De Havilland Moth Minor

de Havilland Aircraft Company

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1920 in England
Headquarters	Hatfield , England

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The de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor was a British two-seat aircraft from the 1930s, designed for touring and training purposes, manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield Aerodrome in England. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, production shifted to de Havilland Australia located at Bankstown Aerodrome in Australia.

Design and development

File:DH.94 Moth Minor Coupe Portsmouth 1954.jpg

DH.94 Moth Minor Coupe at Portsmouth Airport in September 1954

Conceived as a low-wing monoplane, the Moth Minor was developed to replace the biplane Moth series, aiming to deliver comparable performance with reduced engine power and eliminating the need for rigging associated with biplane struts and tension wires. Its antecedent was the DH.81 Swallow Moth, a monoplane from 1931 of which only one unit was constructed. The wooden prototype of the DH.94 took to the skies for the first time on 22 June 1937, piloted by Geoffrey de Havilland at Hatfield Aerodrome.

Production commenced soon after, with nearly one hundred units completed before World War II began. Priced affordably at £575, the Moth Minor gained popularity among flying clubs seeking modern monoplanes. A special batch of nine aircraft featured hinged coupe tops rather than the standard open cockpit design.

As wartime demands required repurposing of the Hatfield facility, technical drawings, jigs, components, and unfinished airframes were transported to the de Havilland factory in Bankstown, Sydney, Australia. Over forty examples were manufactured there.

Civilian-operated aircraft in the UK were requisitioned for service with both the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm, while a single unit served with the United States Army Air Corps. Numerous civilian planes from Britain were also shipped to Australia, where they, along with a limited number of locally produced models, were commandeered by the Royal Australian Air Force.

Following World War II, several Moth Minors remained active under private ownership within the United Kingdom.

During WWII, de Havilland assumed control of a small grass airfield at Witney, Oxfordshire, operating as a Civilian Repair Organisation on behalf of the British Government. The facility undertook comprehensive overhauls of battle-damaged Spitfires and Hurricanes along with various de Havilland models. Initially, an ex-Battle of Britain RAF pilot was stationed at Witney to conduct test flights upon aircraft completion; however, as hostilities ended and he was demobilised, test flights were subsequently performed by de Havilland pilots commuting from Hatfield.

An experimental version featuring tricycle landing gear and an enclosed canopy over the rear seat made its maiden flight on 29 April 1940.

Variants

• DH.94 Moth Minor : A two-seat aircraft designed for touring and pilot training purposes.
• Moth Minor Coupe : A two-seat touring and training model featuring a constructed rear fuselage and a cabin top that opens on hinges.

Military users

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• Royal Australian Air Force

India

• Royal Indian Air Force

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• Royal New Zealand Air Force
  • No. 2 Squadron RNZAF
  • No. 20 Squadron RNZAF
  • No. 21 Squadron RNZAF
  • No. 22 Squadron RNZAF

South Africa

• South African Air Force

Image depicting the basic, minimalistic instrumentation in one of the two cockpits of the De Havilland Moth Minor, shown in low resolution and somewhat blurry.

The De Havilland Moth Minor was equipped with straightforward instrumentation, which aided novice pilots during training

• Royal Air Force
• Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm

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• United States Army Air Corps

Surviving aircraft

Several Moth Minor aircraft remain extant, including:

Australia

• VH-AAM C/N 94002, dismantled remains currently stored in Albury, New South Wales, potentially for future restoration.
• VH-AGO formerly RAAF A21-14 and previously G-AFOR C/N 9404, remains operational and is owned by Charles Camilleri in New South Wales.
• VH-AIB ex RAAF A21-38 C/N DHP17, still airworthy and owned by Steve Jenkins, stationed at Goolwa, South Australia.
• VH-CZB ex RAAF A21-42 C/N 94067, maintained in flying condition, owned by Mark Carr and displayed at the Benalla Aviation Museum in Victoria.
• VH-THT ex RAAF A21-12 C/N 94076, preserved and exhibited at the Royal Australian Air Force Association of Western Australia's Aviation Heritage Museum located in Bull Creek, Perth, Western Australia.

New Zealand

• ZK-AKM, formerly RNZAF NZ597 and previously ZK-AHK and G-AFON, construction number 94012, remains airworthy and is owned by Stan Smith, based in Albany, Auckland.

United States

• N94DH, with construction number 94020 and formerly registered as HB-OMU, is currently held in storage by the Commemorative Air Force. It was once operated by the Rio Grande Valley Wing and displayed with non-authentic RAF markings. As of 2016, this aircraft was listed by the CAF as a restoration project available for transfer to another unit.
• N9403, previously ZK-BFP, G-AFRR, and RAF HM579, bearing construction number 9403, is maintained in flying condition by Magerko Management LLC at Bandel Airport in Glyde, Pennsylvania.

United Kingdom

• G-AFOB, construction number 94018, is presently in storage.
• G-AFOJ, construction number 9407, is a Coupe variant.
• G-AFPN, construction number 94016, is operational and airworthy.
• G-AFNG, a Coupe model with construction number 94014, is stored and awaiting restoration to flying condition under John S Shaw Aviation.
• G-AFRR, formerly ZK-BFP with construction number 9403, is believed to be airworthy.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• "Moth Successor: The New Moth Minor Described" Flight 1939

External links

• Photograph at Ugolok Neba