Look at what I had a fly of to-day

[sixtiesrelic]

The pleasure is, I'm the seventh in the family to go in a Gypsie.

 

My grandfather, uncle and father learned to fly in one and took both my grandmothers and mother up as passengers in the 1930s.

 

It's nicer and quieter to fly than a Tiger Moth too.

 

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Nice bird :) Bet it was cold too

 

 

[TAA Student Pilot]

They rekon quicker too?

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

look

 

No to both questions.

 

We went up at one PM at Redcliffe. I had shorts and a woolly shirt on, but then we didn't fly long ... about fifteen minutes. I froze often enough in Melbourne in Tigers as a Student Pilot in 1960.

 

Strangely I didn't need to wear my goggles. I was madly videoing, often hanging my video camera out the side and as high as I could get it for most of the flight to get as many angles as I could and grabbed a mate from a hangar to video us from the tarmac with my old camera to get a balanced view of the proceedings.

 

It was slower than a Tiger... didn't get fast enough to completely stow the slats which was a revelation.

 

It has an ASI out on a wing strut which was remakably accurate.

 

You don't need the "bat and ball" as yaw is indicated by a warm breeze on your left side from the air coming off the exhaust pipe or a cold right cheek if you are yawing right.

 

It doesn't have the Tiger's need for working the rudder ALL the time which must come about from the Tiger's swept wings.

 

It was a real joy to fly.

 

 

[Guest Steve R]

Sounds like quite a trip - make sure you post the video although I imagine the wind noise will be deafening?

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

I am buying a new computer in August which will allow me to download from camera to computer then learn how to use it, so it will be a while.

 

I'll cut the sound out and put in music.

 

 

[TAA Student Pilot]

There's a bloke round here with both, he rekons his Gipsy is the fastest.

 

I spose it's like the rest of Aviation, you can fly many of the same type and you will get as many different results. I've flown quite a few of the same types of Aircraft, some dogs, some rip tearers.

 

 

[Guest vh-tqp]

hi sixties... wot's the reg on the tiger(?) in your avatar? it looks like VH-RV_

 

just wondering...the only tiger i've flown in (as a passenger) is the current RVE.

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

Can't remember. I'll look in my logbook when I get a chance, it was after I'd done my first solo.

 

RVE was the best tiger in the RVAC fleet in 1960.

 

 

[Guest vh-tqp]

the initials of the owner of the current RVE are very close to that rego, which is why i thought he'd chosen them. turned out he had a link to the original RVE, maybe his first solo, maybe his first flight, i can't remember. so someone else thought the original RVE was special too. he was going to paint his current RVE in the same silver scheme, but he came up with a much nicer original scheme.

 

 

[Guest colt_pa22]

There is a great review of the DH-60GIII Moth Major, in the January 06' edn of the UK "Pilot" magazine. I'm not sure how this compares to the DH-60M or DH-82a?

 

Performance DH-60GIII( Manufacturers Figures):

 

Max level speed s/l: 112.5 mph

 

Cruising Speed: 96 mph

 

Climb s/l: 892 fpm

 

Ceiling: 20,000'

 

Range no res: 300 miles

 

20,000' is a bit optimistic isn't it?

 

colt

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

look .......

 

The one in the Avtar is RVN.

 

 

This is RVE's latest colour scheme. I asked Ray about the rego but can't remember his answer.

 

I think it was a popular British scheme in the thirties.

 

I would have painted a Moth this way if I'd have ever owned one, although I'd make the perimeter of the tail thicker.

 

I guess it would depend on the engine, how high they could climb. I see figures for the DH-60G as 14500' and the DH-82 as 17500' the Major is a distinct combination of the two, Engine and cowl same as a Tiger and the unstaggered unswept wings of the Gypsie.

 

We used to climb all the way out to the aerobatic area at Moorabbin in 1960 and made 7000 feet to do aeros, stalls and spins. I don't remember having to circle or turn back to get the height. From memory the area was under ten miles from the aerodrome.

 

Wouldn't want to go much higher... too cold.

 

The interesting thing in the Moth family is the Fox which is a Tiger with a modified body to fit four passengers inside. The change of body shape gave more lift to carry the extra weight and it flew five knots faster than the Tiger.