One of the most celebrated aircraft of all time, used for training until 1959 by the British Royal Air Force and by the air forces of its colonies.
General information
Featuring a fixed undercarriage and a tandem two-seat cockpit, it was designed by Geoffrey De Havilland as a military training development of the DH.60, from which it differed in its steel-tube fuselage (instead of wood) and swept wings (instead of straight). The prototype, powered by a 120 hp Gipsy III engine, flew on 26 October 1931. The definitive DH.82A version mounted the 130 hp four-cylinder Gipsy Major III and was built in 5,760 units. Total production reached 8,611 aircraft, of which 2,903 under licence in Canada, Australia and other countries.
Having trained tens of thousands of pilots in 38 air forces around the world, after the Second World War it found a second youth with flying clubs and private owners. In 2009 more than a thousand still existed. In Italy, where it never saw military use, several examples have been imported since 1958.
Length: 7.43 m
Wingspan: 8.94 m
Height: 2.68 m
Wing area: 22.2 sq m
Empty weight: 506 kg
Max take-off weight: 828 kg
Max speed: 175 km/h
Service ceiling: 4,145 m
Range: 480 km
History of aircraft I-GATO
This DH.82A is the first aircraft of the Jonathan Collection and the oldest Tiger Moth flying in Italy. It was built in 1941 by Morris Motors with construction number 85253. Until 1953 it served with the RAF under serial DE193 at the flying schools of Peterborough, Wolverhampton, Fairoaks and Digby, as well as with the London University Air Squadron. Sold on the civilian market in 1953, it was bought in 1959 by the Aero Club Vicenza, which registered it I-GATO. It then passed to Aero Club Vergiate (1967), to Claudio Balzarotti (1969) and to Aero Club Belluno (1976).
Purchased in 1977 by Giancarlo Zanardo, it has starred in countless air shows, an air tour of Italy (1985) and two Italy-England raids (1987 and 1989).