1933 De Havilland DH60G Gipsy Moth

Footnotes

The Gipsy Moth was the aircraft in which many of the great aviation pioneers, Sir Francis Chichester and Amy Johnson among them, made aeronautical history in the 1920s and 1930s. The Gipsy Moth, only a handful of which are still airworthy, is considered by many to be superior and nicer to fly than its successor, the Tiger Moth.

Manufactured in 1933, 'G-ATBL' was among the last of the 595 built at Stag Lane and was delivered straight to Switzerland where it remained until 1965. The Gipsy Moth was purchased and then flown back to the UK, being kept for many years as part of the Historic Aircraft Museum collection in Southend, Essex.

Maintained beautifully over the years, this extremely original, wooden fuselage, folding-wing DH60 has recently had a significant amount of money spent on careful maintenance. Specialists Vintage Engine Technology Ltd (Vintech) of Bedfordshire rebuilt and installed a zero-hours De Havilland Gipsy 1 air-cooled four-cylinder engine producing 100 horsepower, while a new Hoffman propeller (serial no. 80623) was fitted also. The flying and landing wires were replaced, and new tyres and a stainless exhaust fitted. Sensible modifications included a new radio and Mode S transponder which have been sympathetically installed; in addition to a skid steer on the rudder, making taxing far easier.

With a recent Permit to Fly renewal, this is arguably one of the most original and best condition Gipsy Moths in existence. A detailed historic record accompanies the aircraft, together with sundry receipts for maintenance works, and the aforementioned Permit to Fly.