Eduard Sorokin Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hello, friends ! Many sources reported about the using of DH-60 Moth airplanes by Norwegian aviation. Some aircrafts were used by RNoAF, and some - maybe, by civil aviation. I have questions: 1) What versions and what amount of DH-60 were used by RNoAF and by civil aviation ? 2) Have anybody any images of those military and civil DH-60s ? Best regards, Eduard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Sandvik Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Both Standard Moth and Tiger Moth were in use by the Norwegian Army air force, and both Moth-versions were license built at Kjeller in Norway. At least one civillian company, Widerøe, did operate Standard Moth. According to the information I´ve got, 13 Standard Moths and 37 Tiger Moths were built at Kjeller. Engines were Gipsy III and Gipsy Major. Norwegian Moths did not have wing slots. Tiger Moth No 201 got metal propeller, brakes and tailwheel, while the rest were equipped with wooden propellers and tail skid. Norwegian Moths of both types had skis during the winter seasons. Norwegian Tiger Moths were painted olive drab all over. Struts were black. The planes had Norwegian flag stripes on tail and on top side of upper wings and underside of lower wings, and individual number painted in white on both sides aft of cockpit. An exception was Moth No 171, which was doped silver, and had flagstripes around the aft body and individual numbers in black. Einar S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knut Erik Hagen Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hei, I am once again at work offshore India, so I have limited access to reference material. The Norwegian Army Air Arm (which I believe is the correct name in English) had a number of DH 60 Moths straight wing trainers before changing over to DH 82 Tiger Moths. When DH 60s became surplus to Army requirements were they sold off to civilians. Colours for Army Air Arm DH 60 Standard Moths are more complex than for the DH 82 Tiger Moths because there were both UK and Kjeller built machines. I have photos both of civilian and military DH 60s - will see if I have some with me on disk. Civilian DH 60s: 138 LN-BAT - HF #109, sold to Wideroe in 1936, crashed in 1937 139 LN-BAE - HF #111, sold to Wideroe in 1934, crashed in 1936 140 LN-ABV - HF #113, sold to Wideroe in 1934, sold to Sweden as SE-AEO in 1936. 141 LN-ABU - HF #115, sold to Wideroe in 1934, crashed in 1935. 428 N-38 - aircraft never made it to Norway, crashed in France 1339 N-40/N-42 - lost in Antarctis in 1929 while operating on floats from whaling fleet. 1345 N-30/LN-ABL - used by Skappel 1929-34 (crashed) 1373 N-35 - used 1929-30 in Harstad area. 1435 N-45 - HF #101, used on mail flights to Gothenborg, crashed Kjeller in 1931. 1436 LN-ABU - HF #103, sold to Wideroe, but crashed before delivery in 1934 1442 N-46 - HF #105, used on mail flights to Gothenborg - back to military identity in 1931, reduced to spares in 1934 1534 N-20/LN-ABI - To Omsted in 1930, crashed in 1932 (1535 N-50) - Reserved only. 1557 LN-BAU - To Wideroe in 1935, crashed in 1936 Kjeller Flyhistoriske Forening is restoring a former Australian DH 60 to flying condition. Just for my curiosity: Eduard, are you writing a book on early Norwegian aircraft since you ask question on one type each month? http://www.ipmsnorge.org/forum/Smileys/default/shifty.gif Eders Knut Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduard Sorokin Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hello ! Thank You, colleagues, for the info. I hope to see some views of those aircrafts. ___________________________________________________________________ To Knut Erik Hagen: You wrote: Just for my curiosity: Eduard, are you writing a book... - See PM, please. Regards, Eduard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knut Erik Hagen Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Hei, Here are a couple of images of DH60 Moths in HF: 103 in early markings, note the specifications stenciled on the rudder, black numbers and DH Moth star on the nose. Aircraft may have been delivered from the UK in dark gray with black numbers (applies to 101 & 105 as well). 103 had three stars painted on fin and fuselage for a while (Used by a captain?) 117 after a bad landing in usual markings, note flag colours on wing - looks like they made the white stripes too wide compared to the blue. 123 in aluminium colour while used by Georg Bull (serving with Trøndelag Flyveavdeling untill it crashed in Trondheim harbour 1 Nov. 1939). 101, 103 & 105 were delivered from the DH factory in crates early 1930. 107-125 were built at Kjeller 1931/32. Who said that HF aircraft colours were plain? - not me! Eders Knut Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knut Erik Hagen Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Hei, Norwegian DH60s in civilian markings: N-46 at Kjeller (N-XX on Norwegian civilian aircraft before 1932, numbers 1-50 used) LN-ABU as a floatplane, Ingierstrand just outside Oslo. Widerøe Moths operating on skis from a frozen lake - capital letters on the wings. Eders Knut Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduard Sorokin Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hello ! Thank You, dear sir Knut Erik Hagen, for these beautiful old photos of those beautiful planes ! I want to ask: - had all Norwegian civil airplanes with early registrations (N-xx) Norwegian flags on their tails (like Moth N-46) ? Or it had some planes only ? Regards, Eduard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nils Mathisrud Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 - had all Norwegian civil airplanes with early registrations (N-xx) Norwegian flags on their tails (like Moth N-46) ? Or it had some planes only ? I'm not 100% sure, but I think the flag or rudder flag stripes (the same as were used on military aircraft) were compulsory with the early registrations. I cannot recall seeing photos of the aircraft without the flag of flag stripes. Nils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mulder Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hi I can confirm that the flags were compulsary in connection with the registrations. Regards Rob Mulder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knut Erik Hagen Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hei, Glad to see you found the pictures worth the wait, they illustrate farily well the colour schemes used by military and civilian aircraft at the time. The Norwegian flag was standard on aircraft wearing N-XX registrations, I have very few pictures of machines without the flag or similar painted on the tail surfaces. Since the colours of the flag are well known do they help in guessing at the other colours in a b/w picture. It may have been an international convention for aircraft able to fly across borders - Swedish aircraft had the same. Eders Knut Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduard Sorokin Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 OK, men ! Thank You all for this detailed elucidations. I am very glad to get the information at first hand ! Best regards, Eduard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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