Obviously part of the appeal of a kit Tiger Moth is the old-fashioned look and feel of flying in the 1930s. But as technology has advanced, flying has only become safer and more enjoyable (and certainly warmer during the winter!). The question then becomes: how much modern capability should be built into this modern replica?
In order to handle regular flight in bad weather, most modern aircraft have a huge array of technology crowding the instrument panel. Modern navigation and communication radios, digital clocks, electronic flight displays, even modern engine instruments would all look “alien” in the cockpit of a Tiger Moth. I’ve no intention of regularly cruising around in the clouds in my R-80, the point of an open cockpit is the view, after all, but the weather here can change in the blink of an eye. It would be irresponsible to not include enough modern instrumentation to safely handle whatever weather I may occasionally be forced to deal with.
This isn’t a new problem,. For as long as people have been restoring vintage aircraft each one has had to decide to what degree they should modernize the panel. In the case of multi-million dollar warbirds, such as those at Historic Flight, the answer is not much. The only concession made to modern requirements in our Supermarine Spitfire is a small modern radio/transponder unit that is mounted near the floor on the left side of the cockpit. It’s difficult to get to and a pain to use, but it’s also almost completely hidden from visitors. When embarking on a cross-country flight, the pilot will also carry with him a portable hand-held GPS system. But the instrument panel of a Spitfire already contains early versions of all of the instruments actually required by the FAA for flight in inclement weather, such as an artificial horizon and turn coordinator. The Tiger Moth was not so advanced.
It turns out that at least some aircraft builders have received permission from the FAA to conceal modern flight instruments behind “doors” on the instrument panel. The door can be camouflaged using non-functional faces of old instruments or controls no longer needed. Here is an example of a SPAD replica that utilizes such a door. The only question then remaining is one of space available on an R-80 panel.
Other modern technology that will pose some challenge: modern navigation and landing lights, ballistic recovery system (debatable, but something to look into), heat for the cockpit, and possibly an enclosed canopy that could be fitted for winter flying. These to be tackled in future entries.
