If you ever wanted to buckle up in the cockpit of a Second World War bi-plane, the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum is offering the chance to anyone happy to make the trip.
"We’re the only aviation museum in Saskatchewan and we’re trying to show the history of aviation in Saskatchewan from the early bush days," said Dale Tiedeman, one of the pilots flying the restored 1942 De Havilland Tigermoth and board member of the museum.
"This Tigermoth was built in 1942. It spent most of its time in Nova Scotia with RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) as a primary trainer for Second World War pilots … Its sole intent was to be a trainer so an 18-year-old who wanted to join the RCAF … this is the aircraft they would have started in."
"It trained thousands of people how to fly and fly safely and successfully and then they moved on to bigger, heavier planes," said museum guide and board member Don MacPherson.
MacPherson said the Tigermoth has always held a special place in his heart, he remembers hearing the aircrafts buzzing overhead shortly after the Second World War.
"This bi-plane to me is an icon of aviation. When I was a little kid I occasionally saw one flying over Saskatoon … It was a real thrill to hear the sound and to see two or three in formation,” MacPherson said. “I’ve never sat in the cockpit but the day will come, it will be my turn and I’ll be the most excited guy you’ll ever see."
The most impressive piece of the Tigermoth, MacPherson said, is the air-speed reader.
"It’s a spring-loaded device, the air presses on the level attached to the spring and that’s how the pilot knew how fast they were flying," MacPherson said. "That’s really primitive. I had that on my bike when I was eight-years-old."
A friend of the museum, Tom Coates, purchased the Tigermoth in 1999 and fully restored the bi-plane, Tiedeman said. It’s now housed in the aviation museum on Hangar Road near the Saskatoon Airport.
The museum is inviting aviation enthusiasts and thrill-seekers to hop in the front seat and experience a flight in this historical airplane.
"Come here with a big smile on your face and we consider it a donation of $250 for a half-hour ride over the city,” Tiedeman said. “For anybody in the general public who loves airplanes or even likes to be up in an airplane it’s a great experience."
Money collected from flights on the Tigermoth will be put towards restoring larger planes and getting them ready to fly again.