Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Three-seat cabin monoplane

Power Plant:

One 97 kw (130 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Major four-cylinder in-line inverted air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth appeared in 1933 as a successor to the DH.80 Puss Moth. The prototype was flown for the first time at Stag Lane, Edgware, United Kingdom, on 27 May 1933 with Class B marking E1, later becoming G-ACHD (c/n 7000), the personal aircraft of Capt de Havilland. In that year it won the King’s Cup Race at Hatfield i n Hertfordshire with Captain Geoffrey de Havilland at the controls at a speed of 224.47 km/h (139.51 mph).

An initial production batch of six aircraft was commenced. The prototype was taken to the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham Heath at Ipswich in Suffolk for certification testing. The manufacturer stated at the time, due to strength factors above the normal for a machine of this class, it was fully capable of performing the usual aerobatics. Certification was granted on 29 June 1933, the only real changes to the aircraft being the installation of mass-balanced ailerons for the original horn-balanced units.

A total of 132 Leopard Moths was built with construction numbers 7000 to 7131, and 7200. The prototype was for many years kept by the de Havilland Company for test purposes, and as a company ‘hack’. In 1935, as part of the Company’s development of a six-cylinder engine, it was fitted with a 149 kw (200 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Six engine driving a constant-speed propeller, becoming known as the DH.85A, flying in this configuration for the first time in October 1933. Despite thoughts of putting the DH.85A into production, only the prototype was so fitted and it ended its days as an engine test bed before being broken up.

Another machine (F-AMXA) in 1934 was flown from Marseilles in France to Madagascar in seven days; and yet another was flown from Lisbon in Portugal to Dili in Timor in 1934, later crossing Africa and returning to Portugal after covering 69,997 km (43,495 miles).

The Leopard Moth was of wooden construction throughout, with the pilot seated centrally located in front of two passengers who were seated side-by-side to the rear. The first 30 aircraft built had flat-sided fuselages but later machines had curved sides, an effect which was created by the fitting of external stringers. The fuselage was of spruce and plywood, with fabric covering. The wings could be folded for easy storage. The aircraft was originally stressed for aerobatics but has later been regarded as non-aerobatic. Normal fuel capacity was 159 litres (35 Imp gals) in two tanks, one in each wing root.

Ten DH.85s have appeared on the Australian Civil Aircraft Register over the years and these, with the registrations they carried include VH-ADV (c/n 7016 – ex G-ACKY) which was first registered in February 1938 to Airflite Pty Ltd. It then saw service with the Royal Aero Club of NSW, the registration being changed to VH-RSL in November 1956; and to VH-BAH in May 1958. It has survived and has been airworthy.

VH-URK (c/n 7021) was registered in March 1934 to C O Fairbairn. Subsequent owners were D Cameron and A Nixon. The registration was changed to VH-AJN in August 1958 but the aircraft was burnt in a hangar fire at Toowoomba, QLD on 15 September 1971.

VH-USK (c/n 7084) was registered in March 1934 to E P Beresford of Farnham Plains, Eulo, QLD. Ownership was transferred to J Leighton but the aircraft was badly damaged in an accident when it struck a tree on take-off at Cunnamulla, QLD on 26 September 1950. It underwent some restoration at Murwillumbah, NSW and in later years has been based at Redcliff, QLD.

VH-UUE (c/n 7109) was registered in October 1935. First flown at Hatfield on 20 August 1935, it was crated and shipped to Sydney where it was assembled at Mascot, NSW. On 19 August 1936 it left Sydney and was flown around the coastline of Australia in 16 days. Subsequently it was said to have been used for shooting eagles which were causing problems on the owners property in Queensland. It had a number of owners, including R S White, H Lauder, W Schulz, P Dart, H Taylor and Joseph Drage. It was damaged in an incident at Cunnamulla on 15 September 1946 and was rebuilt. It was retired in May 1974, spent some years on display at Airworld at Wangaratta before being sold, and has been airworthy.

