A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows pilots-in-training to safely advance their skills in a more forgiving aircraft.
94-534: The Fairchild T-46 is an American light jet trainer aircraft of the 1980s. It was cancelled in 1986 with only three aircraft being produced. The United States Air Force (USAF) launched its Next Generation Trainer (NGT) program to replace the Cessna T-37 Tweet primary trainer in 1981. Fairchild-Republic submitted a shoulder-winged monoplane with a twin tail, powered by two Garrett F109 turbofans and with pilot and instructor sitting side by side. Part of
188-1065: A radar display based on this information. The aim of programmable displays is to speed pilot training by replicating as far as possible the systems a pilot will find in an operational aircraft. Lead-in fighter training (LIFT) utilises advanced jet trainer aircraft with avionics and stores-management capability that emulate operational fighter planes, to provide efficient training in combat scenarios with reduced training costs compared to moving straight to operational conversion. The on-board avionics system may be linked to ground-based systems, and together they can simulate situations such as infrared or radar guided missile, interceptors, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft batteries, radars, chaff and flare countermeasures and collision warnings, in low or dense electronic warfare environments. Systems may also be able to re-enact true-to-life combat situations. Most military jet-powered combat aircraft have two-seat trainer versions. These are combat capable operational conversion aircraft types to provide on
282-408: A Very pistol . The intention was to force any encroaching U-boat to dive; one aircraft would then remain in the vicinity while the other would search for a naval patrol vessel that could be led back to the spot. Because they were not radio equipped, each aircraft also carried a pair of homing pigeons in a wicker basket to call for help in case of a forced landing at sea. A 25-lb (11.5 kg) bomb
376-690: A Primary trainer, of which the Stearman PT-13 /PT-17 is the best known, a Basic trainer such as the Vultee BT-13 , and an advanced trainer such as the well known North American AT-6 Texan, which would also be widely exported to the Commonwealth countries as the Harvard. In addition, production of various combat types was diverted to training although considerable effort was made to cover all possible types of training with purpose built types. The British organized
470-566: A Tiger Moth and intended to cut parachutists' canopies as they descended. Flight tests proved the idea, but it was not officially adopted. The Tiger Moth was also tested as a dispenser of Paris green rat poison for use against ground troops, with powder dispensers located under the wings. In the postwar climate, impressed Tiger Moths were restored to their former civilian operations and owners. Accordingly, large numbers of Tiger Moths were made available for sale to flying clubs and individuals. Relatively few new light aircraft being manufactured at
564-702: A fast jet design and manufacturing capability. With increasing costs, even major air forces will have difficulty reaching the economies of scale to justify development of new advanced trainers. Nations will be required to continue to push the modernisation of existing aircraft (some such as the Hawk dating from the 1970s) or co-operate in the development and procurement of advanced training aircraft. Furthermore, they must better utilise funding available by developing aircraft with an enhanced combat capability by producing operational single-seat variants, and better utilise aircraft on inventory incorporating operational systems either within
658-427: A heavy degree of designed-in differential operation (mostly deflecting up, hardly at all downwards) to avoid adverse yaw problems in normal flight. Most manoeuvres are started at about 90 to 110 knots, and it has a Velocity Never Exceeded (VNE) of 140 knots. It is important to lock the automatic slats (leading edge flaps) during aerobatic manoeuvres. There are two methods of landing. "Wheeler" landing involves pushing
752-503: A high casualty rate as pilots moved to high performance MiG-21 aircraft without suitable assessment of their aptitude for supersonic flight. There are two main areas for instruction, flight training and operational training. In flight training a candidate seeks to develop their flying skills. In operational training the candidate learns to use their flying skills through simulated combat, attack and fighter techniques. Typically, contemporary military pilots learn initial flying skills in
846-408: A hopper to hold superphosphate for aerial topdressing. A large number were also used to deploy insecticide in the crop-sprayer role, for which several alternative arrangements, including perforated piping being installed underneath the mainplanes or the placement of rotary atomisers on the lower mainplane, were used. Royal Navy Tiger Moths used as target tugs and "air experience" machines became
940-772: A light aircraft not too dissimilar from civilian training aircraft. In this phase pilot candidates are screened for mental and physical attributes. Aircraft used for this purpose include the Slingsby Firefly , as at one time used by the United States Air Force Academy , and the Scottish Aviation Bulldogs of the RAF. The U.S. replaced the Firefly and the Enhanced Flight Screen Program (EFSP) with
