Glidepath The quarterly newsletter of the Canadian Museum of Flight C-GMFT 4236 Issue #112 Spring 2012

TechTalk: The de Havilland Tiger Moth

by Bruce Friesen

On May 5, a diverse group of aviation enthusiasts assembled at the Canadian Museum of Flight, keen to learn more about an interesting old aircraft.

The event was the inaugural CMF TechTalk; the object of their attention was the CMF de Havilland Tiger Moth. Over the course of the morning, they would learn how she was built, how she flies, and what it takes to keep her in the air. And then, with that greater appreciation in mind, thrill to see that spirited old machine take to the skies with one of their number in the front seat.

TechTalk grew out of a question: “We have all these wonderful old aircraft, and this building – what else could the Museum do to bring aviation history to life for our community?” The idea behind Tech Talk is to share more fully the vintage aircraft in the Museum fleet, to provide an opportunity for enthusiast engagement at greater depth.

People of all ages and kinds visit the Museum, and admire our aircraft and artifacts. They may of course, spend as long as they wish, reading display signage, and chatting with tour guides, volunteers and staff, but most stay only an hour or so. At the other end of the spectrum, our Museum volunteers spend many hours with the aircraft and in doing so become intimately familiar with every nut and bolt.

The Museum thought there could be a group in the middle aviation enthusiasts who want to know more, to more fully understand and appreciate the history of aviation and beautiful aircraft, and who would be prepared to invest a day or half a day learning and chatting with CMF experts.

Tech Talk is aimed at that middle ground, and from all reports the inaugural session did indeed hit the mark. The audience on May 5 included an interesting mix of Museum regulars and first time visitors, old, young and in between, and an interesting spectrum of aviation knowledge.

The day started with some history. Where did the Tiger Moth come from? What were its roots? Vic Bentley provided an overview of the evolution of the de Havilland aircraft company from Geoffery de Havilland’s very early involvement with aircraft design during the First World War. He described how, after the war, de Havilland conceived the Moth series of aircraft, to make flying accessible and safe for as large a spectrum of enthusiasts as possible. Vic then traced the development of the Moth series into the classic Tiger Moth military trainer, explaining the features necessary for that role including the swept wings and the enclosed canopy (critical to continuity of training operations by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan through the Canadian winter). Museum President Bruce Bakker kicks off TechTalk:Tiger Moth with a welcome to an enthusiastic audience.

But what is it like to fly? What was it about the Tiger Moth that …continued on Page 4

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Mark your calendars! The 2012 Canadian Museum of Flight Members Day is September 15! Please visit our website www.canadianflight.org for more news and updates on events.

The Canadian Museum of Flight Bringing British Columbia’s Aviation Past into the Future

The Glidepath Newsletter is published quarterly by the Canadan Museum of Flight; Editor Bruce Friesen. Contributions in the form of articles, news items, letters and photos are always welcome, as are comments and suggestions, although no payments are made for manuscripts submitted for publication in the Newsletter.

