Biggin Hill Mosquito
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
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Biggin Hill Mosquito
Just spotted this on Flypast:
https://www.facebook.com/BigginHillH...angar/?fref=nf
Wow! Wonderful news and best wishes to the team with this fantastic endeavour.
https://www.facebook.com/BigginHillH...angar/?fref=nf
Wow! Wonderful news and best wishes to the team with this fantastic endeavour.
Absolutely and having worked with these guys on their 2-seat Spitfire at Duxford this year, you couldn't wish to meet a more professional and pleasant team of engineers and pilots.
Join Date: Sep 2006
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...okay, slight "thread drift", but it still concerns Biggin Hill and a (flying) De Havilland Mosquito... 
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/mosquito-at-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
LATEST NEWS
FEBRUARY 6, 2023
Mosquito at Biggin Hill – announcement by Peter Monk, Managing Director of flyaspitfire.com and the Spitfire Company (Biggin Hill):
“Following previous announcements and patiently waiting for availability in a busy restoration programme
we’re delighted to confirm
that we’ve now commissioned the team at AVSPECS NZ to commence the restoration of a Mosquito FB.VI .
Upon completion the aircraft will join our fleet of 2 seat Spitfires and other WWII aircraft
that are available for flight experiences here at Biggin Hill.
The team at AVSPECS are leaders in the field of Mosquito restoration
and this will be the 5th airframe that they have restored to an airworthy condition.
FEBRUARY 6, 2023
Mosquito at Biggin Hill – announcement by Peter Monk, Managing Director of flyaspitfire.com and the Spitfire Company (Biggin Hill):
“Following previous announcements and patiently waiting for availability in a busy restoration programme
we’re delighted to confirm
that we’ve now commissioned the team at AVSPECS NZ to commence the restoration of a Mosquito FB.VI .
Upon completion the aircraft will join our fleet of 2 seat Spitfires and other WWII aircraft
that are available for flight experiences here at Biggin Hill.
The team at AVSPECS are leaders in the field of Mosquito restoration
and this will be the 5th airframe that they have restored to an airworthy condition.
The restoration is scheduled to take 3 years
and once completed the aircraft will complete a commemorative tour
of New Zealand, Australia and then on to the UK
in honour of the Commonwealth pilots that flew Mosquitos in WWII.
and once completed the aircraft will complete a commemorative tour
of New Zealand, Australia and then on to the UK
in honour of the Commonwealth pilots that flew Mosquitos in WWII.
We believe this will be the only airworthy example of the Mosquito in Europe :!:
and we’re excited at the prospect of offering members of the public
the chance to ‘Fly a Mosquito’ from Biggin Hill in 2026.”
and we’re excited at the prospect of offering members of the public
the chance to ‘Fly a Mosquito’ from Biggin Hill in 2026.”
Yes and as one who was in the audience for the Hatfield RAeS Mosquito anniversary symposium (and helped publish the book thereof), I would have said it was impossible to build a real Mosquito.
...okay, slight "thread drift", but it still concerns Biggin Hill and a (flying) De Havilland Mosquito...
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
https://flyaspitfire.com/2023/02/06/...t-biggin-hill/
Would be a crying shame if so, to 'convert' this into a FB.VI, instead of its original B.IV configuration, especially given the rarity of the B.IV.
I can't think of any other Mossie project available, given they say it will be the 5th Mossie by AvSpec, and there was confirmation by Maurice Denholm of AvSpec last month and photo's posted of the former Glyn Powell owned, FB.26 in the hangar was being started on for a US customer, which will clearly be the 4th one they have done.
Even doing two alongside each other, I'd be surprised if they can do both in 3 years timescale, even having already done 3 of them.
Or I wonder if Maurice Denholm was being evasive by saying the ex-Glyn Powell FB.26 was for a US customer, and this is the one for Biggin Hill?
However, if so, it would be the 4th one not the 5th one? This FB.26 (Aussie built FB.6) was the project that was supposed to have been that the Pathfinder Trust had acquired but who seemed to have disappeared now without trace.
We believe this will be the only airworthy example of the Mosquito in Europe :!:
and we’re excited at the prospect of offering members of the public
the chance to ‘Fly a Mosquito’ from Biggin Hill in 2026.”
and we’re excited at the prospect of offering members of the public
the chance to ‘Fly a Mosquito’ from Biggin Hill in 2026.”
or "Fly in a Mosquito" ?
Have seen suggestions that the BHHH FB.6 announcement may be the parts remains/identity of FB.6 TE881 that was acquired by AvSpecs from the late John Smith's estate.
Further, the sandwich style construction doesn't really allow the wood bits to be disassembled and re-assembled with modern glues.
DaveReid,
I disagree. If you rebuild an aircraft and have to manufacture some parts, it’s not a replica. Of course, in the case of a Mosquito, that’s the wings, fuselage and empennage, but if the metal bits are original, then it’s a rebuild. 😄
I disagree. If you rebuild an aircraft and have to manufacture some parts, it’s not a replica. Of course, in the case of a Mosquito, that’s the wings, fuselage and empennage, but if the metal bits are original, then it’s a rebuild. 😄
DRUK,ref#12,room for another in `super-economy...the bomb-bay`....
Unfortunately, it seems that is as about as good as it's going to get if you want a Mosquito to be 'airworthy'. Seems the original glues that they used don't age very gracefully, so any original Mosquitos don't have the necessary structural integrity to be airworthy, even if 'rot' isn't an issue.
Despite many claims that Kermit Weeks B.35 (RS712) needs new wings, I believe from those that know Mossie's and have seen it in recent times, if he so chose to, its still in good enough condition structurally, to be returned to the air, despite it spending a couple of years in the heat and humidity of Florida before being flown off to a more suitable long term storage climate.
The People's Mosquito on the other hand, is going to be pretty much a replica, as what amounts to a data plate was dug out of a whole in the ground. They aren't even returning it to its NF.30 configuration either (if it ever gets finished)
From the photos I've seen, I'm not sure there was an awful lot left of TE881 that John Smith acquired the remains of many decades ago, and which AvSpecs have acquired from the estate, and which is likely providing the identity of the BHHH FB.6, although more than the TPM example. Much easier for AvSpecs to make what there isn't though, if built alongside the substantially complete ex-Glyn Powell project, not something TPM have access to in the same way.