1034-601: A radio-control system in the rear cockpit to operate the controls using pneumatically driven servos . In total, 400 were built by de Havilland at Hatfield and a further 70 by Scottish Aviation . There were nearly 300 in service at the start of the Second World War. In December 1939, owing to a shortage of maritime patrol aircraft , six flights of Tiger Moths were operated by RAF Coastal Command for surveillance flights over coastal waters, known as "scarecrow patrols". The aircraft operated in pairs and were armed only with
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#17328556842811128-573: A replica of a Fokker D.VII , while two aircraft resembled the Rumpler C.V to depict these types for the film. Several Tiger Moths were used in the crash scenes in The Great Waldo Pepper , standing in for the Curtiss JN-1 . Due to the popularity of the design and the rising cost of flyable examples, a number of replicas (scale and full-sized) have been designed for the homebuilder; these include
1222-467: A suitable ab initio training aircraft. One of the main changes from the preceding Moth series was improved access to the front cockpit , since the training requirement specified that the front-seat occupant had to be able to escape easily, especially when wearing a parachute . Access to the front cockpit of the Moth's predecessors was restricted by the proximity of the aircraft's fuel tank, directly above
1316-415: A viable air defence fighter. As the capabilities of front-line aircraft have increased, this has been reflected in increasingly sophisticated advanced trainers. As the costs of developing new aircraft have risen in real terms, it has become more likely that fewer aircraft will be designed specifically for the training role. The advanced trainer was often seen as a stepping stone by most nations in developing
1410-549: Is at this stage that a pilot begins to learn to operate radar systems and electronics. Modern advanced trainers feature programmable multi-function displays which can be programmed to simulate different electronic systems and scenarios. Most advanced trainers do not have radar systems of their own, but onboard systems can be programmed to simulate radar contacts. With datalinks and GPS , virtual radar systems can be created with similarly equipped aircraft relaying to each other their positions in real time and onboard computers creating
1504-493: Is now an owners' association offering a mutual club and technical support. Geoffrey de Havilland, the company's owner and founder, had sought to produce a light aircraft superior to two of his previous designs, the de Havilland Humming Bird and de Havilland DH.51 . From earlier experience, de Havilland knew the difficulty and importance of correctly sizing such an aircraft to appeal to the civilian market, such as touring, trainer , flying club , and private aviation customers;
1598-569: Is now the norm for pilots to begin their flight training in an aircraft with side-by-side seating and to progress to aircraft with tandem seating. This, however, has not always been the case. For example, it was usual to find tandem seating in biplane basic trainers such as the Tiger Moth and the Jungmann , and the British used side-by-side seating in the operational conversion of some of its fast jets such as
1692-479: Is typically powered by a de Havilland Gipsy III 120 hp engine; later models are often fitted with more powerful models of this engine, while some have been re-engined by third-party companies. One characteristic of the Tiger Moth design is its differential aileron control setup. The ailerons (on the lower wing only) on a Tiger Moth are operated by an externally mounted circular bell crank, which lies flush with
1786-416: Is uneventful, and it has a reasonable rate of climb. However full power should not be maintained for more than a minute to avoid damaging the engine. The Tiger Moth's biplane design makes it strong, and it is fully aerobatic. However it has ailerons only on its bottom wing, which makes its rate of roll relatively slow for a biplane; and, as stated previously, the ailerons on a Tiger Moth normally operate with
1880-676: The BAC Jet Provost / BAC Strikemaster and the Cessna T-37 Tweet / A-37 Dragonfly . Especially against opponents operating without a fighter screen or an effective anti-aircraft capability, such trainer derived attack aircraft could perform adequately. For example, Impala aircraft derived from the Aermacchi MB-326 trainer formed the main strike strength of the South African Air Force in its Bush war , and aircraft such as
1974-574: The Boeing 707 was a popular airliner for conversion to tanker, transport and ELINT variants by numerous air forces. A minority of military training aircraft, such as the Beechcraft 18 , Vickers Varsity , Hawker Siddeley Dominie and Boeing T-43 were developed from transport designs to train navigators and other rear crews operators. As these navigational trainees are normally learning how to navigate using instruments, they can be seated at consoles within
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#17328556842812068-567: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , which moved the bulk of aircrew training away from active war zones to Canada and elsewhere, where pilots started on the De Havilland Tiger Moth or Fleet Finch basic trainers before continuing on North American Harvards for advanced training, Avro Ansons , Airspeed Oxfords and Bristol Bolingbrokes for multi-engine as well as bombing training. Obsolete types such as
2162-562: The Cirrus SR20 (designated T-53A) for basic cadet flight training. After the ab-initio phase a candidate may progress to basic, or primary, trainers. These are usually turboprop trainers, like the Pilatus PC-9 and Embraer Tucano . Modern turboprop trainers can replicate the handling characteristics of jet aircraft as well as having sufficient performance to assess a candidate's technical ability at an aircraft's controls, reaction speed and
