History

History While In England

Constructed 1938 by the De Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd., Hatfield as N6539 Delivered to No.5 M.U R.A.F. Kemble 23-I-39. Released to No.32 E.R.F.T.S. R.A.F. West Hartlepool I2-4-39, to No.I E.F.T.S. R.A.F. Hatfield I5-10-39, to (No. 43 Group R.A.F. Hendon -IO-4I)?, to No.IO M.U. R.A.F. Hullavington I2-I2-4I. Released to Station Flight R.N.A.S. Gosport 2-5-42, involved in a flying accident 7-I2-42, repaired and delivered to No.48 M.U. R.A.F. Harwarden 8-2-43. Released to No.IO Flying Instructor's School R.A.F. Woodley 26-6-43 to No. 8 E.F.T.S. R.A.F.  Woodley - - (re-named No8 R.F.S. 26-6-47, to No. I3 R.F.S.? 25-8-48, to No.I I R.F.S.R.A.F.Perth I6-4-69,to Station Flight R.A.F. Binbrook I9-I-5I, Registered 7I52M 4-IO-54 and delivered to No.24I A.T.C Squadron North Weald and Barking I4-2-58, later moving -- to R.A.F Hornchurch named "George the Gremlin." Sold - IO-64, to W.Verling and D.O.Wallis, R.A.F. Tangmere.
Registered G-ASXB 6-IO-64, to W.Verling and D.O.Wallis, R.A.F Tangmere.
Stored uncoverted at R.A.F. Tangmere until 1966.
C. of A. issued 21-4-66
Later moving to R.A.F. Debden --72, returning to R.A.F. Tangmere --.
G.W.Bisshop, R.A.F. Swanton Morley - 7-3-75
Later moving -- 76, returing to R.A.F. Swanton Morley --. Moved - 2-80 to R.A.F. Odiham.Withdrawn from use 2-5-79 at R.A.F. Swanton Morley. Moved -- to R.A.F. Brize Norton
Sold -- 85, to B.Borsberry

Biography on Ed Clark (Re-builder of Engine)

"Affectionately known as Mr. Moth, Ed Clark had a passion for de Havilland biplanes. He adored his wife, he loved his family and friends, and he loved life..."

With more than 25 years of machinist experience and 12 years of having his own tool and grinding shop, in 1970, Ed Clark opened his doors as the Moth Aircraft Company, in Hawthorne, California. Specializing in rebuilding antique aircraft engines and airframes, his major business interests are with creations of de Havilland. A tour through his shop shows the many tools and machines he uses to rebuild the Gipsy Major engines. Whether it be line boring the new main bearing that he just babbitted, or balancing a set of Gipsy Major pistons, Ed is too particular to trust others with his reputation, so he does it all himself. He even has a test stand to run-in the Gipsy Major engines, complete with gauges, oil tank and a pair of Tiger Moth engine mounts.

Born in Glendale, California, on 28 October 1921, one of five children, Ed's early interest in flying started by building kites. By the age of 14 he had won 16 awards including seven first place, one first premium award at the Los Angeles County Fair in 1936, and the Outdoor Boy Magazine kite contest '$10.00 Award' for his beautiful kite shaped like a Boy Scouts' First Class badge.

As his interest in aeroplanes grew, Ed was able to pay for flying lessons by irrigating walnut trees and cleaning chicken cops while he was still in High School. His primary training at Van Nuys Metropolitan Airport was in Porterfield, an Interstate Cadet and a J-5 Travel Air.

After High School, Ed became a tool and die maker for the Kelman Electric Company in downtown Los Angeles, until one day Uncle Sam's finger pointed hi way.

On 16 February 1943, Ed joined the 462 Air Service Squandron as an aircraft mechanic. He served in England, France and Germany keeping the Squandron's P-47s flying and took advantage of every opportunity to fly. He remembers best the time he flew under the Eiffel Tower in a J3 Cub which he and his buddies had assembled from wrecked parts. Some time after this flight, the French authorities installed a large diameter cable strung from the ground up through the centre of the tower, intending to discourage similar flights.

At the end of the war, Ed returned to his job at Kelman Electric where he continued at his machinist's trade. In 1946, Ed spotted a part of an old aeroplane sticking out of an open barn. After many trips and inquiries, Ed became the proud owner of Gipsy Moth NC236K for only $60.00. While it was not exactly ready for the air show circuit, Ed had ideas. With the help of a local trade school, Cal Aero Technical Institute, and three years of hard work, a beautiful Moth made its first flight from Grand Central Airport, Glendale, California, in early 1951.

Air shows and aviation gatherings followed and in 1955 Ed and his Moth made their movie debut in Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Cops. Ed and his friend Hank Coffin took turns flying the Moth until one hot day over Kellogg Hill in Pomona, California, with Hank at the controls, a telephone pole guy-wire won a duel with the Moth and completely tore off the right wings! No one was injured in the mishap but Ed had to come up with another Moth to finish the movie. There came word of a Moth that was dismantled in Stockton, California, and Ed purchased her with insurance payout for $750.00. Using the engine from his wrecked Moth and investing many hours of continuous work, NC916M was to become the next star of many movies: I've Been There Before, produced in 1956; The Spirit of St. Louis, 1957; The Tarnished Angels, 1958; a television series called Camp Runamuck; A Guide for the Married Man, 1957; television commercials for Dodge; and finally a television series called The Bear Cats in 1971.

