ZK-ATI de
Havilland D.H.82A Tiger Moth (c/n 82901)
This Tiger has had a varied career. After having been
built at Hatfield and assembled in New
Zealand, it
was inducted into the RNZAF as NZ899. In 1949 it was allocated free to
the
Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club. Air Contracts Ltd of Masterton
acquired it in 1950.
Following a
series of private and club owners it crashed in Landsborough Valley,
South
Westland on 14 February 1968 and was badly damaged. It was
rebuilt and was sold off
to
various other owners until 1976 when it was exported to the USA,
becoming N27WB.
In 1981
it was finally repatriated back to the country of its birth and was
assigned the
(somewhat) "period" registration of G-ALIW (which had previously been
"Not Allotted").
It is currently flying in the U.K., although it had
a landing accident following an undercarriage
structutal failure early in 2005. Presumably it has been
repaired. My blurry shot shows it as
a
topdresser in 1950, whilst Ken Tilley provides the nice image of it
(below) after its arrival
back in
the UK.