2256-620: The Commonwealth were quickly impressed into their respective air forces to meet the wartime demand for trainer aircraft. The Tiger Moth became the primary trainer throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere. It was the principal type used in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , where thousands of military pilots got their first taste of flight in a Tiger Moth. The RAF found the Tiger Moth's handling ideal for training fighter pilots. Generally docile and forgiving in
2350-649: The Diamond DA20 and the Initial Flight Training (IFT) program. At the end of this stage, pilot trainees are assessed and those who pass advance to the full pilot training program. Those who are judged unsuitable for a pilot commission, but show other attributes, may be offered the chance to qualify as navigators and weapons officers. Smaller and more financially restricted air forces may use ultra-light aircraft , gliders and motor gliders for this role. The USAF Academy uses light piston-powered aircraft such as
2444-526: The English Electric Lightning . Given the expense of military pilot training, air forces typically conduct training in phases to eliminate unsuitable candidates. The cost to those air forces that do not follow a graduated training regimen is not just monetary but also in lives. For example, for many years the Indian Air Force operated without a suitable advanced training aircraft, leading to
2538-847: The Fairey Battle and Westland Lysander were used for target towing, while other types such as the North American Yale were used for wireless operator (radio) training. Postwar, the United States operated the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor for basic flight training, while the United Kingdom operated the De Havilland Chipmunk . The North American T-28 Trojan replaced the T-6 in US service, while
2632-538: The Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth and the RagWing RW22 Tiger Moth . The Tiger Moth responds well to control inputs and is fairly easy to fly for a tail-dragger. Its big "parachute" wings are very forgiving, and it stalls at a speed as slow as 25 knots with power. Its stall and spin characteristics are benign. It has some adverse yaw and therefore requires rudder input during turns. The Tiger Moth exhibits
2726-561: The Hawker Hunter , English Electric Lightning , and North American F-100 Super Sabre . As air forces' combat fleets were scaled-down, it made sense for most national display teams to change to lighter training types. A few modifications may be needed to enable coloured smoke to be emitted during displays, but essentially these airframes can still perform their pilot training function. In smaller air forces basic trainers, in addition to being used for training, are used to provide air support in
2820-515: The Hongdu JL-8 are being acquired for the attack role in low intensity theatres. Despite their vulnerability, even small numbers of weapons-carrying trainer aircraft may achieve a disproportionate effect due to the element of surprise, especially when the attacked side believes to hold air supremacy. Forces that have used light trainer aircraft to great effect include the Biafran use of MFI-9s and
2914-546: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam use of covertly acquired light aircraft. In high-intensity conflicts, advanced trainer type aircraft can have a military utility if they operate under an umbrella of other aerial assets. For example, the Franco-German Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet had an anti-shipping and light strike role when operating under an air umbrella provided by fighter aircraft, while
Fairchild T-46 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-530: The Percival Provost filled a similar role with the RAF. De Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company . It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. In addition to the type's principal use for ab initio training,
3102-513: The Second World War had RAF Tiger Moths operating in other capacities, including maritime surveillance and defensive anti-invasion preparations; some aircraft were even outfitted to function as armed light bombers . The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until it was replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk during the early 1950s. Many of the military surplus aircraft subsequently entered into civilian operation. Many nations have used
3196-455: The Tiger Moth . Improvements made on the Tiger Moth monoplane were incorporated into a military trainer variant of the DH.60 Moth, the DH.60T Moth – the T coming to stand for 'Tiger' in addition to 'Trainer'. The DH.60T Moth had several shortcomings, thus was subject to several alterations, such as the adoption of shortened interplane struts to raise the wingtips after insufficient ground clearance
3290-551: The counter-insurgency and airborne forward air control role. Most advanced trainers are capable of carrying and delivering war loads. However, most of these aircraft do not have the counter measures and sensors required to survive alone in a modern high intensity war fighting scenario, for example being vulnerable to MANPADS . However, they may still have a war fighting role in low intensity theatres if operated in conjunction with more capable aircraft. Historically many jet trainers were marketed with specialised attack variants e.g.
