Warbird Information Exchange

Thanks James,
Everything in your last msg. confirms the info I already have that ours is an RAF kite. T-7467 is a DH82A with a 140 hp Gipsy Major. Listed as a Tiger II and all.
My point is that if we decide we subjectively like an RAAF color scheme,it needs to be as correct as possible. And I'd still like to give it the individual markings of a trainer flown by a war hero.

good night,
Doug.

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"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."

Hi Doug,
Oh, there's no doubt at all that the Lone Star Tiger's a Pommie one. If you want to depict an Australian example, you'd only need to add a dust filter and lose the anti-spin strakes; neither being critical either way, as you've already noted, variations do happen.

Obviously most aces and famous pilots from Australia went through training, and many on Tigers; it would be possible, from a particular pilot's logbook, to get an appropriate serial etc. However, like the Lose Star's Hurricane scheme, I'm thinking there might be something more catchy than that - frankly aces get too much spotlighting already IMHO, and there's pleny of others who deserving to be pointed out instead.

If you wanted a US connection, there's the PT Tigers, the US used versions of the Canadian examples, but I'd agree with August that the wooden struts you've got, and the other variations are a bit too far off.

I rather like a foliage green and US star and bar example...

Naughtily I left out the Kiwi Tigers; AFAIK, they are the same as UK production, sans the anti-spin strakes again.

There's a great page of Kiwi photos here:
http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/tiger.html

Keep us posted on the works, and I'll keep going on the research.

Cheers

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

JDK-

It's my understanding that the 200 PT-24 Tiger Moths built for the USAAF were never operated by the USAAF but were ordered using Lend-Lease funds and therefore received a US designation.

Tom-

Of course you're quite right Tom, thanks.

Another reason I loathe the US aircraft designation system.

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

You might find the latest article on the Vintage Wings site interesting. Follow the link to On Yellow Wings a Tiger Moth Story.

http://www.vintagewings.ca/page?s=63&lang=en-CA

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“Try to fly in the middle of the air. The edges are filled with mountains and oceans and rocks and it’s much harder to fly there.”

Temora Aviation Museum's all yellow scheme Tiger Moth.



Wardie

Thanks Wardie.

Now this one I know. It's a British built Tiger, imported pre-war to Australia as a civilian aircraft. Like most of Temora's aircraft, it's got an interesting, rare history, in this case including a ducking into Sydney Harbour!

Modern tailwheel (not Canadian style) modern generator thingy between the u/c legs, and the original British type oil tank.

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/aircraft/TigerMoth.cfm

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Thanks again, you chaps are the greatest. I was at the museum today and spent a little time on the Tiger. I took some photos and looked it all over closely and I cant find data plate one on that thing.
I spent some more time de-rubbish-ing the engine. It has Scott Aviation brakes in the rear cockpit. Did these have brakes originally? It also has a steerable tail wheel.
Some of the other volunteers removed the wings Saturday so it's all over that part of the hangar now. I got distracted from cleaning at that point when I had to go lower the PBY wing floats manually to clear the bent float from a roof beam. Nobody else there knew how or wanted to mess with it.
One more question: what wrenches do we need for the Gipsy Major? fractional, metric or (shudder) Whitworth? I've found a couple of bolts on it that I can't match a wrench to.
Doug

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"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."

Okay, I just read in the Vintage Wings of Canada link that K225 posted that British built DH82A's didn't have brakes, so ours has later add-ons.

_________________
"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."

We know your RAF serial, and construction number but I'll ask where you might find data plate info. I'll bet some of the wings are off different aircraft.

No brakes, and (ugh) no tailwheel originally. Designed to be operated from round grass fields, not nasty concrete or tarmac. Unfortunately you'll probably need to keep both.

I'll ask. You'll do well to talk to the DHMC. They also manage spares supply, for commonly needed parts.

Cheers,

PS: Doug, what do the Tiger and PBY have in common? A: Both types are capable of having a rear bird strike...

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Just another note here. I have seen wartime pics of RAAF Tigers with the four exhaust stacks rather than the header (or extractor) types of four into one pipe.

Aparently the welded joints where the pipes from the exhaust ports joined the tail pipe were continaully cracking and breaking so some "sumpy" came up with the idea to simply have the pipes come directly down vertically as separate pipes. Voile! Problem solve and it gave a nice crackling barky exhaust note as well.

I can always tell a Tiger (or Auster) with the four into one pipes over a "straight through" system. I don't know what effect this had on burning exhaust valves because of the probable near lack of back pressure in the 4 straight through pipe system but it couldn't have been bad becasue I have never heard or read anythign about it.

Cheers,
Ross.

In the CCAF DH 82A, the data plate is mounted on the forward bulkhead in the luggage compartment.

It says Morris Motors, surprisingly, although that wouldn't surprise a Moth enthusiast.

Not a bad article on the VWoC site, isn't it?

Dave

Dave
Any family resemblance is purely coincidental.
Steve

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“Try to fly in the middle of the air. The edges are filled with mountains and oceans and rocks and it’s much harder to fly there.”

Thanks Dave, I didn't look in the sewage compartment. It still reeks of old flood filth even though Tommy cleaned it out and I poured about half a gallon of straight bleach into it. UGH!
Ours also has a small wooden compartment about the size of a large cigar box roughly under and to the left of the baggage comp. It was completely skinned over and 'just there' when we peeled it to clean and dry it a few weeks ago. Nothing was in it but dust. Just a small wooden box. Could this have been for something that is now obsolete or maybe a wartime item? There isn't anybody at Lone Star anymore who knows much about this aircraft.
Doug.

_________________
"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."

I have always loved these little planes. They seem like something even I could learn to fly, and love. How many are left in toto?

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."