Most active Australian Moths were impressed into the RAAF at the start of World War II but not VH-UIF. It may have been in poor condition because its CoA lapsed in 1941 and it was kept in storage. Plans to rebuild VH-UIF postwar came to nothing and it cancelled from the register in 1947. Photo from: State Library of New South Wales

The photo is catalogued as taken at John Wren aerodrome in the Watut River Valley. Googling the name John Wren, either as an aerodrome or a person, does not come up in the context of Papua New Guinea except with this photo. The name is not in the book Wings of Gold, which is about this period in PNG aviation. The Watut Valley was an area where gold was being sought and G-AUHJ was operated by Airgold. The Moth crashed at Bulolo, another hub of gold mining activity, on October 7, 1930 while still registered as G-AUHJ. Photo from: State Library of Victoria

VH-UJN was brought to the Northern Territory by Arnhem Land Gold Development Co before being loaned to pioneering local flying doctor Clyde Fenton. After an accident in January 1936, it was taken to Sydney for rebuilding and remained based there until impressed by the RAAF in 1940. Photo from: State Library of New South Wales

VH-UGJ flying over Sydney Harbour. It crashed in 1940. Photo from: State Library of New South Wales

VH-UMR was part of the first Central Australian Gold Expedition in search of Lasseter's Reef, which was a rich vein of gold that Harold Lasseter claimed to have found in the desert. No gold was found and Lasseter would perish alone in the desert after the rest of the expedition quit the search. The photo of VH-UMR may be at Alice Springs Townsite aerodrome or at Ilbpilla Soak, the advanced search base, where it crashed on August 9, 1930. Repaired, UMR was sold in New Zealand in 1934 as ZK-ADF. Photo from: State Library of New South Wales

The library says this photo is at Bathurst, NSW. But Bathurst did not have an aerodrome until 1938 while the photo is 1930. Tail number means an aerial derby but there are no reports of one of these well-publicised events at Bathurst. It got down to two events - the 1930 aero club aerial derby at Hargrave Air Park in September 1930 or an air pageant at Mascot (now Sydney) airport in November 1930. Study of the background and other photos of the event and from that era, this is Mascot airport. Photo from: State Library of New South Wales

You don't see this every day...G-AUAE is 100 years old in 2025. It was the first D.H.60 Moth to be exported from the UK, and the first of many to be imported into Australia. Re-registered VH-UAE in 1929, this un-airworthy fuselage was left over from a 1980s rebuild and is preserved as a non-flying relic. In the background is the 'new' VH-UAE, rebuilt from the airworthy parts and carrying on this identity as the longest-registered, still flying aircraft in Australia. See my detailed histories on other images of each aircraft.

All is not what it seems! This aircraft started life as a D.H.82A Tiger Moth in 1940 for the RAAF as A17-142. Civil registered as VH-BAR on 24 Feb 1947, it changed to VH-BJI a year later, on 22 Nov 1948. De-registered in 1955, it has been resurrected as a straight-wing D.H.60MIII Moth Major in accordance with DH design drawings uncovered by Stanfield Smith in NZ. De Havilland designed but did not build this model, however the metal tube fuselage designed for the D.H.60MIII became the D.H.82 Tiger Moth. Re-registered VH-UUX(4) on 27 Jun 2019.

This historic aircraft is 100 years old in 2025. It was the first D.H.60 Moth to be exported from the UK, and the first of many to be imported into Australia. It was registered to the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of Defence as G-AUAE on 5 November 1925, the first of at least 36 Moths loaned to the Aero Club movement to support pilot and engineer training. Re-registered VH-UAE in 1929 and impressed into the RAAF as A7-88 during the Second World War. This un-airworthy fuselage was left over from a 1980s rebuild and is preserved as a non-flying relic. It's recently gained a nose-bowl.

The oldest airworthy aeroplane in Australia, this was also the first Moth to be exported from the UK, being first registered in Australia as G-AUAE on 5 November 1925 to the Civil Aviation Branch, Department of Defence. It was re-registered as VH-UAE in 1930. In later years it was re-built to D.H.60G standard, with a Gipsy engine in place of the original Cirrus, and is preserved in immaculate condition today at Walcha, NSW.

Photo by: Aarne Pietinen / Finnish Heritage Agency

Later OH-ILD, MO-103, OH-ILD and VH-SSC. Photo from: Finnish Heritage Agency

An interesting way of presenting two paint schemes on one plane - on the left (in the photo) in Republican colors, on the right - in Nationalist ones.

This historic aircraft is 100 years old in 2025. It was the first D.H.60 Moth to be exported from the UK, and the first of many to be imported into Australia. It was registered to the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of Defence as G-AUAE on 5 November 1925, the first of at least 36 Moths loaned to the Aero Club movement to support pilot and engineer training. Re-registered VH-UAE in 1929 and impressed into the RAAF as A7-88 during the Second World War. This un-airworthy fuselage was left over from a 1980s rebuild and is preserved as a non-flying relic.

This historic aircraft is 100 years old in 2025. It was the first D.H.60 Moth to be exported from the UK, and the first of many to be imported into Australia. It was registered to the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of Defence as G-AUAE on 5 November 1925, the first of at least 36 Moths loaned to the Aero Club movement to support pilot and engineer training. Re-registered VH-UAE in 1929 and impressed into the RAAF as A7-88 during the Second World War. This un-airworthy fuselage was left over from a 1980s rebuild and is preserved as a non-flying relic.

Built 1930. Ex CH 217, HB-OKI. Allocated retro registration G-ABEV 10 March 1977. Cancelled -2 January 1981 on sale in the USA as N4203E. Cancelled from the USCAR 30 July 1981 on export to the UK and restored as G-ABEV -5 August 1981. Still registered March 2025 but with Permit expired 15 May 2009.

Built 1929. Ex NC585M. Cancelled -9 May 1980 on export to the UK, where it had been registered G-AAMY -2 May 1980. Cancelled 24 December 2014 on transfer to Kenya, where it became 5Y-CFH in 2015.

Unknown photographer

Showing signs of a serious leak from the fuel sight gauge. Current in 2025.

A 'No Flight Declaration' was made in November 2023