The world has another airworthy Mosquito

[GeeRam]

The 3rd Mosquito to be restored by Avespecs in NZ made it first post-restoration flights yesterday
PZ474 making a pass along Ardmore's runway during its first flight

Information

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[Bob Womack]

Yay! It felt a little lonely here with the first one.


Bob

[CINDERS]

I have a few books on the "Mossie" the damage they could sustain and still get back I think in one pic the starboard wing is shorn off to within a couple of feet from the engine nacelle and the plane still made it back of course it had 2 beautiful merlins to pull it around the sky.

The German night fighters hated the "Mossie" when they were inserted into the bomber streams it would act like a bomber flying straight and level the NF would close in for the kill only to have the "Mossie get behind it and shoot the NF down.
The germans had a wooden aircraft made up almost a carbon copy of the Mosquito having air tests when bomber command did themselves a favour and bombed the factory that made the glue Tigofilm (Tee-go-film) wiping out the place and all the records and formulas to make the glue and that was the end of that chapter for the Germans.
If you thought the P-38 packed a punch the weapons package in one instance on the Mosquito could have 4 x 303 brownings in the nose and in the belly 4 x 20mm Hispano cannons selectively fired or all together I have a night shot with all 8 going its not the lead storm I would want to be on the receiving end of.

When it was presented to the airministry they did not want it a wooden aircraft and it was a near thing that it ever got accepted but it did and the rest is history

[Gil Boyd]

Interesting airframe number(s)

Mosquito PZ474 was sold to the New Zealand Government on the 23rd January 1948.

Following the departure of PZ474/ZK-BCV for America in February 1955, the New Zealand Government prevented the export of the remaining Mosquitoes, believing that they were destined for overseas military use.

Great to see such a lovely aircraft take to the skies again.

[GeeRam]

Following the departure of PZ474/ZK-BCV for America in February 1955, the New Zealand Government prevented the export of the remaining Mosquitoes, believing that they were destined for overseas military use.

It was something of an epic ferry flight across the vastness of the Pacific from NZ to California in Mar 1955, routing from NZ via Fiji, Kanton Islands and Honolulu, even managing to extinguish an inflight fire en-route...!!

By the early 60's the aircraft was parked in the open at Whiteman Air Park, and slowly deteriorated in under the Californian sun, and by 1970, was seen with a collapsed and broken fuselage just behind the wing.

With this one also destined for the USA (or return to given its spent most of its time there!) along with the first two restored by Avspecs, its hoped that the 4th (and possibly last) one to be restored by Avspecs will be destined for the UK.

[JerryEAL]

Merlin engines! Is there anything they can't do?

[Gil Boyd]

The varied armament she could carry was outstanding, here's the list:

STANDARD:
4 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns in nose
4 x 20mm Hispano cannons mounted under the nose

OPTIONAL (Model Dependent):
Between 500lb and 4,000lb of internal stores in bomb bay (reconnaissance equipment, specialized mission equipment, leaflets, munitions, extra fuel, etc...).

1 x 57mm autocannon in nose (in place of 4 x cannons).
4 x 7.7mm Browning machine guns in underfuselage gunpack.
2 x 250lb / 500lb bombs underwing
8 x High-Explosive, Armor-Piercing rockets underwing.
1 x Torpedo externally held under the fuselage

Amazing for a 99% wooden aircraft, shows what the Merlins power had to lift it all!

[30Three]

That's great to see another one rebuilt and airworthy. They are a wonderful aircraft.
The one model that was really something special was the anti submarine version. It had I believe a 57mm canon in the fusellage. According the pilot's; the recoil was impressive!

[Gil Boyd]

The Molins Gun in the Mosquito FB Mk XVIII was tested in the USA in 1945, in comparison with the nearest U.S. equivalent, the manually-loaded 75mm AN-Mk 5 in the PBJ-1H.

This comparison was more valid than the difference in calibre might suggest, for the 75x350R ammunition used in the American gun (the same as was used by the M4 tank gun in the Sherman) was about the same overall size as the 57x441R, and the 6 pdr and 75mm tank guns were effectively interchangeable in the later British tanks.

The Molins Gun impressed the Americans with its performance and reliability and was considered superior to the 75mm as it could achieve a much higher rate-of-fire. It was noted that fairly violent evasive action and 2.5 positive Gs did not cause stoppages - which could not be said for manual loading!

From November 1943 on wards the Mosquito was also used to attack U-boats shortly after, or just before they entered a port. Warning of these opportunities was provided by code-breakers. At that moment the U-boats traveled on the surface, and therefore were vulnerable to rockets or the 57mm shells of the FB.XVIII. For safety, the U-boats usually formed small convoys, with an escort of mine sweepers or so called Sperrbrecher ships, which had hulls reinforced with concrete as a protection against mines; both types bristled with anti-aircraft guns. For example, on 27 March 1944, 6 FB.VIs and 2 FB.XVIIIs attacked a convoy towards La Pallice, formed by U-960 with a escort of four M-class mine sweepers and two Sprerrbrecher vessels. 3 mine sweepers suffered light damage, U-960 was badly damaged, 2 Mosquitos returned home with serious damage, and one crash-landed.

Total production of the Mosquito was 7781, including 1034 built in Canada and 212 built in Australia.

U-boats sunk by this aircraft in 1944

U-976, U-821 , U-998

1945

U-804, U-843, U-1065, U-251 +, U-2359 + 8 U-boats lost to Mosquito aircraft.

+ means that the Mosquito shared the credit for the sinking.

Here's an image of the shell below, also a Mitchell B25 with the same cannon fitted, incredible piece of artillery carried in the air.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I am glad there are those out there with the interest & means to bring these old girls back.