De Havilland Chipmunk
Designed as a replacement for the Tiger Moth; this new trainer was built entirely from metal, promising greater durability and reduced maintenance compared to its fabric-and-wood predecessor.
A huge technological leap forward, the Chipmunk featured a single wing, a closed cockpit, and a more powerful engine, as well as more complex systems than the Tiger Moth.
The prototype first flew on May 22, 1946, quickly becoming the preferred primary trainer in both Canada and the UK .
De Havilland established three lines of production, one in each of Canada, the UK, and Portugal. Although each production line had minor design variations, all were highly successful, resulting in the aircraft becoming the primary trainer for thousands of pilots around the world for years to come. Incredibly, the Chipmunk remained in service with the RAF for 47 years, retiring in 1996.
CHIPMUNK WP861 and The Queens Flight
Built in the UK in 1952, WP861 was delivered to a small unit of the Home Command based at White Waltham where it was used as one of two Chipmunks for HRH Prince Philip's flight training.
WP861 was the first aircraft Prince Philip flew during his initial flight training and the one he completed his basic stage flight test in.
He flew 16 hours 35 minutes in this very aircraft, and in a private letter on 2nd August, 1977 to the then new owner said;
“I was interested to see that you have acquired Chipmunk WP 861. I hope it has not suffered too much from the 16 hours 35 minutes it was more or less under my control some 24 years ago. I hope it gives you many happy hours in the air.”
WP861 had a long and varied service life, passing through several units in the Royal Air Force before spending the majority of her time with the University of London Air Squadron. Her last service flight took place in 1972, after which she was put into storage.
In 1975, she was sold by tender to Rust in the USA, who imported several Chipmunks to the country. The aircraft remained in storage for a period of time before being returned to flight, registered as N67273, changing to N861WP later to reflect the history she had with the Royal Air Force.
In 2004, WP861 was imported to New Zealand and operated by the Old Stick and Rudder Company before being purchased by Bevan Dewes in 2012. The aircraft became the foundation of our collection, and has continued to grace the skies of Masterton until today
Unfortunately, at present, WP861 is not available for rides, however we are working toward having her available in the future.