VH-UUG (c/n 7110) was registered in November 1935 to G W Young. It was the aircraft owned and flown by aviatrix Nancy Bird during the 1930s in  outback New South Wales. It was destroyed in an accident at Cunnamulla, QLD on 17 February 1940.

VH-UUL (c/n 7111) was registered in November 1935 to L K Lawson, ownership being transferred to A Napper in June 1960, and L K Hatfield in 1964. For many years it was operated by Colonel Keith Hatfield and was based at Casey Field, Berwick, VIC. It has been airworthy in Victoria.

VH-UVD (c/n 7118) was registered in June 1936 to A S Van Goes of Rose Bay, NSW. In November 1936 it became VH-AAG and was exported to Malaya in September 1941. At some stage it was named ‘Windella’.

VH -UVF (c/n 7126) was registered in November 1936 to C H Young. Later, in 1950, it went to J Leighton and was retired in April 1959. It has survived and has been under restoration.

VH-AHB (c/n 7120) was obtained by H F ‘Jimmy’ Broadbent in March 1936 and was shipped to Australia. Erected in Sydney, it was flown by him to the United Kingdom in 1937, leaving Darwin, NT on 27 April and arriving at Lympne i n Kent on 3 May in a time of six days eight hours 25 mins. For the flight it was fitted with an extra fuel tank to increase the range to 2,414 km (1,500 miles). It was sold in the United Kingdom, becoming G-AFDV with S Harris, and later the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club. It saw some service with the RAF as W5783 during the war but was destroyed by fire at Manchester on 19 April 1941.

A number of DH.85s were impressed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II for communications work.

VH-USM (c/n 7086) first flew on 27 October 1934 and was erected at Mascot by de Havilland. It was registered in January 1935 to John W F Collins and taken to his property Nindooinbah Station, Beaudesert, QLD. In November 1936 it went to Clive Knudsen of Bonna Station near Bundaberg, QLD and in December 1942 it was ferried to Archerfield, QLD for overhaul. It went to Robert Lauder of Melray Station, Cunnamulla, in January 1948 where, due to flooding, it was placed in storage. Here it deteriorated until it was recovered and stored at Murwillumbah awaiting restoration. In early 2015 it was exported to the United Kingdom for restoration.

Two DH.85s have been imported to New Zealand. One machine G-AFTU (c/n 7007 – ex CH-366) was first registered in November 1933 to the Topsy Club, a company based in Geneva, Switzerland. It was registered HB-OTA, later going back to the United Kingdom as G-AFTU. This aircraft was imported to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 1995 and, after restoration by the Croydon Aircraft Company at Mandeville, became ZK-ARG, joining a fleet of other de Havilland types there. The second DH.85 ZK-ANR (c/n 8038 – ex G-AQBY, HB-OBE, G-ADRH) has also been restored at Mandeville.

The first Leopard Moth to be seen in Australia was British-registered G-ACLX (c/n 7036) which was flown by Bernard Rubin and Kenneth Waller from Britain to Australia in 15 days in March/April 1934 to survey the route for the MacRobertson Race later that year. This machine succeeded in breaking the record for the return journey by arriving at Lympne on 1 May in a time of 8 days and 12 hours. The focus of the trip was to arrange refuelling stops for the Race, Rubin having entered a de Havilland DH.88 Comet.

The aircraft left Heston in Middlesex on 22 March 1934 and arrived in Darwin, NT on 6 April 1934, going on to Sydney, NSW on 10 April. It left Darwin on 23 April and arrived back in the United Kingdom on 1 May. However, due to illness, Rubin was unable to participate in the race and his DH.88 Comet was flown by Ken Waller and Owen Cathcart Jones.

In 1999 British pilot Torquil Norman flew his DH.85 G-ACOJ (c/n 7035) from the United Kingdom to Oshkosh in Wisconsin in the USA via Wick, Reykjavik, Kulusuk, Narsarsuaq, Goose Bay, Sept Isles and Portland. On 2000 his aircraft, fitted with a long-range tank, flew 4,023 km (2,500 miles) through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to Florida where he attended the Sun ‘N Fun aviation event.