Tiger Moth G-ADGT - A Brief History of her Life

Exclusive footage shot at Barton Aerodrome in Manchester by Presenter and Producer James Balme. The film outlines the cronological history of this amazing aircraft;

KEY DATES
1935 Built De Havilland Hatfield
1940 RAF trainer Sywell
1942 RAF trainer Theale
1945 RAF Germany
1947 RAF storage in Kemble
1957 Crop spaying Sudan (Africa)
1961 Crop spaying Norfolk
1967 Storage
1974 Restoration
2000 Delta Aviation




1935-1942
G-ADGT was born at the de Havilland Hatfield facility in May 1935 with the constructor's number 3338. First registered to Brooklands Aviation Limited on May 23 1935 as G-ADGT. She was part of the initial batch of 12 aircraft used to establish the company's Sywell, Northampton base training RAF aircrews under contract.G-ADGT was impressed into the RAF, assuming the serial number BB697 on the 17 September 1940. She carried on her duties training 'Battle of Britain' pilots at Sywell, as a member of No. 6 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS).On July 15 1942, G-ADGT was moved to take up a role at the newly established No. 26 EFTS, RAF Theale.


1944-1957
From 1944 she operated alongside gliders as No. 128 Gliding School began operating from Theale that year. With the end of hostilities, 'GT was flown to No. 12 Maintenance Unit, Kirkbride, for storage but on October 17 1945 she joined the strength of 652 AOP Squadron in Germany, Initially at Hoya then Celie.The Air Observation Platform Squadrons worked in liaison with the Royal Artillery for spotting purposes. In May 1946 'GT was transferred to No. 151 Repair Unit, flying out a year later, on May 5 1947, to No. 5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kemble for disposal. Acquired by the Laygold Company on August 27 1947, then after a rest her civilian flying career recommenced with her acquisition by Hants & Sussex Aviation Ltd in 1957. Once brought up to flying condition G-ADGT was restored to the civilian register with her original registration, G-ADGT, on April 29.


1957-1967
Always a working aeroplane, G-ADGT was sold to a new company, Crop Culture (Aerial) Limited in mid 1957. Fitted with spray gear, G-ADGT again went overseas, this time as a passenger inside a Bristol Freighter, to the Sudan in August 1957.Her time at Crop Culture, meant G-ADGT played a small part in another British aviation story. The crop spraying venture was registered in Bembridge, Isle-of-Wight, to Mr John Britten and Mr Desmond Norman. The business was to raise working capital to fund their aircraft design,resulting in the Britten-Norman BN2 Islander flying in 1965. The Islander is still in production today and is the most successful British aircraft. As an interesting aside, Britten and Norman first met at aeronautical college in Hatfield, beside the de Havilland factory, the birthplace of G-ADGT.G-ADGT continued with Crop Culture until being sold once again to Westwick Distributers Limited of Foulsham in Norfolk in September 1961. There she carried on her duties as a crop spraying aircraft across the Norfolk plains until 1967.


1967-2003
There follows a period of rest, prior to being purchased by David and Molly Wood in September 1974. The Woods have a long history of Tiger Moth restoration and care, so G-ADGT could not have found herself in better hands and remained part of the Wood family for 28 years based at Laddingford in Kent. As a tribute to the RFC pilots of WW1, David Wood decided to paint G-ADGT in the scheme of the early years of the Great War.Now that G-ADGT has joined the Delta Aviation team, and owned by Mike and Kate Dalton and Jillian and Howard Franks, she is once again employed in her original role as an elementary training aircraft by providing trial instructional flights. Still working at the venerable age of 67, G-ADGT is the fourth oldest DH82a still flying out of some 8,000 originally built.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• james
• balme
• tiger
• moth
• barton
• aerodrome
• G-ADGT

[hangarrat101]

@jeep200000 sadly you are not mistaken. She is most unlikely to fly again.

[jeep200000]

If I'm not mistaken I think she crashed last year on 18th July Landing at Headcorn when she bounced on lading in a crosswind and hit the airfield boundry hedge folding all four wings back against the fusealarge both on board walked away unhurt.

There is an accident report available from the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

Hope she's put back together again as she's a lovely old bird.

[I85PIES]

Nice aeroplane,, shame about the colour scheme.

[hangarrat101]

She is now owned by the Tiger Club and flown on pleasure flights with her counterpart G-ACDC. Curiously, at some point (possibly during her 1974 rebuild) her leading edge slats were omitted. and in response to the previous comment, no she doesn't have brakes

[mig15fan]

seem to be equipedwith brakes!

[mig15fan]

what a nice airplane!

She has 70 years of stories to tell!

thankyou!