Having designed military aeroplanes at the start of his aviation career, Captain Geoffrey de Havilland was anxious to redirect his talents towards civil applications. His opportunity came in 1920 when he was encouraged and funded by his previous employer, George Holt Thomas, to start his own company. Business was slow and the company was on the point of financial collapse when a wealthy young sportsman named Alan Butler appeared on the scene in 1923 and commissioned a three-seat touring biplane. Butler was so impressed with the service provided by the company that he became a major investor and eventually joined the board as Director and Chairman.

The financial security provided by Alan Butler allowed Geoffrey de Havilland to pursue his dream of designing a small civil aeroplane suitable for the man in the street. The result was the DH.60 Moth of 1925 which became a worldwide success. Continued development of the airframe and engine plus an understanding of customers’ requirements led directly to the revolutionary DH.80 Puss Moth in 1929, the first of the practical ‘private owner’ Cabin Moths.

This book covers the story of four of de Havilland’s Cabin Moths: the DH.80 Puss Moth, DH.83 Fox Moth, DH.85 Leopard Moth and DH.87 Hornet Moth, their design, construction, development, marketing and operation. The story starts in the golden age of aviation in the 1930s with personalities such as Amy Johnson, Jim Mollison, Bert Hinkler and Alex Henshaw, long-distance record flights to South Africa, India and Australia, air race successes and the opening of air services in remote areas of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the book continues through World War II and communications duties. We come right up to the present day and thriving Cabin Moth restoration programmes. As is to be expected from a book produced by Air-Britain, extensive histories for each aircraft are included.

Author Stuart McKay is the Founding Secretary of the DH Moth Club and Editor of the quarterly magazine ‘The Moth’. He is also author of a number of books including the definitive histories of the DH.60 Moth and the DH.82 Tiger Moth as well as the story of the 1934 MacRobertson International Air Races from Mildenhall to Melbourne. A lavishly illustrated throughout in colour and black and white with 1,000 photographs and artwork including period brochures and posters.