THE OLD ROMANTIC – FLYING THE ICONIC TIGER MOTH

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WHAT better aeroplane to escape the modern world than a Tiger Moth. It seems amazing that an old bird like the Moth can perform aeros but, of course, it was designed as a military trainer and there's not much point teaching RAF pilots to fly straight & level all the time.

First up, some gentle wingovers, just a warm-up, and as we dive to gain speed, we're up and over in a lovely, graceful barrel roll. Now we're diving again for a loop... a loop in a 65-year-old aircraft. Blimey, if I can be this active when I'm that age, I'll be more than happy.

There are plenty of places you can get to fly a Tiger Moth, with the two best-known being the Tiger Club down at Headcorn, Kent, and the Cambridge Flying Group - where you can also do your whole PPL on a Tiger Moth if you want. The one we flew is based at Sibson and operated by Northamptonshire School of Flying.

NSF's aircraft is a particularly nice example, finished in classic yellow fuselage with silver wings and fin. It's a 1942 DH82A, built by Morris Motors, the car factory in Oxford, during WWII.

Walk around the aircraft and marvel at the simple construction... steel tube fuselage frame, covered with fabric in parts and plywood decking in others, and tiny, drop-down metal half-doors either side.

The wings have wood spars and ribs, again covered by fabric, with a metal walkway on the lower wing. The fuel tank sits in the middle of the top wing, right above the front seat. There are two wooden uprights each side between the wings and a network of bracing wires. It sounds a bit Heath Robinson but in fact, it's all rather elegant.

After aeros at a freezing 6000ft, we drop right down to follow an amazing low-level cross-country route. It follows the undulations of the Northants countryside and stays clear of villages, farm houses and any construction. We bank around a copse of trees, level out across the fields, bank around a little hill, with nothing but the odd rabbit to startle.

The Moth is perfect for this low level flying. It's not fast enough to be scary, and its responses are smooth and measured. We crest a small rise topped with trees then dive down the other side. The wheels are almost skimming the ground. "Right, it's yours," says the instructor.

We aim back towards Sibson practising turns, level, climbing and descending. I'm having difficulty getting used to the dual needle turn & slip gauge. I can get my head around the slip, it's the turn bit that's puzzling.

We land at Sibson and swap places. The view from the rear is so much better - the wings are in front of you instead of surrounding you, and you can see so much more air around you. It's like flying a completely different aircraft.

Take-off is as before and we're up into the circuit. Downwind checks are minimal but I'm a bit high on base. The instructor is giving me gentle reminders. "Right rudder as you reduce throttle." "Let the nose drop and do the work." "Use the trim."

I'm high on base leg and, with no flaps to deploy, the answer is to side-slip. This aircraft was made for this. As we turn left onto final, add in plenty of left rudder and right stick, let the nose drop and the height bleeds off.

The picture ahead is looking much better now so ease off the rudder and straighten up. A burst of throttle to maintain height - this is a very draggy airframe - remembering to add a bit of left rudder with throttle, then right rudder as it's closed. The rudder is very powerful and just needs a caress rather than a bootful. Glad I've worked that out because I'm just about to make my first landing in a Tiger Moth.

Gently back with the stick and with hardly a bump we're down. In the end, it's a gentle three-pointer that will probably be the best landing I'll ever make in a Tiger Moth.

As we taxi to the line, switch off and sit there savouring the moment, I'm reluctant to go back into the modern world. Sitting in a beautiful biplane on a quintessentially British grass airfield...

W. www.nsof.co.uk 

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