What is it? May, 2012

[cliff strachan]

Congratulations Will. I must admit that I was mostly guessing. Mark indeed did provide a challenge but, like yourself, I looked into the few sources concerning DH Moths that I've got and really found nothing. And myself a past owner of a Tiger Moth! Good grief! How the years go by.
In the meantime addressing this primarily to Mark who has expressed a longtime interest in Moths or rather DH aircraft, could you please provide us with the essential difference between the Moth Three and the Puss Moth.
Cliff

[Mark Braunlich]

Cliff,

I believe the Moth Three was just an early name for the Puss Moth.  DH had been naming their Moths by engine type, Cirrus Moth, Hermes Moth, Gipsy Moth, Genet Moth etc.   The new monoplane also had a Gipsy engine so that naming scheme couldn't continue.  Certainly the prototype D.H.80 with wooden fuselage didn't carry any name and possibly that situation carried over into the early production D.H.80a with welded steel tube fuselage.   Perhaps the press came up with Moth Three to differentiate it from the older D.H.60 Moth series, the Three signifying it as a three seater.  I only really know of it being called the Moth Three in the Flight article of early 1930 which introduced the new model to the public.   We do know the new type was called Puss Moth by the time of the fourth production machine (CF-AGO, which came to Canada as a co. demonstrator).  As far as differences, I only know the very earliest examples had a smaller vertical tail.  How long the small vertical tail remained in production, I don't know.

[cliff strachan]

Thanks Mark. That is really enlightening because, primarily, I would like to do a Puss Moth but as yet the only plans I have - and those that I believe you referred to - was from Flight. They are as you know  very detailed 3views.
But whether or not they are, at least in part, an accurate representation of the Puss Moth is not known. However, to this point they are the best that I have been able to come up with.
Cliff.
Mark, you are indeed a great source of info on De Havilland aircraft. Your  knowledge in this area is such that I may call upon you again sometime if you don't mind.

[lastvautour]

http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints-depot/ww2planes/ww2-de-havilland/de-havilland-dh-80-puss-moth.png

[Mark Braunlich]

Cliff, in my opinion the Flight 3-view is quite good and probably more than enough for solid model purposes.  You can access the Flight files thru this link:  http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/1930.html   Type in "Moth Three" and run a search to find pages of detail.

[cliff strachan]

Thanks Lou for the 3views of the Puss Moth. Now, and even though I shouldn't be even yet thinking of building, the problem of scale presents itself again.
Cliff.

[cliff strachan]

Mark. Thanks very much for that site. It's extremly informative and one that I think all members will gain from.
Cliff.