DH 83 Fox Moth G-ACEJ.......... 1097

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By popular request from our customers, many who had their first taste of flying in the remarkable Fox Moth, a brand new model (not a variant on our Tiger Moth!) all CAD designed and DTP printed. Model depicts G-ACEJ, one of the last Fox's to fly commercially, taking joy-riders from Southport sands as late as the mid '60's. Recently beautifully restored to its original Scottish Motor Traction (SMT) colours, ACEJ is a star performer at the annual DH Moth meetings at Woburn Abbey.

Kit contains four silver Astrolux cards, colour printed structure cards, balsa sandwich board, resin cast cowling and prop, vac-forms, moulded wheels, decals. Usual History of the type, comprehensive illustrated instructions and Card Modellers Handbook. Model features detailed cabin and cockpit interior.

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AIRCRAFT HISTORY

The DH 83 Fox Moth was produced early in 1932 to fill a market request for a small and inexpensive air-taxi. Designed by A.E.Hagg, the Fox Moth was a direct development of the Tiger Moth, and to keep production costs down used the mainplanes, although with less sweep back and stagger, tail unit, undercarriage main sprung legs and engine mounting, mated to an entirely new wooden plywood covered fuselage with an open cockpit for the pilot and a small cabin forward. Its performance was astonishing, and on short taxi or pleasure flights could carry four passengers, and on longer flights up to 360 miles, three passengers on the mere 120 hp of its Gipsy III engine. Extraordinarily, the Fox Moth, although having a greater fuselage cross-section than the Tiger Moth, had superior speed, although its greater all up weight made its initial rate of climb inferior.

The prototype, G-ABUO made its first flight in March 1932. It was then shipped to Canada for evaluation on floats and skis by Canadian Airways Ltd. 'UO was later re-registered locally as CF-API, and such was the Canadian interest in the aeroplane that DH decided to produce the Fox Moth in its Toronto factory, who were to produce 54 of the aeroplanes out of a total production of 154, with two built in Australia, and the remaining 98 at DH's London Stag Lane factory, 46 of which were exported.

The first production machine to roll out from Stag Lane, G-ABUP, had a short career registered to British Hospitals Air Pageants Ltd, the title given by George Barker, ex Cobham's Company Secretary, and Jimmy Galbraith, for their 1933 display season's Air Circus, and the second and third machines, G-ABVI and 'VK commenced operations on the Clacton&endash;Maylands&endash;Ramsgate schedule service for Hillman Airways Ltd.

In its first summer of operation, the Fox Moth distinguished itself when G-ABUT, piloted by W.L.Hope, won the Kings Cup Air Race, Hope's third win in the race. G-ABUT was fitted with a 130hp Gipsy 3A (later called the Gipsy Major) and had a sliding cockpit hood. Fuel was carried in the cabin, and the normal centre section tank replaced with a wing section centre section. Devoid of the drag of the tank. ABUT baffled the race handicappers to win at an average of 124.13 mph! The aeroplane was later sold to Surrey Flying Services Ltd. at Croydon, where, during the next seven years thousands of joyriders paid 5 shillings (25p) for a flight in the suitably inscribed King's Cup Winner.

The majority of Fox Moths were fitted with the Gipsy Major engine, and about a third were fitted with sliding hoods. One early customer for the Fox was the Prince of Wales. who purchased G-ACAJ. This registration was changed to the double suffixed G-ACDD as a Royal privilege. 'DD was little used, and went to Belgium as OO-ENC at the end of 1933, the new owner, Guy Hansez, using it for a fast return passage to the Belgian Congo before returning it to De Havilland's.

38 cms Wingspan............................ $50.00 (£24.95)