Connie Clark remembers Ed was flying NC916M low over the tree-tops during filming with a cast member hidden in the front cockpit when we hit a downdraft from helicopter rotor blades. He put the stick forward and applied full throttle but there was still no lift as he neared the ravine, so he pushed on a rudder pedal and hit on the wing tips which probably saved the lives of both the occupants.

Connie continues: 'Ed had bought back the wreckage of NC136K. He also drove past Balboni's yard every day going to and from work and would stop off to look for Moth parts. NC919M, the Gipsy Moth that hit a boulder at Monrovia Airport before Ed bought it, was one of his finds. Along with NC236K, NC919M, and N916M, Ed had collected enough parts to restore five Gipsy Moths.'

With his air show, movie and television flying, by 1979 Ed had over 2,000 hours in a Gipsy Moth alone! His air show activities had for years included his friend Ralph Wiggins climbing out on the wing, flying by the crowd at 300ft, and allowing his parachute to open and pull him off the wing.

Connie Clark again: 'NC236K was completed several years ago and is now fling out of French Valley Airport. The owner was told that he has Ed's first registration number. NC919M did take about five decades to restore but is flying in Pennsykvania as NC919GM. There are still left three Gipsy Moths with all the necessary parts including engines, not rebuilt.'

The following are the final words of Don Noonan as written in 1979, but which, still appropriate, could easily have been penned at the beginning of this year.

Even though Ed is extremely busy, working ten hours a day to try and catch up with his backlog of work, he is always anxious to have a visitor and share his vast technical knowledge. His enthusiasm, flying abilities and willingness to help others has prompted many flyers to enjoy the thrill of owning a Moth. All of us who have been so influenced say gratefully: 'Thank You Ed!'

I forgot when I first met Ed, but it was sometime in the middle of the last century at the Torrance Airport open house. Clete Roberts was there and Ed, in his leather helmet and goggles was attired in Twenties style in breeches, boots and a long scarf made of parachute silk. I was taking pictures of the two of them beside Ed's Moth when somebody hollered: 'Hey, there's Roscoe Turner!'

Ed did look a lot like Roscoe Turner, right down to the waxed moustache, and it was not an affectation. Ed had his own engaging persona, and his own colourful manner of speaking. Like Prancho Barnes, whom he knew, he could be marvelously profane. Ed could make Howard Stern blush. He would also be persuasive without being intimidating.

Ed grew up in Los Angeles and hung around the many little airports that existed within the city limits, of which there were fifty or more at that time. Arrigo Balboni, 'the Flying Junkman,' had one on the banks of the Los Angeles River, near the intersection of Fletcher and Riverside Drive, until a flood washed it out in 1938. The Junkyard, situated on higher ground, survived and was later moved to Ontario. It was like a museum; Balboni had the remains of many historic aircraft, including the wreckage of Cecil Allen's Gee Bee, and countless relics from the First World War. Ed bought his first aeroplane from Balboni shortly before the celebrated junkman was killed in a car accident in 1947. The Moth was NC236K and Ed paid $60 for it.

Ed had an affinity for Moths from early on. He owned several and the upshot of that was a sideline career as a movie stunt pilot. This necessitated his getting a commercial pilots' license and joining the Motion Picture Pilots' Association. I forgot how many film credits Ed earned, but there were a lot of one of them starred Gary Cooper.

For a while Ed had a tiny hangar at San Fernando Airport near where we tied down a war-weary Aeronca L-3 in the Fifties. It was not really a hangar, it was more like a one-car garage. The Moth had folding wings, which was a great novelty at the time, and did not take up much space. San Fernando was a Mecca for vintage plans and other aeronautical curiosities, to say nothing of the oddball characters that inhabited the place. Ed and the Moth added to the uniqueness. In the summer of 1965, Los Angeles erupted in flames with the Watts Riots. WHP, then as now, was located in a black neighbourhood, and there was a great concern that the place might be torched. There was a certain amount of vandalism, most of it rock-throwing from outside the fence. Ed kept his Moth at WHP for a while and was himself targeted by rock-throwing juveniles on a roof one day when on short finals. One of the kids tried to bean him as he crossed the threshold. Ed, shouting some choice expletives in his own inimitable way, fire-walled the Gipsy and did a near vertical 360. He buzzed the horrified kids so close they leaped off the roof and that ended the roof-top rock-throwing.

Ed was known world-wide for his craftsmanship and know-how. He was an expert technician and a master machinist. He could take any aeroplane engine, no matter how badly neglected, and make it run like new again. Not only that, he could make a new one from scratch. One of his more recent achievements was to duplicate a magneto from the Wright Flyer that did not quite get off the ground at Kitty Hawk.