Mosquito Restoration Projects

[Prangster]

As my not quite 5yr old grandson has suddenly taken to carting a picture of a Mossie around with him as; 'I like them grandad' I wondered if anyone is remotely near to restoring a UK example to the air?

[bingofuel]

It would appear not

Mosquito Locations

[treadigraph]

With luck KA114, being restored in New Zealand for an American customer, will route via the UK on delivery - they had hoped to have it at Flying Legends this year, but only the very optimistic seem to think it's possible to get it finished in time.

Sincerely hope we do get to see it at some time in the near future.

Incidently, the French have built an extraordinary scale replica which is near to flight!

[ChrisVJ]

I am old and nearly senile but I am sure I saw a Mosquito in the second hangar at the Ottawa Aviation Musem August last year. The first hangar is for public displays and dioramas etc, the second in mainly storage and awaiting clean up but they do a guided tour a couple of times a day.

[aviate1138]

If those French aviators can do a Mosquito then they should do a Hornet!

[Mike7777777]

With luck KA114, being restored in New Zealand for an American customer, will route via the UK on delivery - they had hoped to have it at Flying Legends this year, but only the very optimistic seem to think it's possible to get it finished in time.

And this might be flying with Merlins?

[treadigraph]

I would imagine so.

[Wander00]

I am amazed, not least because the French replica is at Fontenay le Comte, but 25km from where I live, and I was not until now aware of its existence. What engines is it using - don't look like Merlins, and is the replica "full size"? Must try a google search for more info. Any one know when first flight is planned?

[rjtjrt]

French Mosquito build is amazing. I would love to know more about the project and the people involved.
The web site is:-
Notre projet - Le Mosquito de Michel Bogaert Association RRAA

John
Video in post above - loverly bit at end (12:26) as a bonus.

[deltapapa]

This is one of the NZ Mosquito engines waiting to be fitted, 15 months ago

[Doodlebug]

Both Merlins have now been fitted to the airframe. Looking at the pictures they have done an incredible job but are nowhere near flying yet. She's going to be lovely!

[Wander00]

Just been looking at more photos of the French 3/4 scale project - looks amazing and will try to look at the real thing next time I am passing Fontenay airfield, but just to be really picky, the control handgrips look really odd in the pics, looks like 3/4 inch pipe welded together! Maybe it is just the picture.

[barit1]

[Exnomad]

Mosquito preservation

Apart from non flying museum examples, the problem with all wooden aircraft is the same.
A late colleague put it as "when the woodworm stop holding hands".
A totally new build might be OK, but the glue in original build would have given up long ago.

[Wander00]

French replica - fantastic. Had I know they were going to fly her I would have driven down to Fontenay to watch. Many congratulations to the team.

[Proplinerman]

"Apart from non flying museum examples, the problem with all wooden aircraft is the same.
A late colleague put it as "when the woodworm stop holding hands".
A totally new build might be OK, but the glue in original build would have given up long ago."

Yes, when I visited the Israeli Air Force museum a few years ago, they had the remains of one of their Mosquitos-and they were just that, a few bits and pieces and the (battered) engines. A signboard next to the bits recorded that the aircraft turned out to be rather unsuited to a very hot country such as Israel-basically, they came unglued and fell apart after not very many years of service and hence why they only had bits left, rather than a whole aircraft.

[JEM60]

Kermit Weeks still has the Mosquito that was based in Britain many years ago [I remember seeing it in formation with the Bae one.] Last time I saw it in Oshkosh Museum a few years ago, it was still labeled as airworthy [!]
However, there is a recent rumour that he intends to return it to the air shortly.

[treadigraph]

I remember seeing it in formation with the Bae one

Most likely Biggin Hill 1987? I think the first Blenheim also participated in that formation didn't it? I'm sure all three aircraft were at the same event and the Blenheim was totalled at Denham the following weekend.