undergoing pleasure flights.
 * DH.83C G-AOJH
 * ZK-ADI active in New Zealand in 2016
 * ZK-AGM active in New Zealand in 2019 after rebuild in UK
 * ZK-APT active in New Zealand in 2019
 * ZK-AQB active in New Zealand in 2020
 * DH.83 VH-UJJ ex-G-ACEB active in Australia in 2009
 * C-FYPM ex-ZK-AEK active in Canada in 2018
 * VH-UVL active in Australia in 2018
 * C-FDIX Under restoration to airworthy condition at Buffalo Airways by Buffalo Joe McBryan and the PLANE SAVERS! crew in Yellowknife, NWT, Canada with the aim of having it flying by the spring of 2020.
 * VH-UUS Under restoration at MothCair by Greg Challinor, Murwillumbah NSW, Australia