Canadian Museum of Flight Annual General Meeting, 2012 The Canadian Museum of Flight held its 2012 Annual General Meeting on April 28, 2012. We were fortunate to have a lovely evening, and a good turnout. The Museum Board and Management express their appreciation to all those who attended the meeting, helping us achieve the quorum required for adoption of the 2011 Financial Report, election of Directors and all that necessary- but-pretty-dry business meeting stuff. Of course, all who attended were amply rewarded, with a bargain-priced meal and libations, and a great social event that transcended the formal meeting content. Gord Wintrup and Inder Matharu organized and served a Ukranian buffet dinner that couldn’t be beat, while Colin MacDonald kept the liquid refreshments flowing all evening. Everyone went home well fed and in good spirits. The main order of business was to conduct elections, to replace two Directors who had decided to step down at the Thanks to Matt’s efforts as the designated Nominations Committee, we were blessed with a slate of five quality candidates for the four positions available, and a formal election process was required. The successful candidates were returning Directors Vic Bentley and Bruce Friesen, and new Board members Mike Luedey and Chris Ryan. To mark the end of Matt Offer’s term on the Board, the Museum decided to honour Matt for his numerous contributions over a period of many years. He was recognized for not only his service on the Board including a term as President, but also his work as chief tour guide, his liaison role between the Museum and the Air Cadets, co- leadership with Colin MacDonald of the Barn cleanup and artifact inventory project and much more. end of their current terms, Dary! Carpenter and Matt Offer. Matt was presented with a life membership in the going President Gord Wintrup with a CMF and, as a framed print of the CMF Harvard. Matt Offer, right, was presented by out- momento, a framed photograph, a lovely study by Vic Bentley of the Museum Harvard in the mist on Members Day 2011. Gord Wintrup provided the President’s Report, emphasizing the next challenge he has chosen to tackle: fundraising and site acquisition for a new Museum facility. To focus on these tasks, Gord decided to step aside as President. The Board fully supports Gord in his development efforts, while recognizing the formidable hurdles to be overcome. The Board thanks Gord for his leadership and enthusiasm over the past four years The Directors’ The 2012 CMF Board: from left, Inder Matharu, Mike Luedey, Chris Ryan, Bruce Friesen, Gord Wintrup, Vic Bentley, Bruce Bakker. (absent: Guy Miller, Bill Thompson) After the AGM, the newly constituted Board met, and agreed on the Officer positions for the coming year. The Museum of Flight Officers and Directors for the coming year will be: Bruce Bakker Vice-President Secretary Bruce Friesen Inder Matharu Treasurer Vic Bentley Mike Luedey Director Gord Wintrup Bill Thompson Chris Ryan Director Director Director Report was presented by Vic Bentley. Vic highlighted the many accomplishments of Museum staff and volunteers over the past year, and thanked all those folks on behalf of the Board. Particular thanks went to Terry Brunner, CMF General Manager. Vic also reminded the group of the substantial President challenges remaining ahead, including finding sources of Museum operations. Our special appeal this year is for assistance of any kind towards repair of the main hangar roof. revenue sufficient to Vic Bentley presents the Directors’ cover rising costs of Report to the CMF Members. Bill Findlay once again MC’d the AGM in his usual excellent style, keeping the evening light and interesting for all, while ensuring all the necessary business tasks were completed. Thanks, Bill! M Page 3 Life Director Guy Miller

TechTalk (continued from Page 1) Michael Montano engendered such deep affection within those thousands of TechTalk Tiger Moth Flight Winner – wartime trainee pilots? Why did the Tiger Moth carry on after the war as the aircraft of choice for a broad spectrum of tasks- pilot training, pleasure flying, glider towing, crop spraying and many others in the face of competition from numerous newer and more modern designs? George Serviss described a Tiger Moth flight, from the pre-flight inspection through takeoff and landing. by Mike Luedey It was meant to be, as the rain literally stopped in its tracks so we could launch the Tiger Moth following the Museum’s first TechTalk. Lucky flight winner, Air Cadet Sgt Michael Montano, was in the front seat. A welcome addition to the flight was a photo chase aircraft graciously provided by Rick Church of Langley Aero Structures with myself as the photographer. 42 Sgt. Michael Montano of 746 Lightning Squadron (Royal Canadian Air Cadets) stands with pilot George Serviss before their flight. The Tiger Moth is launched first, not hard to miss the sleek bright yellow biplane taking off into an overcast sky in front of onlookers back at the Museum, including Michael’s father Matthew. Rick and I takeoff shortly after in the Cessna 180 and fly out to meet the Moth. It doesn’t take long for us to find George and Michael. I immediately open the window and begin to take photos of George and Michael as we approach the Fraser River. The flight was well coordinated between the two pilots allowing us to orbit a bit and take advantage of some wonderful scenery below. It was certainly a lot of fun capturing the expression on Michael’s face as got his first taste of flying in a vintage aircraft. After a little while Rick and I broke off and turned back for Langley Regional Airport while George and Michael stretched the Moth’s wings a little more. We landed and were able to taxi back to the Museum with just enough time for me run out and photograph George and Michael’s landing on runway 19. We had an awful lot of fun on the day as a whole and were delighted to have Michael up on the ride with us. We’re sure it’s something he’ll remember for a very long time. As will we. Michael was briefed and shown to his aircraft by George Serviss and Bill Findlay. Strapped in, wired up and canopy closed, we were ready to roll out for a nice half hour run over the beautiful local countryside. The Tiger Moth pulls into the run-up bay as we pull up alongside. Run-ups are good, everything is set, we’re ready to go! A CMF Moth Pilot George Serviss demonstrates the walk-around procedure he follows before each flight. Keeping an aircraft like the Tiger Moth airworthy is an ongoing challenge. Rick Church explained the nature of the challenge, involving as it does steel tube frames and wood and fabric, and techologies for instruments and brakes very different in many respects from those used in more recent aircraft. Rick Church talks about the mechanical end of the Moth, ‘hand propping, and the associated dangers. A break for refreshments, and a bit of social time, led to the highlight of the day- the drawing of one name from amongst the attendees for a flight in the Tiger Moth – then wheeling the aircraft into the sunshine, swinging the prop, and taxiing out and indeed taking to the air! To general approval, the name out of the hat was Michael Montano (see sidebar). Seeing the Tiger Moth in the air, seeing how it loved its natural element, and seeing the smile on Mike’s face when he returned, put a thrilling cap on a very successful day. Thank you to all those who joined us for the event, and all those who worked to make TechTalk: de Havilland Tiger Moth a happening! The Museum Tiger Moth banks back towards home. (photo credit: Mike Luedey, Yellow Drum Productions) 423 Page 4

