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Scott’s record-setting Moth to fl y

RESTORATION PROJECT

THE DE HAVILLAND D.H.60 Moth in which pioneering pilot Charles W.A. Scott set a new England—Australia record in 1931 is now in an advanced state of restoration at Caboolture airfi eld in Queensland, Australia. The wings were recently trial-fi tted at the workshops of Sandora Aviation, where work is being done for the Moth’s owner, Ted Field. A zero-time 120 h.p. Gipsy II engine, similar to that originally fi tted to the metal-fuselaged D.H.60M in March 1931, is awaiting installation.

In early 1931 C.W.A. Scott, a British pilot working as a fl ying instructor in Brisbane, had been asked to return to England to buy a Moth and deliver it to an Australian customer, R.S. White. He

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A D E H A V I L L A N D M OT H C L U B

acquired D.H.60M c/n 1685, which was registered G-ABHY in March 1931, and modifi ed it to carry 103gal of fuel and 3gal of oil, permitting 16hr endurance.

Scott set off from Lympne, Kent, in the early hours of April 1, fl ying non-stop to Belgrade. On April 10, nine days, 4hr and 10min after setting out, he arrived

in Darwin, having fl own many of the legs to the limit of the Moth’s endurance, and made several night landings.

The Moth fl ew as VH-UQH until it was written off in north-western Australia in March 1953, after which the damaged machine spent several decades in storage.

ABOVE The Moth at Caboolture. LEFT Scott with the Moth in April 1931. He went on to win the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race in D.H. Comet G-ACSS.

Antiques Roadshow for Brooklands Museum

Antiques Roadshow for Brooklands Museum

A BUSY SPRINGTIME at the Brooklands Museum in Surrey will culminate in a visit from BBC TV’s Antiques Roadshow on May 31. Museum staff are hoping that the pulling power of such a popular programme may see some rare aviation artefacts being unearthed for the delectation of the BBC’s panel of experts.

may see some rare aviation artefacts being unearthed

received a £10,000 Renais-

The museum recently received a £10,000 Renaissance South East Large Grant funded by MLA Council’s Renaissance programme to buy new scaffolding towers and

accessories to assist with the maintenance of aircraft on external display. On Easter Monday more than 1,000 people visited the museum’s “Magnifi cent Men And Our Flying Machines” day, including former Hawker test pilots.

former Hawker test pilots.

B R O O K L A N D S M U S E U M

LEFT front of Brooklands’ Clubhouse for Easter. of Viscount XT575 was moved to the museum’s Vickers Aircraft Park.

LEFT The recently-restored fuselage of Vickers Viking G-AGRU was put in front of Brooklands’ Clubhouse for Easter. ABOVE On March 25 the nose of Viscount XT575 was moved to the museum’s Vickers Aircraft Park.

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AEROPLANE JUNE 2009