3384-496: The 1930s, many of the initial aircraft were designed with a dual role, so that when they were obsolete in their combat role they would be used as trainers. By World War II, however, their needs exceeded what could be spared from production and although using a number of purpose built designs such as the Bücker Bü 131 , relied largely on captured aircraft and obsolete combat types. The United States armed forces standardized on three types –
3478-601: The Belgian-designed Stampe SV.4 aerobatic aircraft, which had a very similar design layout; both aircraft made use of a similar main landing gear configuration, a slightly sweepback wing, and an alike engine/cowling design. Several Tiger Moths were converted during the 1950s to a Coupe standard, which involved the installation of a sliding canopy over both crew positions, not unlike the Canadian-built Fleet Finch biplane trainers that had worked beside
3572-614: The Netherlands during the postwar era and used to equip the Dutch National Flying School at Ypenburg . These aircraft were required by the Dutch civil aviation authorities to be fitted with a larger dorsal fin, incorporating an extended forward fillet to the fin, to provide for additional area; this requirement was also extended to privately owned Tiger Moths in the Netherlands. The Tiger Moth might be confused at first glance with
3666-576: The PT-24, before being delivered onwards to the RCAF. Additional overseas manufacturing activity also occurred, most of which took place during wartime. de Havilland Australia assembled an initial batch of 20 aircraft from parts sent from the United Kingdom prior to embarking on their own major production campaign of the DH.82A, which resulted in a total of 1,070 Tiger Moths being constructed in Australia. In late 1940,
3760-528: The RAF planned to use pairs of gun- and AIM-9 Sidewinder -armed Hawk trainers in the point defence role. Each pair of Hawks was to be teamed with a Phantom FGR.2 , in effect using the Phantoms as an Airborne Early Warning and Control system. Although never tested it was believed that the Hawk, combined with AIM-9L and flown by some of the best pilots in the RAF including those from the Red Arrows , would have made
3854-604: The Republic factory in Farmingdale, New York , bringing 60 years of Fairchild aircraft manufacturing to an end. The aircraft itself featured a side-by-side configuration, a twin (or "H") tail (similar to the company's A-10 ), ejection seats , pressurization, and two turbofan engines. Had it gone into full production the NGT program called for 650 aircraft being built up to 1992. There was potential for some overseas sales as well, such as in
Fairchild T-46 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-619: The Sk.11' by AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning , 91 were built in Portugal by OGMA , and another 38 in Norway by Kjeller Flyfabrikk (some sources say 37 so the first may have been assembled from a kit) in addition to a large number of aircraft that were assembled from kits shipped from the UK. The RAF ordered 35 dual-control Tiger Moth Is, which had the company designation DH.82. A subsequent order
4042-524: The T-44A Pegasus variant of the Beechcraft King Air . Once they have mastered this, they may begin to fly in the right-hand seat of an operational type. Some air forces will seek to use a restricted number of multi-engined aircraft, with the derivatives of a basic aircraft filling different roles so that a pilot qualified on one of its types can easily convert to others in the same family. For example,
4136-579: The T-46 until further evaluation of the T-46 against the T-37 and other trainers took place. The project was cancelled a little more than a year later, for reasons that largely remain controversial . The T-46 was the last project of the Fairchild Republic Corporation, and after the program termination Fairchild had no more income. Without any new contracts and the NGT program cancelled, the company closed
4230-740: The Tiger Moth II, were delivered to the RAF; these aircraft adopted the de Havilland Gipsy Major engine, capable of generating 130 HP, and the use of plywood decking on the rear fuselage in place of fabric . Throughout the period 1934–1936, production activity was centred upon meeting the demand for military trainers, including several contracts having been placed by the RAF to Specification T.7/35, along with export orders by seven overseas operators. Civil examples were also being produced at this time, both for British private customers and to export customers in countries such as Ceylon , Greece , Lithuania , Rhodesia , Peru , and Switzerland . After 1936,
4324-518: The Tiger Moth in RCAF service as trainers in Canada during the type's wartime years. After the development of aerial topdressing in New Zealand, large numbers of ex- Royal New Zealand Air Force Tiger Moths built in that country and in the United Kingdom were converted into agricultural aircraft ; at the time, this was a pioneering use for aircraft. In this role, the front seat was commonly replaced with
4418-411: The Tiger Moth in both military and civilian applications, and it remains in widespread use as a recreational aircraft. It is still occasionally used as a primary training aircraft, particularly for those pilots wanting to gain experience before moving on to other tailwheel aircraft. Many Tiger Moths are now employed by companies offering trial lesson experiences. The de Havilland Moth club, founded in 1975,
