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!

[GeeRam]

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!

PZ474 has been restored in the markings of a Banff Strike Wing anti-shipping aircraft, and includes a complete set of underwing rails and a full set of 60lb RP's to hang on them...



As a further point of interest, the Merlins engines fitted are the original pair of engines fitted on the production line when it was originally built.....

[Charlie303]

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

Well, negative G for one thing (some of them anyway). That's why we don't have a Mossie in the UK.

Anyway, lovely to see another one in the air!

[Charlie303]

At the IAT, Greenham Common, 1981 (I think).

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