Two 1930s cabin de Havillands arrived recently at Lavenham airfield near Sudbury, Suffolk, after being imported from Australasia. The rarer of the pair is DH85 Leopard Moth G-APKH, which has been acquired by Duxford-based Dragon Rapide and Hornet Moth owner Mark Miller. Previously under restoration with Southair at Taieri airfield, on the south-east coast of New Zealand's South Island, this Leopard was a regular attendee at the DH Moth Club's Woburn rallies between 1980 and 2002. G-APKH last flew in Switzerland in March 2003 and emigrated to New Zealand with her then owners. The 'PKH registration is a very late allocation for a Leopard, the aeroplane having been built up at White Waltham from parts of two aircraft by Peter Franklin between 1957 and 1963, but the fuselage originated from G-ACGS, the second production Leopard Moth. It was registered to Gordon Selfridge Jr of department store fame on 14 June 1933, the last two letters signifying an early example of the 'personalised' registration.
展开▼