4512-414: The Tiger Moth was made available to general flying clubs, production having been previously occupied by military customers. The type was used to replace older aircraft in the civilian trainer capacity, such as the older de Havilland Cirrus Moth and Gipsy Moth. By the start of the Second World War, the RAF had around 500 Tiger Moths in service. In addition, nearly all civilian-operated Tiger Moths throughout
4606-539: The Tiger Moth, using many of the main components of the former with a new plywood fuselage seating four people in an enclosed cabin; it was marketed as the de Havilland Fox Moth . Following the end of all manufacturing, third parties occasionally rebuilt Tiger Moths to a similar configuration to the Fox Moth, such as the Thruxton Jackaroo . In late 1934, 50 Tiger Moths of a more refined design, sometimes referred to as
4700-723: The Tornado, the operational conversion unit (OCU) aircraft can be created by duplicating flight controls in the rear cockpit. In a normally single-seat aircraft, a second cockpit can be built behind the original cockpit (e.g. the TA-4S variant of the A-4SU Super Skyhawk ) or the cockpit can be extended to place the instructor in a second seat behind the pilot. Once they are qualified to fly a specific type of aircraft, pilots will continue with regular training exercises to maintain qualifications on that aircraft and to improve their skills, for example
4794-519: The UK for completion. Canadian-built Tiger Moths featured modifications to better suit the local climate, along with a reinforced tail wheel, hand-operated brakes (built by Bendix Corporation ), shorter undercarriage radius rods, and the legs of the main landing gear legs being raked forwards as a safeguard against tipping forwards during braking. In addition, the cockpit had a large sliding canopy fitted along with exhaust -based heating; various alternative undercarriage arrangements were also offered. By
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#17328556842814888-597: The US government in an attempt to limit the national debt, and while testing did not reveal any major problems, Secretary of the Air Force Russell A. Rourke cancelled procurement of the T-46, while allowing limited development to continue. While attempts were made in Congress to reinstate the program, which resulted in the FY 1987 budget being delayed, an amendment was passed to the 1987 Appropriations Bill to forbid any spending on
4982-447: The USAF's Red Flag exercises. Deployments of small flights of aircraft together with support staff and equipment to exercises conducted by other nations can be used to develop fighting skills and interservice and inter unit competitions in bombing and gunnery between units can also be used to develop those skills. The two-seat aircraft may itself become the basis of an operational aircraft,
5076-625: The United States began its own training program, using Curtiss JN-4s and Standard J-1s . In Germany, various obsolete two seaters were produced for training purposes, the most numerous being the Albatros C.III . Between the World Wars, purpose built trainers covering a variety of specialties largely replaced obsolete types in the Western armed forces, including aircraft specifically for bombing and gunnery and navigational training. When Germany began rearming in
5170-649: The ability to anticipate events. Prior to the availability of high performance turboprops, basic training was conducted with jet aircraft such as the BAC Jet Provost , T-37 Tweet , and Fouga Magister . Those candidates who are not suitable to continue training as fast jet pilots may be offered flying commissions and be trained to fly multi-engined aircraft. Those that progress to training for fast jet flying will then progress to an advanced trainer, typically capable of high subsonic speeds, high-energy manoeuvers, and equipped with systems that simulate modern weapons and surveillance. Examples of such jet trainer aircraft include
5264-572: The aircraft cabin and do not require a direct view of the landscape over which the aircraft is flying. The operators of airborne weapons or radar-related systems can be similarly trained, either in training aircraft or in an operational aircraft during training flights. Some jet trainers , such as the Aermacchi MB-339 , Casa C-101 , Folland Gnat , Fouga Magister and British Aerospace Hawk , are used by national formation aerobatic teams. Early jet aerobatic teams tended to use combat types such as
5358-514: The aircraft or as external pods. The trend of programmable electronic systems and datalinks is likely to continue with the possibility that ground-based radar systems and processing systems will allow advanced training aircraft to function as if they truly had onboard radar systems, with the cockpit closely replicating the look and feel of an air force's more capable aircraft for maximum familiarity. Programmable engine management and fly-by-wire flight control systems will allow an aircraft to mimic
5452-427: The early 1970s. The Tiger Moth (and to a lesser extent, the similar Belgian Stampe-Vertongen SV.4 ) had been often used as a stand-in for rarer aircraft in films, sometimes having been extensively modified to outwardly resemble the aircraft it was depicting. Three aircraft were converted by Croydon -based Film Aviation Services Ltd for use in the filming of the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia ; one Tiger Moth became
5546-530: The effect of "weeding out" the inept student pilot. The Tiger Moth quickly became a commercial success, and examples were sold to more than 25 air forces. In addition to the military demand, aircraft were also produced for the civilian market. At one point, the flow of orders for the Tiger Moth effectively occupied almost the entirety of de Havilland's capacity to manufacture aircraft, and little capacity could be spared to accommodate domestic customers. In 1932, de Havilland also developed an affordable air taxi from