de Havilland Tiger Moth ideal for an instructor wearing a full flying kit and parachute. C-GMFT 236 De Havilland began work on modifying the airframe of a DH60M. To clear the front cockpit the wings had to be moved forward some 22 inches. This threw the aircraft’s balance out, the centre of gravity now being behind the centre of lift. To remedy this, the wings were swept back by 19 inches, which then created another problem. Taxiing, or a bumpy landing, could cause the lower wingtips to hit the ground. This was cured by slightly increasing the dihedral of the lower wings. To further assist getting in and out of the cockpit, the hinged door panels were deepened. A 120 hp Gipsy III inverted engine was fitted to improve the view over the nose, removing the four upright cylinders of the Gipsy I from the pilot’s line of sight. The CMF Tiger Moth is prepared for a day of flying by George Serviss. (Photo credit: Vic Bentley) History of de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold. De Havilland set up a company under his own name in September of that year at Stag Lane Aerodrome in Edgware, near London. De Havilland became known for creating the Moth family of light aircraft; DH51, DH60 Gipsy Moth, DH80 Puss Moth. DH82 Tiger Moth, DH83 Fox Moth and DH87 Hornet Moth, with later designs continuing through the twin-engined DH84 Dragon and DH89 Dragon Rapide and on up to the Mosquito, Vampire, Sea Vixen and Comet jet airliner. The company also developed the 4-cylinder Gipsy engine, later developing 6 and 12 cylinder piston engines and jet engines. History of the Tiger Moth The original light aircraft that de Havilland developed, the engine. DH60 Moth, was so successful that production was increased from the initial rate of less than one per week to more than three per day. Several different versions were eventually produced along with a number of different engine options. One such version was the metal framed DH60M metal moth.” This was submitted to the Royal Air Force as a potential primary trainer. Although the Ministry liked the aircraft, they felt that the positioning of the upper wing and fuel tank directly above the front cockpit was not TIGER OMOTH BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE In September, 1931, a prototype of the modified DH60, the DH60T Tiger Moth, was sent for testing. Pleased with the new aircraft, the RAF issued an order for a production prototype. This flew on October 26 of the same year and was ordered into production for the RAF shortly after. By this stage, the DH60T had undergone so many modifications, de Havilland gave it a new designation – DH82 Tiger Moth. De Havilland were also pursuing Canadian orders and in March, 1937, a meeting was held with the RCAF to agree on details of design changes. By May a set of drawings had arrived from England. New buildings were started, and a British-built DH82A was dismantled and stripped to serve as a master pattern. Numerous changes to meet Canadian conditons resulted in the substantially upgraded DH82C as the standard Canadian production model. Those changes included a cockpit canopy, cockpit heating system, heavier axles suitable for fitting skis, a tail wheel instead of a tail skid, and fitting of the higher-powered Gipsy Major IC With the 1939 selection of Canada as the main location for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) pilot training and the anticipated influx of hundreds of thousands of trainee pilots, de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd stepped up local production of the Tiger Moth to supplement those it received from England. Of the 1,747 Canadian Tiger Moths built, 1,553 were the winterized DH82C. August, 1945, saw the end of production of the Tiger Moth by which time 9,231 had been built. New GIPSY MAJOR 130 B.H.P SHEER RELIABILITY

