30 August 2009
The Tiger Moth Spreads its Wings
01/09/09 16:36
In July 2007 the Assault Glider Trust, based at RAF Shawbury, received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to support a two year restoration project on a Tiger Moth. The Tiger Moth in question crashed 28 years ago and had remained in a derelict state until the Trust acquired the aircraft in September 2007 and started extensive restoration work on the plane.
The Tiger Moth has undergone a huge amount of reconstruction over the past two years and all of the hard work was carried out by the Trust’s Volunteers who truly are the heart of the organisation. The copies of the Technical Manuals regarding Tiger Moth construction were obtained from original drawings held by De Havilland and have been used and followed by the Volunteers to produce an authentic aircraft that is true to original design. One of the initial jobs was to repair and strengthen the existing metal frame of the fuselage. The petrol tank had to be removed and restored with the addition of coating wax oil on the inside to lubricate the interior and prevent damage or disintegration. The tank was then re-doped and repainted alongside the rest of the fuselage. The instrument panels of the Tiger were badly damaged and have undergone an extensive rebuild and all the instruments have been re-serviced. The back seat of the Tiger underwent partial restoration as damage to the original was minimal but the front seat had to be completely rebuilt and both were then repainted. The wings of the Tiger also went through an extensive face-lift which included the repair and replacement of all metal fixings and each rib had to be discarded and new ones created and put in place on the wings. The work carried out on the Tiger is a true testament to the hard work put into the project by the Trust’s volunteers and Tim Jenkins, the Trust’s Director of Education, without whom the Trust would not have got this far.
During the War Tiger Moths were used as a training aircraft for glider pilots, the agile bi-plane was a fantastic vessel to learn in and enabled future pilots to get a taste of what it was like to be airborne. The Tiger Moth you can see at Shawbury today was used during and after the War and will now spend its retirement as a memorial piece that will be used to educate children and members of the public about airborne operations and training.
The Trust currently has four World War II aircraft in its collection which includes a Horsa glider, a Waco, Dakota and a Tiger Moth. The aim with all four aircraft is to restore them back to their wartime identity which in turn will serve as an appropriate memorial to all the airborne troops from the War. For further information please visit the Trust’s website: www.assaultglidertrust.co.uk
Lastly, the Trust wishes to thank Warrant Officer Ed Gibson and Warrant Officer Colin McFarlane from JTDT, Cosford for helping with the recent move of the Tiger Moth into the exhibition area that has kindly been provided by RAF Shawbury for the Trust’s aircraft.
The Tiger Moth has undergone a huge amount of reconstruction over the past two years and all of the hard work was carried out by the Trust’s Volunteers who truly are the heart of the organisation. The copies of the Technical Manuals regarding Tiger Moth construction were obtained from original drawings held by De Havilland and have been used and followed by the Volunteers to produce an authentic aircraft that is true to original design. One of the initial jobs was to repair and strengthen the existing metal frame of the fuselage. The petrol tank had to be removed and restored with the addition of coating wax oil on the inside to lubricate the interior and prevent damage or disintegration. The tank was then re-doped and repainted alongside the rest of the fuselage. The instrument panels of the Tiger were badly damaged and have undergone an extensive rebuild and all the instruments have been re-serviced. The back seat of the Tiger underwent partial restoration as damage to the original was minimal but the front seat had to be completely rebuilt and both were then repainted. The wings of the Tiger also went through an extensive face-lift which included the repair and replacement of all metal fixings and each rib had to be discarded and new ones created and put in place on the wings. The work carried out on the Tiger is a true testament to the hard work put into the project by the Trust’s volunteers and Tim Jenkins, the Trust’s Director of Education, without whom the Trust would not have got this far.
During the War Tiger Moths were used as a training aircraft for glider pilots, the agile bi-plane was a fantastic vessel to learn in and enabled future pilots to get a taste of what it was like to be airborne. The Tiger Moth you can see at Shawbury today was used during and after the War and will now spend its retirement as a memorial piece that will be used to educate children and members of the public about airborne operations and training.
The Trust currently has four World War II aircraft in its collection which includes a Horsa glider, a Waco, Dakota and a Tiger Moth. The aim with all four aircraft is to restore them back to their wartime identity which in turn will serve as an appropriate memorial to all the airborne troops from the War. For further information please visit the Trust’s website: www.assaultglidertrust.co.uk
Lastly, the Trust wishes to thank Warrant Officer Ed Gibson and Warrant Officer Colin McFarlane from JTDT, Cosford for helping with the recent move of the Tiger Moth into the exhibition area that has kindly been provided by RAF Shawbury for the Trust’s aircraft.
Above: Tiger Moth on arrival at RAF Shawbury in September 2007
Above: Tiger Moth at Shawbury in September 2009