5640-531: The end of Canadian production, de Havilland Canada had manufactured a total of 1,548 of all versions, including the DH.82C and American Menasco Pirate -engined variants (with opposing "right-hand"/"counter-clockwise" rotation to the left-hand/clockwise-running Gipsy Major) known as the Menasco Moth; this also included 200 Tiger Moths that were built under wartime United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Lend-Lease orders, which were designated for paperwork purposes as
5734-399: The firm had great success with a scaled-down version of the DH.51, the de Havilland DH.60 Moth . The starting point for the DH.82 Tiger Moth was the de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth . de Havilland had developed successively more capable Gipsy engines, and the company had produced a new low-winged monoplane aircraft to test them. This aircraft became the first aircraft to be referred to as
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#17328556842815828-525: The first 35 production aircraft for the RAF, designated K2567-K2601 , began following the issuing of Specification T.23/31; in addition two float -equipped seaplanes , S1675 and S1676 , were built according to Specification T.6/33. The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a single-engined , biplane , taildragger aircraft with two seats in tandem configuration. It was developed principally to be used by private touring customers as well as for pilot instruction for both military and civilian operators. It
5922-632: The first Australian-assembled Tiger Moth conducted its first flight at Bankstown , Sydney . Most Australian aircraft were delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), but several batches were exported, including 18 for the USAAF and 41 for the Royal Indian Air Force . In New Zealand, 132 Tiger Moths were completed by de Havilland Aircraft of New Zealand ; 23 were built in Sweden as
6016-819: The flight characteristics of frontline aircraft with actual performance being restricted to a pilot's level of ability, with more power and greater agility becoming available as a pilot's skill improves. Training is now also carried out on ground-based simulators. Early trainers were often sport aircraft or obsolete combat aircraft. The French used a graduated system in which a pilot learned in progressively more capable aircraft, starting with aircraft that had been modified to prevent them from flying – called rouleurs or penguins. Pilots who had mastered ground handling would then graduate to lower powered two seaters, before finishing on obsolete fighters. The supply of obsolete aircraft proved inadequate and production of Caudron G.III , Nieuport 83 and other types specifically for training
6110-547: The front cockpit, and the rear cabane struts for the upper wing. The solution adopted was to shift the upper wing forward but sweep the wings back to maintain the same centre of lift. Other changes included a strengthened structure, fold-down doors on both sides of the cockpit, and a revised exhaust system. On 26 October 1931 the first 'true' Tiger Moth, the prototype E6 , made its maiden flight at Stag Lane Aerodrome , Edgware , London, flown by de Havilland Chief Test Pilot Hubert Broad . Shortly thereafter construction of
6204-482: The fundamental requirements of a training aircraft, in being "easy to fly, but difficult to fly well"; the aircraft's benign handling when within its limits make it easy for the novice to learn the basic skills of flight. At the same time techniques such as coordinated flight must be learnt and used effectively, and the aircraft will show up mishandling to an observant instructor or attentive pupil. As training progresses towards more advanced areas, especially aerobatics ,
6298-547: The gradual rate of acceleration of Tiger Moth manufacturing had reached the point where production capacity finally became able to exceed the demands from military customers alone. By the outbreak of the Second World War a total of 1,424 Tiger Moths had been completed by both domestic and overseas manufacturing efforts. In 1941 de Havilland transferred principal manufacturing activity for the Tiger Moth from its Hatfield factory to Morris Motors Limited at their facility in Cowley, Oxford . In 1945, British Tiger Moth production
6392-443: The job training to pilots who have graduated to this level, and are usually available with little conversion in times of emergency to a reconnaissance or combat role. Most operational conversion aircraft retain the full functionality of the operational version with slight degradations to performance due to increased weight and drag, and possibly reduced range due to a reduced internal fuel load. In some two-seat fighter aircraft such as
6486-442: The last military examples when that service purchased a batch of refurbished ex-civilian examples in 1956. One became the last biplane to land on an aircraft carrier ( HMS Eagle ) in the English Channel during the summer of 1967. On takeoff, the wind over the deck allowed the aircraft to fly, but it was slower than the carrier, which turned hard to starboard to avoid a possible collision. These planes remained in service until
6580-530: The light ground attack role in addition to its role as a trainer. All three prototypes have been preserved: Data from Tweety-Bird Replacement General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Trainer aircraft Civilian pilots are normally trained in a light aircraft , with two or more seats to allow for a student and instructor. The two seating configurations for trainer aircraft are: pilot and instructor side by side, or in tandem, usually with
