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This DeHavilland Is the Oldest Tiger Moth of Its Kind, Escaped Military Duties

The name Tiger Moth may not mean all that much today, but back in the years preceding the Second World War, it was on everybody’s lips. Especially when those lips belonged to the pilots who would go on and fight in the skies over the burning world.
1939 DeHavilland Tiger Moth 6 photos
Photo: Platinum Fighters
1939 DeHavilland Tiger Moth1939 DeHavilland Tiger Moth1939 DeHavilland Tiger Moth1939 DeHavilland Tiger Moth1939 DeHavilland Tiger Moth
Tiger Moth is how British aviation company de Havilland called a range of trainers it started making in 1931. First operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Tiger Moth quickly gained international fame and, by the time production stopped in 1944, close to 9,000 of them were in the air, in the hands of pilots from some 40 countries.

Powered by one of the company’s Gipsy Major engines, the Tiger Month could seat two and was capable of flying at a top speed of 109 mph (175 kph) for as much as 302 miles (486 km). Even if it was primarily designed as a trainer, it could still carry up to eight 20 pounds (9 kg) bombs.

Despite the fact quite a number of them were made, in a great deal of variants, not that many Tiger Moths are still around. The one we have here, a DH.82C, is believed to be the oldest one of its kind in existence.

For reference, the DH.82C was designed for cold weather operations with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). As such, it came with sliding canopies, heating for the cockpit, and repositioned wheels.

Over 1,500 such variants were made, and the one we have here is according to the people now selling it on Platinum Fighters “the only 82C to not be taken into the RCAF" as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) program.

Used mostly for testing and evaluation, this plane entered the civilian circuit in 1948, moving up and down across North America. It can now be found in Idaho, from where it is selling in exchange for $65,000.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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