Biplanes are cool!
Gary Ritchie and the Tiger Moth
It is not uncommon for a modeler to gravitate to a certain type or era of model airplane. Although some enjoy warbirds, civilian aircraft, or jets, it's clear that Gary Ritchie enjoys biplanes.
In the May 2009 issue of Model Aviation, we ran a story entitled "Romancing the S.E.5a" by Gary, and his model even graced the cover. If you missed it, be sure to visit The Library, an AMA Members Only benefit, that will allow you to peruse the article or the entire issue at your leisure when it launches September 15. A link to The Library is on www.ModelAviation.com.
This month, Gary's beautiful Tiger Moth provides us with yet another cover featuring a classic biplane, along with an informative article about his experiences building and flying a 1/5-scale version of the Tiger Moth XL-716.
My biplane experiences
I, too, have a fondness for biplanes, whether it is the S.E.5a or the Tiger Moth. I have both in my office, ready to fly. An electric-powered, foam GWS Pico Tiger Moth brought me back into modeling roughly 10 years ago.
A couple of years later I flew the World Tour Tiger Moth with a few flying buddies who also had Moths in their hangars. Little did I know back then that the Moth and I would be reunited at the AMA in Muncie, Indiana.
First full-scale biplane flight
I saw my first full-scale Tiger Moth fly at one of the coolest places on earth: Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York. The pilot skillfully maneuvered the aircraft and entertained us all by dropping a roll of toilet paper from the cockpit and then cutting it a few times in midair as it fell.
Virtually all of the aircraft I saw that day were biplanes—primarily those flown in World War I. Not satisfied to merely watch the pilots having all the fun, I bought a ride in an open-cockpit 1929 New Standard D-25 biplane.
If I wasn't hooked on biplanes before, that flight certainly sent me down the path to a solid appreciation of two-winged aircraft.
Still hoping for a Tiger Moth ride
I'm still patiently waiting for the opportunity to take a ride in a full-scale Tiger Moth. I happen to know an RC helicopter pilot in Canada who has access to one; if only I had my passport!
Read more
If you are interested in reading more about me, be sure to check out Jim Graham's "Born to Fly" column in this issue, where I go from interviewer to interviewee.
I hope you enjoy this issue and take time to visit The Library online.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