6674-408: The lower wing's fabric undersurface covering. This circular bell crank is rotated by metal cables and chains from the cockpit's control columns, and has the externally mounted aileron pushrod attached at a point 45° outboard and forward of the bell crank's centre when the ailerons are both at their neutral position. This results in an aileron control system operating with barely any travel down at all on
6768-687: The most demanding aircraft. For example, in the Italian Air Force a pilot may begin his service career on the AMX attack aircraft, and as their experience grows, progress to more capable aircraft such as the Tornado IDS . Other air forces, such as Canada, do not do this, and assign first-tour pilots to aircraft such as the CF-18 Hornet . Those pilots who train to fly transports, tankers and other multi-engine aircraft begin with small multi-engine aircraft such as
6862-412: The normal flight phases encountered during initial training, when used for aerobatic and formation training, the Tiger Moth required skill and concentration to perform well; a botched manoeuvre could cause the aircraft to stall or spin. From 1941 onwards, all military and many civilian Tiger Moths were outfitted with antispin strakes positioned on the junction between the fuselage and the leading edge of
6956-405: The pilot in front and the instructor behind. The side-by-side seating configuration has the advantage that the pilot and instructor can see each other's actions, allowing the pilot to learn from the instructor and the instructor to correct the student pilot. The tandem configuration has the advantage of being closer to the normal working environment that a fast jet pilot is likely to encounter. It
7050-412: The plane on to the runway at a moderate speed with just the main wheels on the ground, with the tail held up until speed reduces. It does not tend to bounce. Unlike most taildraggers, slow speed three-point landings are quite difficult because there is not enough elevator authority to bring the tail down to the correct three-point attitude. This means that the tail needs to be brought down sharply at just
7144-467: The potential to go on to fly fighter aircraft , those more suited to lower-performance machines and those who must be relegated to non-pilot aircrew positions. Because the Tiger Moth has no electrical system, it must be started by hand. Being a tail-dragging biplane, taxiing also requires care. The pilot cannot see directly ahead, so the lower wing can hit obstructions, and it is susceptible to gusts of wind on its inclined, large, upper wing. The takeoff
7238-525: The rationale was an expectation of increasing levels of general aviation traffic. A pressurized trainer would permit training at higher altitude, leading to fewer restrictions on the new pilots. In order to validate the proposed aircraft's design, and to explore its flight handling characteristics, Fairchild Republic contracted with Ames Industries of Bohemia, New York to build a flyable 62% scale version. Burt Rutan 's Rutan Aircraft Factory in Mojave, California
7332-452: The removal of the centre-section fuel tank, alternative fuel tank configurations, all-new elevators, custom-designed fuel injectors , and the recovering of the fuselage with lighter-weight fabric. Three particular aircraft, G-APDZ , G-ANZZ and G-ANMZ , were accordingly rebuilt and were used in international competitions; the design changes led to substantially improved performance during inverted flight. Ex-RAF examples were imported to
7426-426: The right speed in order for the angular momentum to carry it down sufficiently. The open cockpit allows pilots to move their heads over the side to see the runway during approach and landing. As the aircraft is a tail dragger, it is essential to land it straight with no sideways movement, to avoid ground loops. One often undocumented feature is that the carburettor de-icing mechanism is activated automatically when
7520-579: The second seat being used to create a weapons officer or navigators station in aircraft with originally only a pilot, for example the F-15E Strike Eagle is a development of the F-15D which is a two-seat training version of the F-15 Eagle . In some air forces that have a mix of high- and low-performance aircraft, pilots can be first be assigned to aircraft with a lower level of performance before moving on to
7614-413: The skill required on the part of a Tiger Moth pilot increases. The aircraft will not, like some training aircraft, "fly its way out of trouble" but will instead stall or spin if mishandled. However the stall and spin remain benign, again showing up deficient piloting without endangering the aircraft or the crew. These characteristics were invaluable to military operators, who must identify between pilots with
7708-822: The supersonic Northrop T-38 Talon , Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk , the BAE Hawk , the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet , the Aero L-39 and Aero L-159 , the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master , the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle , the Guizhou JL-9 and the Yakovlev Yak-130 . Effective combat aircraft are a function now of electronics as much as, if not more so than, the aerobatic ability or speed of an aircraft. It
7802-499: The tailplane, known as Mod 11'; later on, the aileron mass balances were removed for improved spin recovery performance. In 1935, the DH.82 Queen Bee , a pilotless , radio-controlled variant of the Tiger Moth, appeared for use in training antiaircraft gunners. Use of the word drone , as a generic term for pilotless aircraft, apparently originated from the name and role of the Queen Bee (i.e.
