Among the many highlights planned for Marlborough Lines Classic Fighters 2025 will be a formation flypast of no fewer than seven de Havilland classics! Tiger Moths, a DH60 Gipsy Moth and a DHC-1 Chipmunk will fly in from all around the country to take part.
In what is essentially a salute to the often unsung heroes of the air forces of the UK and its Commonwealth, the public will experience what was once a common sight in New Zealand skies during the 1930s-40s as young would-be pilots put down their pencils and underwent practical flight training with a view to move on to more high-performance machines.
The Tiger Moth is, of course, the most iconic biplane of the era. It was the only Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft built in the country at a factory in Rongotai, Wellington, in 1939. The Gipsy Moth is a type best known for long-distance flights by such famous pilots as Jean Batten and Amy Johnson.
The ‘Chippie’ was the first indigenous aircraft designed by de Havilland Canada, a subsidiary of de Havilland UK. Appearing post-war to take over the training duties of the now weary Tiger Moths, none served operationally in New Zealand, but several fly in the country today. They have proved to be a popular touring aircraft, and as you will witness at CF2025, they are fully aerobatic.
