Recreating the de Havilland Tiger Moth

Ride along on a Microsoft Flight Simulator journey through history in the first airplane that most British pilots in WWII learned to fly.

Patrick Chovanec

Monday, May 06, 2024 at 04:49 PM ET

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The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth, recreated in 'Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.' [Courtesy: Patrick Chovanec]

Key Takeaways:

The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth was the primary trainer for thousands of Allied pilots during World War II, specifically designed for this role and known for being "easy to fly, but difficult to master."
It was central to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), which decentralized pilot training to safer, vast territories like Canada and Australia, providing Allied airmen with a crucial advantage in flight hours.
The Tiger Moth's design included features like dual controls and easy bailout access, and its forgiving yet challenging flight characteristics made it ideal for skill development and recovering from mistakes.
Beyond training, the Tiger Moth innovated as the "Queen Bee," the world's first remote-controlled drone aircraft, used for anti-aircraft gunnery practice.

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Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, I’m flying the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth, the airplane that trained thousands of pilots from across the British Empire to take to the air in World War II.

Born in 1882, Geoffrey de Havilland was the second son of a village pastor. At an early age, he displayed a mechanical interest and pursued a career as an automotive engineer, building cars and motorcycles. Frustrated at work, in 1909 he received a gift of 1,000 pounds from his grandfather to build his first airplane, just a few years after the Wright brothers had made their first flight.