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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0247.PDF
FLIGHT, MARCH 18, 1932 D. H. "Fox Moth ;; A New Economical 4-5 Seater with 120'h.p. Gipsy III Engine e ARRYING pilot and, for short flights, four passen gers on a single " Gipsy III " engine of 120 h.p. must be regarded as very economical flying indeed. The new de Havilland " Fox Moth " does this, although normally it is intended for pilot and three passen gers, with which load the machine carries fuel for a flight of some 360 miles. Add to this that the new machine will be marketed at less than £1,000, and it will be seen that the day of cheap flying is not as far away as many appear to think. The " Fox Moth " owes its inception very largely to Mr. Hagg, Chief Designer of the de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd., whose few spare moments are often spent in yachting. Getting to and from the coast quickly, and en famille, has been a very real problem, but with the " Fox Moth " it disappears. Mr. Hagg is himself a pilot, and the little cabin has accommodation for the rest of the Hagg familj* and the considerable quantities of lug gage, etc., which the week-end cruiser needs to take with him. If the machine so admirably meets the requirements of its designer it will meet those of numerous other family men, for whom the " Puss Moth " just falls short of the de sired seating capacity. As a joy riding machine the '' Fox Moth '' should become ex tremely popular because, by carry ing a smaller quantity of fuel than standard, it will take up four pay ing passengers. The accommoda tion is not, in that case, luxurious. In fact, it is, as far as the front seats are concerned, rather cramped, but as joy ride flights are usually of very short duration, this should not be really important, and the economy of the machine is such that its operation should net a very substantial profit. Yet another form in which the " Fox Moth " will have much to recommend it is as the private machine of the man or woman who employs a professional pilot. If real comfort is desired, it can be provided by having but two seats in the cabin, these of the armchair variety, and so placed as to give very ample leg room. With its cabin stripped, the " Fox Moth " should be a most economical carrier of freight and mails on routes where the volume of traffic is not large enough to justify the operation of a larger and more powerful machine, and finally with three seats and the full amount of fuel the machine should be well suited for air taxy work. From the foregoing it will be realised that in the " Fox Moth " the de Havilland Aircraft Company have produced a machine with a great variety of uses, and as it has been found possible to get the production cost down to a very low figure, the machine can be marketed at £995, which must be considered very good value indeed, in whatever form the machine is used. Getting the Cost Down The question will naturally be asked: How has it been TWO VIEWS OF THE " FOX MOTH " : In spite of cabin accommodation for three passengers, the fuselage is by no means bulky. (FLIGHT Photos.) 231 B 2
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