History: Developed just after World War II, the DHC-1 Chipmunk was the first aircraft designed by de Havilland of Canada to replace the de Havilland Tiger Moth as a single-engine basic trainer. The Chipmunk first flew on 22 May 1946. Initially, 218 Chipmunks were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force, followed, after a change to the Gipsy Major 8 engine, by 735 planes for the RAF’s primary pilot training bases. These were designated as T 10s.

The British version also differed by being fully aerobatic and having a sliding, multi-panelled canopy rather than the ‘bubble’ typical in Canada. Another 217 of the versatile, easily-mastered Chipmunks were built for export sale, and 60 were built under license in Portugal. Not fully retired until 1996, many examples are still flying in private hands worldwide.