From an information panel on site:
The Fox Moth was designed in 1932 to fulfil an urgent need for a light commercial transport capable of profitable, non subsidized operations on the short domestic air routes which had been established worldwide by the early 1930s. To reduce initial costs it used Tiger Moth wings, tail unit, undercarriage and engine mounting, which were attached to a new plywood-covered fuselage. It carried up to four passengers in an enclosed cabin, and the pilot was positioned in an open cockpit above and behind the cabin.
After its early flight trials, the prototype was shipped to Canada, an important overseas market, and evaluated on floats and skis. The aircraft was utilized for bush flying and could be used as an air ambulance, air freighter, air taxi or business aircraft.
In order to re-enter the civilian market after World War II, de Havilland Canada put the Fort Moth into production, in 1946, as the D.H.83C. This provided production for for the company while it developed its first original Canadian designs, the DHC-1 Chipmunk and the DHC-2 Beaver. The 52 aircraft produced proved to be a modest commercial success.
The new D.H.83C utilized surplus stocks of Tiger Moth components and engines. Modifications included strengthening the cabin and enlarging the door to accommodate bulky freight or stretchers, and a sliding bubble canopy was added to address Canadian weather conditions.
Mining, exploration and transport companies considered it a maid-of-all-work, pending the delivery of new post war designs.
One of these small companies, Max Ward's Polaris Charter Co. Ltd., formed the basis for a remarkable success story by growing from a single Fox Moth operation in 1946 into the large and respected airline, Wardair Canada, Inc.
The aircraft on display, in Polaris Charter Co. colours, was donated by Maxwell W. Ward in 1989.
The following is from the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum's Website:
Highlights:
A biplane designed in the U.K. in 1932, as a light, compact, economic and reliable passenger aircraft
After the Second World War, Canadian Fox Moths were built with either skis or floats, for use as bush planes
Developed between two significant eras in Canada's aviation history: the bush-flying period and the early days of passenger airlines
First flight was in 1932
Artifact no.:
1989.0335
Manufacturer:
de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd.
Manufacturer Location:
Canada
Manufacture Date:
1947
Registration no.:
CF-DJB
Acquisition Date:
1989
History:
Fox Moths were produced in Canada after the Second World War mainly to keep the plant in production, but also to satisfy the increasing need for new bush aircraft. All the Canadian modifications made to the Tiger Moth were also applied to the Fox Moth. Of the 53 produced, 39 remained in Canada, most of which were operated in float/ski configuration, and gave years of satisfactory service.
The Fox Moth, though efficient, was a bit of an anachronism. For example, a modern, moulded- plexiglas sliding cockpit-hood was attached to what was essentially a 1932 aircraft. Communication between the passenger cabin in the fuselage and the cockpit to the rear was through a hole in the instrument panel. De Havilland designed a special stretcher for the Fox Moth, in order that it could operate as an air ambulance.
Current Location:
Airlines Exhibition, Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Provenance:
Donation from Maxwell Ward
Built in Canada in 1947, this Fox Moth was owned by a number of operators before Maxwell Ward (founder of Wardair Inc., a private Canadian airline company) purchased it in the 1980s. Ward had the aircraft repainted to match the markings of his first bush plane (a de Havilland Fox Moth that he had bought in 1946 and used for several years until it was destroyed in a crash in the 1950s). Ward restored this Fox Moth and presented it to the Museum in 1989.
Technical Information:
Wing Span 9.4 m (30 ft 10 3/5 in)
Length 8.2 m (26 ft 9 in)
Height 2.7 m (8 ft 9 1/2 in)
Weight, Empty 655 kg (1,445 lb)
Weight, Gross 1,045 kg (2,300 lb)
Cruising Speed 135 km/h (84 mph)
Max Speed 154 km/h (96 mph)
Rate of Climb 135 m (450 ft) /min
Service Ceiling 3,353 m (11,000 ft)
Range 528 km (328 mi)
Power Plant one de Havilland Gipsy Major 1C, 145 hp, inverted in-line engine
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