People
Annabelle Burroughes
I had wanted to fly ever since I first read Captain WE Johns’s tales of James Bigglesworth of the Royal Flying Corps. I took my private pilots licence in Cornwall, when I moved to Dorset and started to fly Tiger Moths, I realised what a fantastic aeroplane it was.
Quite by chance I flew with a friend in a Bucker Jungmann (of similar age but of German origin) and flew hundreds of hours doing competition aerobatics and displays.
By chance again an examiner friend suggested I got my Class Rating Instructor ticket. She taught me well - I passed and have been busy ever since!
With all sorts of other single engine piston aircraft I have been instructing on the Tiger Moth since TMT started. It has so many numerous qualities, I am still loving teaching with it.
Born and educated in South Africa where my abiding memories were sitting on our roof watching the first Vampire jet trainers flying over our house from the nearby central flying school and my first dinghy sailing in a “Sprog” This was the introduction to my two passions in life-sailing and flying.
Left Wits. Arrived in London in 1960 and after washing tons of dishes in Earls Court joined the Royal Navy in 1960 . Joining the Fleet Air Arm was the first step in following a career which would allow me enjoy these passions to the full.
I first flew a Tiger Moth at Dartmouth Royal Naval College (Roborough) in early 1960 and came away with an enduring affection for these iconic aircraft. After Dartmouth RAF Linton on Ouse where I continued my basic training on Jet Provosts. Having gone solo I was looking forward to flying Hunters and Sea Vixens when my knee was severely damaged in a “young officers expedition”. This put paid to my piloting ambitions. The navy offered me a choice, a disability pension or becoming a Sea Vixen observer. I opted for a career in the “coal hole”. Night deck landing at sea on HMS Hermes and Centaur was an interesting, if aging, experience !. Last posting was at Yeovilton as an observer instructor on Sea Vixens.
On leaving the Royal Navy I entered industry with all my leisure time being taken up by boat building and sailing.
I resumed flying in 1995 first with microlights then on to a PPL(A),IMC and aeros. After building and flying a number of “homebuild” aircraft (RV6, Sherwood Rangers and a Starduster) I then became caught up in the Tiger Moth restoration and flying world which culminated in the restoration of the six Tiger Moths and one Gipsy Moth.
After selling three Tigers I decided to keep three and set up “Tiger Moth Training” to ensure that the Tigers could pay for their basic costs and remain flying at Henstridge.
Annabelle and I then agreed to restore Richard's Miles Magister (brought back from the Argentine). This took just over 2 years and I am now completing the restoration of Gipsy Moth G-AANO.
I first flew a Tiger Moth in October 1976 and was hooked straight away with its undeniable character and charm.
It is still my favourite aeroplane and is my default craft allowing me to maintain the skills to fly all manner of interesting aircraft from First World War Aircraft (mostly replicas) to a few V12 powered fighters.
I have instructed since 1980, teaching flying at Flying Clubs, Airline Colleges and the Military all on Single Engine Piston aircraft. My hours tally at over 12,500 hours with just over 4,000 on tailwheel/ tail skid aircraft.
I adore gentle sweeping aerobatics, tail chasing, formation, spinning, standing still in a strong breeze and an accurate short field three point landing.
The Tiger Moth is a wonderful aeroplane to view the world from.
A good friend, Dave Roberts summed it up very well.
“Many men, though chosen few, see God’s Earth from Heaven’s view.”
I am a former Royal Navy Engineer Officer who has served on Sea Harrier and Lynx squadrons during my naval career. My last job in the navy was as Commander (Air Engineering) at RNAS Yeovilton. On leaving the Navy, I worked in the defence industry, providing specialist contractor support to MOD Air Domain airworthiness programmes such as F35B Lightning, P-8APoseidon, RC-135 Rivet Joint and, more recently, the E-7 programme.
My life- long fascination with ancient machinery led me to join the Tiger Moth fraternity in 2014 when I bought G-ALWS after she was newly restored by Kevin. After regaining my long lapsed PPL under the tutelage of Tiger Moth Training, I now frequently fly with Kevin, Clive and Annabelle and consider myself to be part of the team.
In March 2020 I was fortunate enough to have been appointed as Chief Engineer of Navy Wings, the charity which operates the Royal Navy’s historic aircraft. I still can’t quite believe my luck in landing what many engineers would consider their dream job, and find the role exciting and stimulating as we manage the transition of our aircraft from the Military regime to the Civil one. The job has it’s ‘downs’ as well as ‘up’ though. Most notably, we recently had a non-fatal accident involving our 2 seater T20 Sea Fury in Spring 2021 which is currently under investigation by the AAIB.
My Tiger is now based at Yeovilton and is currently on temporary loan to Navy Wings and is used to train pilots advancing on to the Sea Fury and Swordfish, in very much the same way Tiger Moths earned their keep during the Second World War.
Another passion of mine is old cars, and I am currently mid-way through the restoration of a 1930 MG M-Type, a vehicle of similar vintage to the Tigers of course.
We were all very pleased when Richard joined us in 2017 and is in effect the Czech branch of our Tiger Moth “family”.
He is a family man and a professional pilot running Aeropartner a charter airline located at Prague International Airport operating a fleet of Citation business jets.
He has a huge respect and passion for the RAF (especially the Czech pilots) for what they achieved in World War 11 and this is illustrated in his own life, business as well as private. As a RAF enthusiast and promoter of the historic heritage of Czechoslovak exiled airmen, he has his own pilots dressed in uniforms and insignia reflecting those worn by RAF and Czechoslovak pilots during those wartime years. This affection goes even further with his international air carrier three letter code being DFC. There were of course many Czechoslovak pilots who won the Distinguished Flying Cross for their outstanding contribution in defeating the Luftwaffe.
Richard’s No 1 hobby is his fleet of vintage aircraft that he operates out of Podhorany airfield(LKPN) Czech Republic. His two Tiger Moths (which were restored at Henstridge) are his flagships and proud arm of Tiger Moth training UK.
His flight of two Tigers has now been joined by the fully restored Miles Magister he found in the Argentine.
Full and further details of Richard’s operation can be found at:
https://www.tigermoth.cz/en/