De Havilland DH82a Mk II VH-CAG was one of six Tiger Moths acquired by the Department of Civil Aviation after the war as communications aircraft. It was built by De Havilland Australia at Bankstown, NSW, in 1941 (c/n 596/T200) and was taken on RAAF charge on 4 October 1941 as A17-421.

After the war it was acquired by DCA from RAAF stock and converted for civil use with a raked-forward undercarriage which permitted the use of a tailwheel and wheel brakes. It was registered to DCA as VH-AZL on 26 June 1947. At the time of its initial conversion, or shortly afterwards, it was fitted with a canopy of a style developed by De Havilland Canada.

Following a change of policy, VH-AZL was re-registered in DCA’s block as VH-CAG on 4 May 1949. It was allocated to DCA's Western Australia Region and it is seen here following an argument with a tree and then the boundary fence at Perth's old Maylands Airport. Note the DCA 'wings' badge on the fin, which was different to the normal flying unit badge applied to other DCA aircraft. The aircraft also carries a VHF radio antenna behind the canopy - one of the earliest such radio installations in Australian light aircraft.

Click here to read a newspaper article about the use of VH-CAG by DCA to test prospective aerial agriculture pilots.

The aircraft was sold to the Gliding Association of Western Australia on 5 April 1960 for £450 and re-registered as VH-TUG on 7 July. Click here to read more about the aircraft's later history.

(Photo: Reg Adkins collection)

Back to Departmental Aircraft index page

If this page appears without menu bars at top or left, click here