De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth ZK-AIE

The De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth ZK-AIE c/n 83492 has had lengthy and interesting history.
This is my take on the subject.

Built by Morris Motors at Cowley in the UK with the construction number 83492 and issued the Royal Air Force serial of T5762 it taken on charge on 28-06-1940, but only briefly as it was shipped out to New Zealand aboard the S S Rangitikei on 05-07-1940.

In New Zealand it was reassembled at the De Havilland Aircraft facility at Wellington and bought on charge with the Royal New Zealand Air Force on 04-10-1940 as NZ662 with Unit 18 at Rongotai, Wellington. 
During is World War Two service it served with No 4 Elementary Flying Training School at Whenuapai, then with No 2 EFTS at New Plymouth and No 2 EFTS at Ashburton, then to 42 Squadron. Like many training aircraft it had a couple of incidents - one at Whenuapai in April of 1941, and at New Plymouth in March of 1942 having a taxi incident with NZ1418. In late January 1946 it was declared as surplus and was handed to the New Plymouth Aero Club (a Government Gift Aircraft) with 2801 airframe hours.

It was handed over to the Club on 25-01-1946 to become ZK-AIE

In about early September of 1951 the Club sold it to Aircraft Services (NZ) Ltd of Auckland and it was converted to an aerial top-dressing aircraft. It was given the fleet number 5 and was to be named as 'The Doh Doh' - possibly because that is what it flew like - but more likely, because of the frequency of its accidents - the amount of flying it didn't do !

Above. ZK-AIE as Fleet number 5.

Below showing The Doh Doh on its fuselage

The very nature of its work lead to several incidents. It was damaged at Kaiwaka on 08-01-1952, at Onewhero on 26-02-1952, at Waipu on 15-05-1952 and a more serious crash on 16-01-1953 and another on 16-11-1953. 

It was rebuilt using parts from ex Australian Tiger Moths A17-330 and A17-74 and no doubt from other donor airframes. It emerged as a two-seater and was sold to Doug Freeth of Auckland in August 1956. Doug also had at about this time the Taylorcraft L-2A ZK-ATY and the Commonwealth CA6 Wackett ZK-AUC. In 1958 it was briefly with the Auckland Aero Club followed by R D Simpson from September that year. S John Askew of Eltham listed it from April 1960, then A D Bell of Waimana from April 1961. Wally E Christofferson then had it from 25-08-1965 only to cancel its NZ registration on 10-09-1965 and have it pop up in Fiji as VQ-FAG with the Nausori Flying Club. It did not fly in Fiji until 31-03-1967 after having been reconditioned and re-engined with a motor from the DHA-3 Drover VQ-FAR, Its final flight was on 05-05-1970 after which it was withdrawn and stored. The registration of DQ-FAG was allocated to it on 01-10-1971 but this was not taken up and ultimately cancelled on 12-04-1972.

In 1973 it was purchased by George R Kingsbury of Dorie and shipped back to NZ and stored on his property until 1985 along with another tired airframe.

The RNAF Museum at Wigram negotiated a deal and rebuilt the aircraft back to its old Air Force scheme and serial of NZ662, with it flying again on 08-01-1977 from Wigram. In March 1987 it went on loan to the RNZAF Historic Flight at Ohakea to be operated alongside their airworthy Harvard NZ1015.

Above as noted at Wanaka 04-04-2010 at Wanaka by Steve Homewood.

As seen at Ohakea by Aaron Murphy on 31-03-2012.

Plans began in 2013 to place NZ662 on the New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register as part of 'civilising' the RNZAF Historic Flight. This involved considerable work on the aircraft - thanks mostly to Stan Smith and Hawker Pacific Ltd. Placed back on the civil register again as ZK-AIE on 05-07-2016 it flew again in late 2016 and seems to have ceased flying in late 2018. 

The Harvard NZ1025 NZ1015 became ZK-RNZ about the same time but was damaged in a forced landing on 13-08-2018.

Its career within the RNZAF Historic Flight and ultimately the Biggin Hill Trust is outside my sphere of knowledge.

Both these aircraft were cancelled from the civil register on 18-07-2024. The Harvard going on static museum display.

The Tiger Moth ZK-AIE was trucked down to the RNZAF Museum at Wigram in early May of 2025 and is now on display as NZ662.

Check out this NZ662 facebook link

Above we see ZK-AIE/NZ662 on display at Wigram on 06-10-2026 - thanks to Tony McFarlin.

So what has happened to Tiger Moth NZ1481 (marked as NZ825) - previously on display at Wigram ?