De Havilland Tiger Moth
 de Havilland Tiger Moth. Photo: Towpilot, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| |
| Make | de Havilland |
|---|---|
| Model | De Havilland Tiger Moth |
| Type | Trainer |
| Country |  United Kingdom
|
| First flight | 26 October 1931 |
| Built | 1931–1944 |
| Status | In service for civil use |
| Number built | 8,868 |
| Registered in the US | 72 (FAA register, October 30, 2026) |
| Seats | 2 |
| Engine | de Havilland Gipsy Major I, 130 hp |
| Cruise speed | 67 mph (DH 82A) |
| Range | 302 mi (DH 82A) |
| Service ceiling | 13,600 ft (DH 82A) |
| Max weight | 1,825 lb (DH 82A) |
| Developed from | de Havilland DH.60 Moth |
| More aircraft · For sale | |
The de Havilland Tiger Moth (DH.82) is a British biplane of the 1930s, designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and flown by the Royal Air Force and many others as a primary trainer.[1] In all, 8,868 were built, and many are still flying, for fun and for trial lessons.[1] In the U.S. there are 72 with a valid registration.[2]
History
De Havilland wanted a light airplane better than his earlier designs. The Tiger Moth was developed from the DH.60 Moth, first flew on October 26, 1931, and entered service in February 1932.[1] It sold to more than 25 air forces, and for a while its orders took up almost all of de Havilland's factory space.[1]
Its main job was teaching new pilots from scratch. In World War II, Tiger Moths also flew coastal patrols, and some were fitted out as light bombers in case of invasion.[1] The RAF replaced it with the de Havilland Chipmunk in the early 1950s, and many surplus Tiger Moths went to civilian owners.[1] Today it is still used to give pilots tailwheel experience.[1]
Registered in the United States
The FAA register lists 72 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.[2]
| FAA model name | Registered |
|---|---|
| TIGER MOTH DH 82A | 52 |
| DH82A | 8 |
| TIGER MOTH DH-82C | 7 |
| TIGER MOTH DH82 | 3 |
| DH-82C | 1 |
| DH82A 2POLB | 1 |
Specifications (DH 82A)
| Item | DH 82A |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
| Length | 23 ft 11 in |
| Wingspan | 29 ft 4 in |
| Height | 8 ft 9 in |
| Wing area | 239 sq ft |
| Empty weight | 1,115 lb |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 1,825 lb |
| Fuel | 19 impgal |
| Engine | de Havilland Gipsy Major I, 130 hp (4-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line piston engine) |
| Propeller | fixed-pitch propeller |
| Maximum speed | 109 mph |
| Cruise speed | 67 mph |
| Range | 302 mi |
| Service ceiling | 13,600 ft |
| Rate of climb | 673 ft/min |
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]
Photos
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de Havilland Tiger Moth. Photo: see the file page on Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
de Havilland Tiger Moth. Photo: Arpingstone, Public domain -
De Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. SoAres assumed (based on copyrigh, CC BY-SA 2.5 -
de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain -
De Havilland 82A Tiger Moth II in Polish Aviation Museum. Photo: Delimata, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
de Havilland Tiger Moth. Photo: National Library NZ on The Commons from Wellington, New Zealand, No restrictions -
de Havilland Tiger Moth (A17-711) in the Training Hangar at the RAAF Museum, RAAF Williams Point Cook. Photo: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 2.5 au -
De Havilland 82A Tiger Moth Coupe at Coventry (Baginton) Airport. Photo: RuthAS, CC BY 3.0
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_at_the_RAAF_Museum.jpg)
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.
Buying a de Havilland Tiger Moth
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Wikipedia, "De Havilland Tiger Moth", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.