This 1956 De Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk Is a Historic and Charismatic ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Former Canadian military trainer offers pilots great looks, graceful handling, and aerobatic capability.

Jonathan Welsh

Friday, September 11, 2026 at 12:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

1956 de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk [Credit: Rich D.]

Key Takeaways:

The article features a 1956 de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk as "Today's Top Pick" from Aircraft For Sale.
Developed after WWII, the Chipmunk is a historically significant aircraft renowned for redefining flight training, aerobatics, and airshow performances, having been flown by aviation legends.
The specific 1956 Chipmunk for sale, priced at $98,000, offers pilots a responsive, maneuverable, and historic aircraft suitable for aerobatic practice, sport flying, economical travel, and attracting attention at vintage events.

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Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1956 de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk.

After World War II, de Havilland Aircraft’s Canadian unit wanted to develop a sturdy bush aircraft to serve its vast, remote territories. The parent company coveted a new military trainer to replace its Tiger Moth, a legendary biplane that trained pilots before and during the war.

This Chipmunk has a basic VFR panel. [Credit: Rich D.]

The new design needed to serve military and civilian markets. The bushplane, which arrived later as the iconic Beaver, would have to wait.

The company put great effort into developing the Chipmunk, a sleek, graceful monoplane that would help redefine flight training, airshow performances, and aerobatic competition for decades to come. The Chipmunk made its first flight in 1946, and examples continue to appear in airshows today.

Airshow greats, including Harold Krier, Skip Volk and, perhaps most famously, Art Scholl, flew Chipmunks in international competition and airshows for many years. Krier put the airframe on the map in the mid-1960s after deciding monoplanes were the wave of the future. He modified the type into the Super Chipmunk and flew it at the 1966 world championships. Krier shared his work with Scholl and Volk, who often performed formation aerobatics in similar Super Chipmunks.

The aircraft for sale today offers pilots a connection to an exciting period in aerobatic flying and an opportunity to train for and practice a wider range of maneuvers. If flying upside down is not at the top of your wish list, the Chipmunk still shines as an economical cross-country traveler for one or two people, a sweet-handling sport flyer and a rare object of interest that collects invitations to vintage fly-ins and other events.

A 210 hp Continental provides impressive power. [Credit: Rich D.]

This 1956 Chipmunk has 2,581 hours on the airframe, 536 hours since overhaul on its 210 hp Continental IO-360-C engine and on its Hartzell two-blade propeller. The aircraft has a Royal Canadian Air Force serial number and an experimental exhibition category registration. The panel features basic IFR instrumentation.

Pilots looking for a responsive, maneuverable, and historic aircraft that will draw lots of attention wherever it lands should consider this 1956 de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk, which is available for $98,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use our airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.