DH82a "Professionals"?

[asw28-866]

Hello chaps,
Just an idle thought on a windy day here in Queensland, how many Pilots still earn their daily crust flying a Tiggie? To qualify it would have to make up the majority of your monthly hours.

We run two aeroplanes here, seven days a week with a total of four Pilots, so that get's the ball rolling....

ASW28

[DragonflyDH90]

I spend the majority of my time strapped into a Tiger, mostly joyriding and test stuff.
Also fly several other DH types pre 1945, fly 4 or 5 Tigers on and off.

[vintage ATCO]

Here in the UK the Cambridge Flying Group will teach ab-initio on a Tiger, and there are various operators who do commercial passenger flights in them. However whether this is the majority of the pilots time, I don't know.

I hope you are members of the dH Moth Club www.dhmothclub.co.uk :D I'm one of the organisers of the Woburn Moth Rally :D:D:D

[DragonflyDH90]

Sorry to deviate from the thread.

Ill see you at Woburn Vintage ATCO, Ill be waving the flag for NZ.

[shed loads]

Well, whilst not "professional" in the sense of living off of the proceeds. I am known to continue the noble arts of Tiger Moth instructing and also, but elsewhere, the noble arts of commercial AOC work on the also irreplaceable DH89A Dragon Rapide.

In fact the last few pages of my log book look more like the 1930's than the 21st century!

[asw28-866]

In answer to the above...

1) Yes we are members of the Moth Club, used to own half of G-ADGT in the UK, believed to be 4th oldest still flying.

2) My logbook also looks like a throwback to the halcyon 30's. Last page is full of three tigers and a ryan.

I am guessing that there are maybe 100-200 pilots worldwide who derive most of their time from flying Tigers? I know of 7 right here in Queensland!

As an aside, I wondor who has the most Moths in their logbook?

I have 11.

regards

ASW28

[Dixons Cider]

My first paid flying job was in a Tiger, in a beautiful part of the world - loved every minute of it.

Sometimes wonder now as I sit at 35000 watching the numbers count down, why I was in such a hurry to move onto supposedly "bigger and better"stuff.

I think in this game its a matter of being able to find that personal balance between income, satisfaction and lifestyle. As with every balance, there are compromises to me made, but if you guys on Tigers and DH's finest have genuinely found it - then I really do envy you.

Good onya

[Snakecharmer]

Spent much of 2000-2004 in the Tiger... couldn't ever claimed to have earned my crust in it, but it made a nice contribution. Wasn't even the most hours, but the Tiger certainly accounted for the most individual flights over the period, owing to the voucher companies' tendency to sell 20 minute trips!

Pity that, now I am available to do it full time, the operator I was flying for has chosen not to operate this year. Looks like I'll have to find a more modern aeroplane to fly... maybe one from the 1950s... I know just the machine!