- Status: On display
- Airworthiness: Static display
- Serial Number: Burmese Air Force (BAF) T-176, BAF UB-176
- Construction Number: C1-0678
- Civil Registration: C-GVME
- Current Markings: RAF WP539
Aircraft Description
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada started design of a primary trainer to replace the legendary Tiger Moth in October 1945 and the prototype flew seven months later in May 1946, from Downsview, (Toronto), Ontario. The fuselage was of all metal, stressed skin construction as were the fin and tail plane. The single spar wing had a stressed skin leading edge, while the rear portion of the wing was fabric covered. The wing was stressed for 9g, a factor which contributed to its popularity as an aerobatic aircraft.
The Canadian Army accepted its first DHC-1 Chipmunks in 1948. They were used for elementary pilot training at the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre, Rivers, Manitoba, as well as for training pilots in ranging and directing artillery fire. The RCAF ordered its first Chipmunks in 1952, only after a number of design modifications were completed. The most obvious one was the replacement of the built up cockpit canopy with an interchangeable bubble type. The last of the 217 Canadian built Chipmunks was delivered to the RCAF in the fall of 1956. The aircraft continued to operate with the Canadian military until the end of 1971 and with the RAF until the end of the 1970s. Its long service was due in part to it being fully aerobatic with flying characteristics similar to the Spitfire, which made it a delight to fly. Because of the design’s rugged airframe and reliable engine, many Chipmunks are still being flown today.A total of 1,283 de Havilland Chipmunks were produced between 1946 and 1958; 217 in Canada; 1,000 in the UK, and 66 under license in Portugal.The Museum's Chipmunk was part of the second batch ordered by the Burmese Air Force in 1952. It was built in England at de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited and by 1979, was in storage with a total of 2,299 hours of flying time.
The Chipmunk was purchased in 1992 by Robert Barber of Delta, Colorado, who spent the next three years restoring it. He also replaced the original Gipsy engine with a Lycoming. In 2000, he sold the Chipmunk and it subsequently went through two more owners before being exported to Canada in 2011.
The new owner, Rick Ksander, from Peterborough, Ontario, changed the engine to a radial Rotec. In 2023, John Dwight Sims, from Uxbridge, Ontario, purchased the aircraft and replaced the Rotec with a Lycoming engine. After his passing, his family donated the Chipmunk to the museum in 2025.
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