The Tiger Club - G-APDZ "The Bishop"

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Super Tiger G-APDZ "The Bishop"

THe Bishop G-APDZ was built at Morris Motors Ltd, Cowley, Oxford during World War II. It went into RAF service as T7369 and after the war ended up at Rollason Aircraft & Engines Ltd at Croydon Airport during the early 1950’s.

PDZ was put on the civil register in Bishop July 1957 by Rollasons and quickly joined the growing fleet at The Tiger Club. It is believed that it almost immediately was converted to be the first of the single seat Super Tigers and was given the name in honour of the Club’s first and only CFI: C.A. Nepean Bishop.

The conversion to Super Tiger including moving the fuel tank into the front cockpit and several other airframe modifications. The main modifications though was to the engine, it was changed to the more powerful Gipsy Major 1C giving 145 h.p. It was also fitted with an inverted fuel system, which is said to have been designed for aircraft in the First World War!

The mechanical fuel pumps driven off the camshaft, feed petrol to an additional jet inserted into the body of the carburetor. When the pilot wants to fly inverted a separate control is rotated, cutting off fuel from the normal carburetor. After about 15 seconds the engine begins to misfire, the pilot then has to move the mixture into the weak position, so that it lies just a fraction behind the throttle. The engine bursts into life again and its power can be controlled by moving both throttle and mixture together. An additional oil pump is fitted to ensure a constant supply of oil. A similar system is still used on Gipsy engined Stampes to this day.

Once PDZ was modified it was immediately put to use at air displays flying aerobatics including the inverted manoeuvres that the standard Tiger Moths were unable to do. Along with flying out of Redhill, PDZ also flew at Little Snoring in Norfolk. Club member Elwyn "Mac" McAully who helped run the Fakenham Flying Group regularly took PDZ there. Mac was very enthusiastic about aerobatics and on 12th May 1960 he was killed while flying aerobatics overhead the airfield in PDZ.

The Fakenham Flying Group was renamed the McAully Flying Group in his memory and is still flying at Little Snoring, The McAully Trophy is competed for each year as one part of the British Aerobatic Standard level competition.

McNully
In 1964 this group photo of the competing pilots and judge was taken. The pilots are from left to right; Roger Gaton, Mike Jolly, Peter ?, Martin Barraclough, Robin D'Erlanger, Carl ?, Bob Winter, Bill Waugh, ?, Neil Williams and Arthur Golding-Barrett. Martin Barraclough was the eventual winner.

The other Super Tigers were G-ANZZ "The Archbishop"; G-ANMZ "The Canon" and G-AOAA "The Deacon". Both ZZ and AA survive though neither are currently flying.

If you have further details on any of these aircraft please let us know.

The Tiger Club 1990 Ltd
Damyns Hall Aerodrome
Aveley Road,
Upminster,
Essex RM14 2TN

Tel: 01708 524633

Office hours 0900 to 1700

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