He trained on the craft under the renowned former RAAF instructor Norm Liddle, who following the war, settled in Goulburn and became the club's first volunteer instructor.

Now 75 years of age himself, Dick Nell is delighted to be celebrating the distinctive DH82 biplane's 75th birthday, a plane in which he has won more aerobatic accolades than perhaps any person in Australia today.

This coming weekend, Mr Nell will be accompanying six Tiger Moth owner friends from around the State to Watts Bridge (north of Brisbane) for a Fly In.

The air show will specifically feature the DH82 biplane making it perhaps the first official party to honour the historic plane's role, prior to its actual birthday on October 26.

On that day 75 years ago, test pilot Hubert Broad, flew the first Tiger Moth out of Stag Lane aerodrome in England.

Because that plane had been modified from an earlier Gypsy Moth with a brief to "make the result easier for the front seat passenger to parachute from the leading cockpit should an emergency arise", no plans initially existed for the revised version.

"Once it was accepted, they went over the plane with a ruler and subsequently drew up the plans, dubbing the result - Tiger Moth," Mr Nell said.

As owner of his own engineering business, Mr Nell was given the opportunity during the early 1970s to rebuild a crashed Tiger Moth for a client. He personally flew it to the Western Australian owner in 1975, navigating his way across the continent by following railway lines.

While in the West, Mr Nell discovered a collection of DH82 parts in a shed. He eventually had them sent to Goulburn and after 12 months, proudly had the plane flying.

For the full feature story about Dick Nell and his Tiger Moth, please see Wednesday's Goulburn Post, available from our front office in Auburn St, or at all leading newsagencies across the Goulburn area.