Around the Museum Hangar Entrance Artwork The original vision was for guests to walk through the Douglas DC-10 intake cowl (that we received after filming of “A Night at the Museum II”) then walk Aviation artist Victoria Ivanicki-Strell puts the finishing touches on her engine mural. The Flight Deck Café- the new destination eatery at Langley Airport The Museum of Flight sends an enthusiastic welcome to the Flight Deck Café, our new partners in providing a great day out for visitors to Langley Airport. Our new tenant for the Museum’s restaurant space is now ramping up to a full menu. Mike O’Neill, Flight Deck Cafe owner and manager, says “Our vision at Flight Deck Café is to create a relaxed, welcoming and friendly meeting place for people of all ages to enjoy well priced quality home cooked meals, with excellent personable service. We hope to attract a wide range of patrons from young families to seniors bringing their grandchildren for a small lunch or snack. Whether they be aviation workers, enthusiasts or people who just enjoy watching and listening to the airplanes, they can have a good meal while experiencing the adventure of aviation both current and historical.” Pride shows in the faces of Flight Deck Café staff (left to right) Alisha O’Neill, Michael Shantz and Lisa O’Neill, as the Café eating bar and kitchen sparkle from recent renovations. (continued from Page 7) through an image of the turbofan engine that, on the aircraft, would have been installed behind it. Virginia Ivanicki-Strell has worked hard on making this happen for us and the project is now 75% complete. Lockheed Lodestar Recently, the Museum Board of Directors visited our Lockheed 18-08 Lodestar, currently under restoration at the University of Fraser Valley facility at Abbotsford Airport. The University uses the Lodestar airframe as a way to provide learning enrichment opportunities for their students “Now you have completed your exercise to the required standard, you can shift over to the fun and satisfaction of fixing up this old aircraft”. Recent work has focused on the starboard wing, flaps and aileron, and the rear fuselage skin. The Board thoroughly enjoyed seeing the progress made on a very historic airframe. Terry Brunner, Museum General Manager, has offered to organize a tour for a group of Museum members if there is the interest. Beneath the nose of Lodestar CF-TCY, emblazened with the Trans-Canada Air Lines crest, can be seen recent work on the starboard wing and alleron. The menu at Flight Deck Café can be described as what people love for breakfast and lunch; fresh homemade food such as traditional breakfasts, muffins and pastries, and unches including hot and cold soups and sandwiches, burgers, dogs and desserts. FLIGHT DECK Cafe Mike says, “Our aim is simply to serve well priced home cooked food with my family’s signature homemade B.B.Q. sauce while providing friendly, personable service in a comfortable environment. We believe that the simpler the menu is, the more people will feel comfortable and become trusting of the establishment and its personnel. For our busier patrons, Flight Deck Café will also offer take-out breakfast and lunch menus. I am fortunate to have Michael Shantz on board with me who is a very experienced chef with 15 years of experience in fine dining establishments, as well as my daughter Alisha O’Neill who will be a full time server with catering experience and her mother Lisa O’Neill as a part time server.” The Café premises include a fenced patio and yard located right off of taxiway Alpha with an unobstructed view of the main runway. Mike is hoping to make this area a very child friendly place with some flight deck cockpit stations equipped with seats, control columns and rudder pedals to help keep child patrons occupied and excited about being around aviation. Children will be able to imagine being in the cockpit of the aircraft they see taxiing by, taking off and landing with all the excitement and adventure that goes along with it. He hopes parents will enjoy this with their children as well and Flight Deck Café could well be another option as a place for parents to hold their children’s birthday parties, with a lunch at the airport and maybe a tour through the Flight Museum which is only steps away. Page 6

