Midland/Ian Allan Publishing

de Havilland DH.60 Moth: The World's Most Successful Light Aeroplane

by  Stuart McKay, MBE

Reviewed By  John Vitkus, IPMS# 30013

MSRP: $44.95 ISBN: 1857802128 Available from Ian Allan Publishing as item# AA2122; (www.ianallanpublishing.com/catalog). In a world with Piper Cubs and Cessna 172s, it is difficult to imagine an era when no privately-owned light/sport plane existed and the idea was just being developed. But that is how things stood in 1923, when the Royal Aero Club (RAeC) drew up specifications for the Lympne Motor Glider Competition. This was a competition sponsored by the Air Ministry with prize money donated by the Daily Mail and other sponsors aimed at developing a series of light airplane clubs throughout Britain. It was hoped that these would serve not only to provide a basis for light aircraft development and private flying, but also to help train a reserve of pilots for the RAF. The RAeC's specifications restricted designs to what would now be called ultralight aircraft. Most restrictive of the rules was the limit on engine displacement to 750cc (increased to 1100cc the next year at the renamed Light Aeroplane Trials). Given the technology of the time, this resulted in a power output of around 20-35hp. Geoffrey de Havilland, designer of the DH.2, DH.4, and DH.9 for AIRCO during WWI, believed that the restriction of engines to such small displacements limited entries to designs that were of little practical value as sport/touring airplanes. And so he set to work designing his idea of what a light sporting airplane should be around a 4500cc engine of 60hp. He called this plane the DH.60 Moth. Not only was this design successful - as the book's subtitle proclaims - it became the standard for light aircraft around the world for a generation. Flying competitions became predominantly Moth affairs, and orders for Moths began to come in from all parts of the British Empire. Soon Moths were being manufactured in Australia, then Canada, and then around the world. From 1925 to 1933, over 2000 Moths were built in different variants: · DH.60 Moth with ADC Cirrus I engine · DH.60X "Cirrus Moth" with Cirrus II engine · DH.60M "Metal Moth" with steel tube replacing wood fuselage structure · DH.60T "Trainer Moth" built to military requirements · DH.60G "Gypsy Moth" with Gypsy engine Stuart McKay presents an exhaustive look at this very special aircraft. He details every change and upgrade, from detail improvements to changes in variants (from Cirrus to Gypsy engine, for example). He also describes the role of the Moth in various exploits-from accidents at local flying clubs; records attempts for speed, economy, and altitude; and epic trips from England to South Africa and Australia. Somewhat surprisingly, he divides his narrative not by variant, geographic area, or use (leisure, races and records, military training) but chronologically, beginning "Before 1925," then "January to June 1925," and ending with "1933 to Infinity." Along the way, he illustrates his clear narrative with 350 black and white photos and 51 well-reproduced glossy color photos. These latter appear in a 16-page color section that greatly adds to the book, as the aircraft themselves come in a rainbow of colors: silver, yellow, red, blue, green, orange, white, black, maroon, and turquoise, usually in very appealing combinations. Although there are photos of military trainers from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, and Iraq, this book is first and foremost a book about civilian aircraft and private flying-in all its colorful variety. This book is clearly a labor of love from the man who is easily the Moth's biggest fan. Stuart McKay is the founding and current secretary of the de Havilland Moth Club, the editor of the club's magazine The Moth, and manager of the annual International Moth Rally. I recommend it highly for anyone who shares his love of Moths, light/sport planes, and de Havilland aircraft in general.

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