VH-BDF de Havilland D.H.82A Tiger Moth
(c/n 82776/T201)
The only shot I have been able to glean
of this Tiger is from the John Patterson collection and was
taken by Noel
Parsons following its crash near Armidale, NSW on 31 January
1963. The aircraft
was owned by
Airfarm Associates of Tamworth at the time, and Noel was a long-time
loader driver
for the company who was at the dusting site and recalls the event for
us:-.
"Airfarm's Tigers VH-BDF and VH-BUM were spreading seed at Dangarsleigh
a little south-
east of
Armidale. The pilot of –BDF, Len Chambers, a new pilot, was under the
guidance of
Stuart
Brackley the pilot of –BUM. Obviously he couldn’t watch
his every move and –BDF
landed a bit short after one of its runs and went through a fence at
the end of the strip. Fortunately
the fence was old and fell down when hit, otherwise the damage would
have been much worse”.
The aircraft was stripped down, placed
on a truck, and Noel drove it back to Tamworth for repairs.
It
was eventually finally written off in another crash at Inverell, NSW on
1 May 1966. Such was the
lot of aggie
Tigers.