Around the Museum (continued from Page 8) controls cannot be installed until we fabricate an instrument panel. In the fall, the wings will be covered and painted. The door repairs will be undertaken and the dashboard will be dealt with. Instruments and various controls will be installed as eventually will be the radio, altitude encoder and transponder. The wings will not be covered until the fall for a variety of reasons, not least of which are storage of the wings once covered and hangar space for the aircraft once the wings are attached. DC-3 Interior Restoration At long last the Dakota is getting a thorough going over. Work has been progressing for some months now to restore the interior. Much of the old woodwork had rotted out thanks to the damp conditions here in Langley. This has all been ripped out and is being replaced with new custom fitted wood of similar grades. The windows have all had new Plexiglas installed and have been resealed. At the moment, all the aluminum structure of the fuselage is uncovered on the inside allowing installation of new wiring for lights on the tail and wings and in the cockpit. This process is proceeding well despite the wet, cool weather. The team undertaking the work has had many members, spearheaded by John Jouan. Among them are Bob Gilles, Ralph Rowe, Caitlin Perreault, John Harssema, Damien Emms, Bill Butler and Jim Christiaens. John Jouan and John Harssma (standing) work on the replacement flooring for the DC3, installing the seat hold down nuts. Page 7 Hampden Port Wing What do you do when you need to recreate the port outer wing of a Hampden? Well, when you have master carpenters on the team, you use wood; wooden spar and wooden ribs. Peter Roberts has accepted the challenge of leading the next steps in reconstruction of the CMF Hampden, ongoing since the Christmas, 2008, snow load damage. The team he assembled, including from time to time Jim Beswick, Cyril Meadows, B. J. McMillan, Gord Naslund, Gord Varney and Alfie Frost, is making excellent progress. Wayne Baldwin beside the beautifully restored tug dubbed “Big Bertha”. battery, an isolation switch and the rubber seal that should keep the water out of the transmission. As a result, Big Bertha, as everyone calls her, is now fully functioning. Waco INF Cyril Meadows (left) and Alfie Frost discuss the finer points of wooden Hampden construction. Spitfire Replica The wife of Geoffrey F. Sharples of Mercer Island, Washington, has donated a 7/10 scale Spitfire replica to the Museum. Mr. Sharples, originally from Great Britain, worked for Boeing as an aeronautical engineer and designed and built this aircraft. He passed away on May 15, 2008, at age 81. The aircraft is equipped with a Malcolm hood, visually much like those of the Spitfire I, II, V and IX that fought in the Battle of Britain. The aircraft was designed to be powered by a Buick V6, but it will never be flown. This was a stipulation at the time that the aircraft was donated. We plan to display it under the wing of the Handley Page Hampden. Big Bertha Wayne Baldwin has worked hard to get this aircraft tug, donated by Jazz Airlines in November 2011, working again. When it arrived, it was locked in first gear and had water in the transmission. He has repaired the transmission problems, installed a new AIR WEST Our 1930 Waco INF is nearing flight test. At this point, the new exhaust collector ring has been installed, the engine has been run, the wings rigged, all flying controls connected and properly tensioned, the brake system has been filled with hydraulic fluid, bled and given initial testing. All the fairings are in place too. All that is needed is to get the aircraft’s registration letters and graphics applied, aileron gap seals installed. brakes tested, and, perhaps most challenging, obtaining and installing the necessary communications equipment. With luck, this aircraft will be flying within a few weeks thanks to the hard work of many Museum volunteers, among them being Bill Findlay, Dave Beales, Ray Fessenden, Bill Butler and several others. The nose of the Waco INF glistens, with a freshly powder-coated exhaust manifold, varnished propeller, and glossy red paint.

“Tailwinds” News from around the Museum Canadian Museum of Flight Upcoming Events for 2012 By Chris Ryan Fleet Canuck Our Fleet 80 Canuck is coming along steadily. The team working on it, led by Ray Fessenden and including Hank Kohler, Roy Demcheson, Peter Dittaro, Bill Butler, Ralph Rowe, Chris Ryan and several others, has made good progress. Since its return to the Museum floor, the fuselage has undergone a considerable number of changes. The Bill Butler poses in front of the Canuck fuselage, newly painted in B. C. Aero Club blue and white, on a trailer for its return to the Museum hangar. undercarriage was installed, the motor hung and the empennage attached and rigged. The elevator and rudder cables have been tensioned properly and the floorboards, kick panels and interior upholstery are now in place. The rear side windows are on too. Some parts (pins, bolts & port tail-wheel steering spring) are on order and should be here and installed by the time you read this. Cottonwood fluff, which seems to be everywhere right now, has temporarily halted painting. July 21 Princeton Airshow Boundary Bay Airshow July 28 Aug. 10/11/12 Abbotsford Airshow August 26 Chilliwack Airshow September 15 CMF Members’ Day This being a certified aircraft, Rick Church is working on getting the current fitment of McCauley brakes and wheels (which were originally for a Cessna 172) approved for use on this aircraft. Failing that, we will have to switch it over to Goodyear brakes and wheels – a costly endeavour. He is also working on approvals for the air box and filter arrangement that came with CF-HOU Ray Fessenden is determining exactly how the conversion from fuel injection to carburetion (required for the Canuck) is supposed to be done, and is ensuring that the ignition leads are correct for the engine. Next up will be the installation of all the wiring on the engine side of the firewall and the routing of all the wires (extra long at this stage) into the cockpit for eventual connection to their respective instruments, switches and controls. The engine …continued on Page 7 Photo Caption Contest 487 300820 525-20721 “B. J. McMillan selects a valuable prize for the winner of the Photo Caption Contest” Roy Demcheson works on the Canuck landing gear assembly, with a particularly busy Museum workshop as the background. For more information on Canadian Museum of Flight collections, displays and events, please visit our website at www.canadianflight.org Be sure to visit the Museum Facebook page frequently, for news (winning entry suggested by Mike Luedey) and views. Page 8