Royal Air Force News Friday, October 20, 2023 P24
Feature
Flying in the slipstream of RAF heroes at Duxford My thrilling taste of what it was like for early military pilots Ronan Thomas IN 1931 De Havilland delivered a new two-seat trainer for the RAF, the dualcontrol DH.82 Tiger Moth. Weighing around 1,825lb, with a 30ft wingspan, the steel-framed, wood and fabric biplanes were powered by a Gipsy Major piston engine, generating around 130hp. It entered service with the RAF in 1932 and seven years later 1,378 aircraft were operational, preparing British and Commonwealth pilots for war.
It was the aircraft that gave many of the UK’s legendary fighter aces their first taste of military combat flying. That raw experience is still available today, delivered by private operators based at Duxford, where the pioneers of the Royal Flying Corps, and later the RAF, trained. Taking up the offer I was issued on arrival with a 1930s-style flying jacket, helmet and goggles, as well as an aviation microphone set to communicate with the pilot in the rear seat behind me. The Royal Navy Tiger Moth
LIVING HISTORY: Ronan, front, experiences the exhilaration of a Tiger Moth flight, top
was waiting, expectantly. Built by Morris Motors at Cowley, it gleamed in period silver and yellow training colours with roundels on the upper and lower wings. With the famous words ‘Throttle Set, Contact’ The Gipsy Major engine sprang to life and the wooden airframe started vibrating purposefully. At Duxford you are flying in the
slipstream of legendary aircraft and in historical crosswinds. The Tiger Moth was not hanging around. It moved across the grass airfield and took off smartly. Climbing slowly to around 1,800 feet we flew west, following an eight-mile circuit. The pilot banked thrillingly over the old RAF Bassingbourn airfield, opened in 1938 and also used as
an operational station by the USAAF. Taking the controls I managed to bank, climb and dive, briefly. The Tiger Moth responded to a light touch, but you could feel the power. Returning, I was impressed to see Duxford from the air, and reflected on its distinguished history. I imagined the RAF trainees put through their paces by instructors back in the 1930s, before heading back to their classrooms. The pilot made a soft landing on the grass – the vintage Tiger Moth has a sprung tailskid, not a tail wheel, and no brakes. As I climbed out to shake the pilot’s hand, I had a broad smile on my face. The sound of that whistling wind stayed with me for hours. If you want to experience flying the old way, there is nothing to top the marvel that is De Havilland’s DH.82 Tiger Moth.