VH-BLH    de Havilland D.H.82A Tiger Moth     (c/n   981)


                           

                               This Tiger was one of several operated by Kingsford Smith Aviation Services at Bankstown, NSW
                               in the early 1950s.   Fuselage and rego was a mid blue, wings and tail were silver.   Geoff Goodall
                               took a photo of it in 1954 (below) when it was flying with Cove Air out of Kangaroo island, S.A.
                               VH-BLH was sold in the USA in 1966 becoming N87677.   In August 1980 it departed on a local
                               flight from Oxnard Airport,  landed at Santa Paula (a 1940s style airport I know well), and then stalled
                               in at Oak View, California whilst doing aerobatics,  killing the pilot and passenger.  The aircraft was
                              destroyed.   Even Tigers can kill if they are not flown correctly.