Full flight from engine start to shutdown as we depart Auckland's North Shore airfield (NZNE) and fly to Kaipara Flats (NZKF) with an obligatory loop in the middle.

Over night temperature was 4 degrees Celcius, so I was pleased to see the De Havilland Gipsy Major start easily first time.

I'm pretty sure that the pitch rate in the loop didn't change quite as shown in the video – I think that was the GoPro trying to work out what to do about the horizon!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Engine start: the De Havilland Gipsy Major engine was designed in the 1930s, although this one was made in the 1950s. Starting an internal combustion engine needs three things: air, fuel and spark. This engine needs manual priming to get fuel to the inlet manifold – not to much, not too little! Spark is provided by a magneto which uses an impulse coupling (spring-driven) for its initial impulse. This can get stuck sometimes so it's important to listen for a "click" from the magneto when turning the prop.

Takeoff: the Chipmunk is a tailwheel aeroplane (aka a "taildragger") so after a few seconds of acceleration on the runway I move the stick forward to lift the tail and continue accelerating on the mainwheels before taking off.

The loop: this manoeuvre starts with a full power dive to reach the entry speed of 120 knots, before pulling up at somewhere between 3-4g to initiate the loop. G forces reduce over the top (but never quite reach zero g) then increase as we accelerate down the back side of the loop.

Three-point landing: the classic! As the aircraft approaches the ground, the throttle is closed and the angle of attack gradually increased. The aim is for the aircraft to touch down at minimum flying speed on all three wheels at once.

Aircraft details:

DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 22 ZK-CHP
Formerly Royal Air Force WZ-865
Served Royal Air Force 1953–1975
USA (private owner) 1975-2011
Australia (unassembled) 2011-2021
Restored North Shore Airfield and returned to flight March 2024

The De Havilland Chipmunk is a fully aerobatic military trainer and was originally designed as a replacement for the same company's Tiger Moth. It has a 145HP engine and a maximum all up weight of 2100 pounds. Dual controls are fitted for the two occupants, and the aircraft is always flown solo from the front seat.

WZ865 is in the scheme it would have worn when serving with Glasgow University Air Squadron (GUAS) in the early 1960s. As the original orange Dayglo paint faded very quickly and contained ingredients that were bad for your health, this was a very short-lived colour scheme.

I fly WZ865 from North Shore airfield and will be displaying it around New Zealand during the 2024/25 airshow season both solo and as part of a pair, Chipmunk Blue. Subscribe for plenty of airshow footage!

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