De Havilland Swallow Moth

The de Havilland DH.81 Swallow Moth was a single-engined two-seat low-wing monoplane aimed at the low-cost sporting aircraft market during the Great Depression, and only one was built. It was a cantilever monoplane with a plywood-covered fuselage and a closely cowled 80 hp Gipsy IV inline engine that gave it a very clean look, with separate tandem seating that was first open and later enclosed under a hinged cabin top, a form known as the DH.81A that added about 12 mph to the top speed. Geoffrey de Havilland first flew it at Stag Lane Aerodrome on 21 August 1931, and testing continued into February 1932. It was allocated the class B marking E-7 but never reached the civil register. Its design influenced later de Havilland aircraft, particularly the 1938 Moth Minor.