Ah: De Havilland at MOTAT

With the Auckland weather situation as it is, when my 10 year old grandson visited from Wellington, a visit to the new hangar at MOTAT was in order. The newly expanded display area is much improved over the old display hall, and better for photography.

This post will concentrate on De Havilland aircraft on display.

DH 83 Fox Moth ZK-AEK is presented in the Air Travel NZ Ltd livery that it wore on the West Coast in the late 1930's. My understanding is that this is a Myles Robertson built fuselage, so technically it is a replica. We had just driven from North Shore Airfield where we saw Stan Smith's DH 83C Fox Moth, also stored with its wings folded.

DH-89B Dragon Rapide ZK-AHS is presented in NAC colours. It is the original airframe which was first registered as ZK-AGT in 11/38. It was impressed into the RNZAF during the war and re-registered as ZK-AHS in 12/44. It was withdrawn from use in 8/74 and presented to MOTAT.

DH 82A Tiger Moth ZK-ANN is presented as an Aircraft Services topdresser, complete with an early loading machine. This aircraft was built up from parts of ZK-AIN with some parts also from ZK-BJH.

To complete the De Havilland line-up were 2 military machines: DH 98 T43 Mosquito NZ2305 and DH 100 FB9 Vampire WB202. The Mosquito NZ2305 was built in Australia as an FB40 model but was converted to a T43 and served as A52-1053. It arrived in New Zealand in 1946 and was bought on charge in 12/46. It served with No 7 Squadron RNZAF until being disposed of in 1952. I took this photo from the upper viewing level of the new hangar - we are going to need a ladder to photograph the Avspecs Mosquito when it gets going!

And finally, in the foreground is the ex RAF DH 100 Vampire WB202. The New Zealand connection of this aircraft is that it was used by No 14 Squadron RNZAF in Singapore, and later it was brought to new Zealand as an instructional airframe INST171.