7896-633: The throttle is reduced. This means that when an engine is running poorly due to ice the pilot must reduce power even further and then wait for the ice to melt. The aircraft is operated by many private individuals and flying clubs. Numerous examples of the Tiger Moth are still flying today (an estimated 250). The number of airworthy Tiger Moths has increased as previously neglected aircraft (or those previously only used for static display in museums) have been restored. A number of aircraft have been preserved as museum displays (amongst others) at the: Privately owned Tiger Moths, type if known, and any history of
7990-551: The time to take its place. Due to the type being inexpensive to operate and the aforementioned factors, the Tiger Moth was met with an enthusiastic reception across the civilian market. Additionally, it was put to use for new roles, including aerial advertising, aerial ambulance, aerobatic performer, crop dusting, and glider tug work. In the air-racing market, Tiger Moths were converted to a single-seat configuration, often temporarily. Several aircraft were extensively modified for greater speed; these changes included alterations such as
8084-400: The wing on the outside of the turn, while the aileron on the inside travels a large amount upwards to counteract adverse yaw . From the outset, the Tiger Moth proved to be an ideal trainer, simple and cheap to own and maintain, although control movements required a positive and sure hand as a slowness to control inputs existed. Some instructors preferred these flight characteristics because of
8178-403: The word drone is a reference to the male bee, which makes one flight in search of the female queen bee and then subsequently dies). The DH.82 had a wooden fuselage, based on that of the DH.60 Gipsy Moth (with appropriate structural changes related to cabane strut placement) and the wings of the Tiger Moth II. Queen Bees retained a normal front cockpit for test-flying or ferry flights , but had
8272-610: Was announced winner of the competition on 2 July 1982, with the USAF placing an order for two prototypes and options for 54 production aircraft. It was planned to build 650 T-46s for the USAF by 1991. The aircraft first flew on 15 October 1985, six months later than originally programmed date of 15 April. Costs had increased significantly during the development process, with the predicted unit cost rising from $ 1.5 million in 1982 to $ 3 million in February 1985. The 1985 Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act mandated spending cuts for
8366-494: Was contracted to perform the flight test evaluations, with test pilot Dick Rutan doing the flying. The scale version was known at Rutan as the Model 73 NGT , this flying on 10 September 1981. One requirement was for the aircraft to be able to go into a spin, but to also have easy recovery from the spin. This was demonstrated using the Model 73 NGT. Fairchild's design, to be designated T-46,
8460-526: Was discovered while it was undergoing trials at RAF Martlesham Heath . As a result of the Martlesham trials, a favourable report for the type was produced, which in turn led to the type soon being formally adopted as the new basic trainer of the Royal Air Force (RAF). A single prototype, designated the DH.82 Tiger Moth, was ordered by the British Air Ministry under Specification 15/31, which sought
8554-583: Was ended; by this point, Morris Motors had completed a total of 3,433 Tiger Moths. Overseas manufacturing of the type commenced in 1937; the first such overseas builder was de Havilland Canada at its facility in Downsview, Ontario . In addition to an initial batch of 25 Tiger Moths that were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian firm began building fuselages, which were exported to
8648-617: Was placed for 50 aircraft powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major I engine (130 hp) which was the DH.82A or to the RAF Tiger Moth II. The Tiger Moth entered service at the RAF Central Flying School in February 1932. During the prewar years, increasing numbers of Tiger Moths were procured for the RAF and by overseas customers; by 1939, nearly 40 flying schools operating the type had been established, nine of which operated civilian-register models, as well. From 1937 onwards,
8742-497: Was sometimes carried, but no record shows one being dropped in action. In the aftermath of Britain's disastrous campaign in France, in August 1940 three proposals for beach defence systems were put forward; 350 Tiger Moths were fitted with bomb racks to serve as light bombers as a part of Operation Banquet . A more radical conversion involved the "paraslasher", a scythe-like blade fitted to
8836-627: Was undertaken. In the United Kingdom, a different training system was used, although it too started out with obsolete aircraft before the Avro 504 and Airco DH.6 became the primary trainers, supplemented until the end of the First World War with obsolete combat aircraft for advanced training. To train the many potential aviators coming from Canada and the US, the Royal Flying Corps Canada was set up, operating Curtiss JN-4 (Can) trainers until
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