By
Alan Graham & Cliff Robinson
This aircraft
was part of UK production and supplied to Australia under
the Empire Air Training Scheme in 1940.
Sold to various private owners after the war, it was used
for fish spotting off the WA coast until 1952 when it was
fitted with crop spraying equipment. Sometime around 1960
it was fitted with a mandatory roll-over truss to protect
the pilot in the event of a crash. It continued flying in
this configuration until being badly damaged in 1963 in
a storm. Donated to RAAFA in Perth, it was rebuilt in 1988
at the Bull Creek museum.
As the museum already held another historically significant
Tiger Moth, they offered it for sale together with some
other items. These were purchased by Greg Ackman in September
2007 and the Tiger Moth loaned to the QAM until in May 2009
when it was formally donated to the QAM.
On 22nd October 2007, Cliff Robinson and Alan Graham flew
to Perth on flight QF767 arriving at 22:50 hrs. We had taken
with us minimal tools as the people at Bull Creek had kindly
offered us the use of their equipment. Greg Ackman had recommended
that we stay at the Glendale Lodge in Riverdale so Alan
booked us in and also paid for a Avis rental car for our
time in Perth as the lodge was 20km from Bull Creek. On
our arrival on site on 23rd October we found that the aircraft
was already partially dismantled and needed only to have
the engine and mounts removed prior to our packing it into
a 40 foot container and securely strapping it in. The wings
were carried vertically on their leading edges in borrowed
divider nests provided by Bull Creek with the engine being
securely strapped to the floor. This was all completed by
the morning of the 25th October. Cliff and Alan flew back
later that day on flight QF592 from Perth to Adelaide and
then QF656 from Adelaide to Brisbane arriving back into
Brisbane at 22:00 hrs.
Once loading was completed on 25th October, the container
was despatched, and reached Caloundra via road only seven
days later on 1st November 2007.
In the following week, the basic reassembly of the Tiger
was completed and the aircraft was then installed in Hangar
1.
Of note though whilst at Bull Creek we noticed that the
KS-3 Wackett Cropmaster was stored in their underground
carpark strapped up against a concrete wall. This aircraft
was some time later also acquired by Greg Ackman and donated
to the QAM in June 2011.
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