OK, a couple of answers, thoughts.
The RAAF Museum has a US supplier of RAAF camouflage paint colours, and FS numbers for them, as used on the RAAF Museum's Tiger.
There seems to have been some Australian Tigers in Foliage Green (as per the example I posted in the main Hangar, and the example representing A17-489)
but loaned to US units and with US Star & Bar - that would be very different, and of US interest, IMHO! I've not been shown /found photos yet, but I'll keep on it.
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Our Moth has a single exhaust poking out the right cowl panel. I see yours have the four downpipes. Was one setup particular to one air force?
See below - but yours is good.
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Who had strakes and who didn't? This will be good to know.
See below, again. Basically only British examples had them, but once introduced, ALL British eamples had to have them. (Incidentally, the Dutch insisted on a different fin design, of a long triangle, which looked awful and no-one else thought necassary. There's now one flyer in Holland left with it on, I believe.)
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Any structural differences between various nations' Moths would be good to know.
The only structural difference was the Queen Bee's wooden Moth Major fuselage. The rest are bolt on/off variations, albeit of major components.
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Also if anyone knows anything mechanical that we need to be aware of or look out for, please let us know. I'm planning on going down there next weekend to look it over closely and maybe photograph parts of it.
I assked our Tiger-maintaining Techos. The answer to 'anything in particular to watch out for?' apparently is 'Anything with de Havilland on it'.
More seriously, joining the de Havilland Moth Club and getting a complete list of the tech orders from de Havilland Support is sensible - basically vital, I'm told. (In the US the certification process essential exempts you from having to get the right documentation, and getting to the current mod-state but elsewhere, you need it - ergo you need to be in contact with DHS.) You could do without, but it's the hard way, and is risky that you might miss something. de Havilland Support are there to ensure your Tiger is 'safe', current and right.
www.dhmothclub.co.uk - And this gives a very good idea of what the Club's about:
http://www.dhmothclub.co.uk/article.html de Havilland Support:
http://www.dhsupport.com/
Tiger variations.
I'm no expert, and I've not yet found a good short summary as to the differences between types. However, here's a start. I may be wrong, corrections welcome. Part of the problem is that the Tiger is made up on main components that can be bolted together, erector-set or Meccano style and this it's all-too-easy to change a Tiger from one version to another.
DH-82
With the 120hp Gipsy III engine Sometimes known as the Tiger Moth I in RAF use.
DH-82A
As above but with the Gipsy Major engine, officially the Tiger Moth II in RAF use, but rarely seen or heard - AFAIK, the II supplanted the few I and so the numeral was generally ignored, they being assumed to be DH82As. Early British Tigers did not have anti-spin strakes fitted but when brought in they were a mandatory fitment. Later British Tigers had the ply leading edges fitted, this ply was standard on Australian production from the start.
DH-82B
The Queen Bee. This had a WOODEN Moth Major type fuselage with the rest of the Tiger components and also remote control gear fitted, filling the rear cockpit. Mostly flown with floats fired from a catapult. There's an airworthy example (without the RC gear, IIRC) and a non flyer at the DH Heritage Museum with the gear fitted.
DH-82C
Canadian version. 145 Gipsy 1C engine, metal wing struts, and often (not always?) fitted with a Perspex canopy, heating (and longer exhaust pipe), and wheel brakes. No anti-spin strakes. Some (136?) fitted with the 120 hp Menasco Pirate engine. Also two part engine cowling (rather than three), slightly forward raked undercarriage (gear) to counter the brakes+trainee effect, a different instrument panel, tailwheel rather than skid, trim-tabs on the both tailplanes (horiz stab) rather than the one spring-loaded one. Wooden or metal skis could added where required.
Australian-built Tiger Moths
General Motors Holden built Gipsy engine. No anti-spin strakes, but ply leading edges fitted. Dust filter on the carb-air intake, and a metal strap-retained oil tank, rather than the bolted on version on British production. The four direct exhaust pipes seems to be a postwar Aussie variation, rather than the one 'siamesed' long pipe seen generally on wartime Aussie and British examples.
I
think that's all correct!
And a couple of spelling points to impress and retain credibility with the Tiger troops: It's 'G
ipsy', and there's a space, no capital 'd' but capital 'H': 'de Havilland', but 'DH' is the correct abbreviation.
Cheers,
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G'day James,