Service History
Delivered: 1929
The Gipsy Moth was named after it’s deHavilland Gipsy engine. This popular British design was manufactured in America by the Moth Aircraft Corp. The Moth’s world wide popularity greatly influenced the growth of private and sport aviation between the wars.
The DH-60 GM was constructed of wood, fabric and welded chrome-moly steel. The wings folded for easy storage in a one car garage. Wright Aero Corp. manufactured the Wright-Gipsy engine. The American built DH-60 GM fi rst fl ew in 1929. The Moth set altitude, speed, distance and aerobatic records from its inception. In 1930, Laura Ingalls set a record of 344 continuous loops in the Gipsy Moth.
Flight schools boasted “Solo by Sundown” and over 10 million fl ight miles helped to develop the Moth into a stable, safe and dependable aircraft. Quite frisky and maneuverable, the wing slots made the Moth stall and spin proof. A 200 foot crash test by Capt. deHavilland did little damage to the Moth with no pilot injury.
This would be suicide with any other aircraft of the day. This Moth, once owned by Paramount Studios, was a movie star many years before it was acquired by Yanks in 2005.
