By Jeff Seaborn, EAA 793688, Canadian Council and Chapters Council Board Member
Someone asked, “Are there any older aircraft in Canada than Geoff Pritchard’s 1930 Fleet Model 2?” Not to discredit Geoff’s gorgeous plane, but I know of at least one.
Here are a couple of photos.
The first was taken October 1, 2014, when Geoff stopped by our airfield to visit my dad and his 1929 Gipsy Moth (DH60M CF-ADU). It’s not every day you see such a pair. Unfortunately, they didn’t take to the air together. The Gipsy hadn’t made its first post-restoration flight yet. That happened a couple of weeks later on October 17.
The last photo was taken on the Moth’s maiden post-restoration flight. CF-ADU (c/n 1314) was built at Stag Lane in England in 1929 and shipped to de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. It then spent its flying career in and around Calgary before being withdrawn from use in 1935, sitting for close to 80 years before flying again.
This article is featured in Bits and Pieces, EAA’s newsletter for builders and aviators in Canada. Subscribe here >>