Good Mosquito Restoration Article
Thread Starter
Good Mosquito Restoration Article
The Jan/Feb 2022 issue of Popular Mechanics has a really fascinating article on the flight worthy restoration of a WWII vintage Mosquito.
It's also available on-line but is behind a paywall (which I can't seem to get past even though I subscribe to the dead tree version)
How I Restored a Legendary Wooden WWII Fighter Plane (popularmechanics.com)
I was particularly interested in the construction of the fuselage - 1/2" thick balsa sandwiched between two layers of 1/16 spruce plywood. Made me wonder how they sourced all that balsa during the war.
It's also available on-line but is behind a paywall (which I can't seem to get past even though I subscribe to the dead tree version)
How I Restored a Legendary Wooden WWII Fighter Plane (popularmechanics.com)
I was particularly interested in the construction of the fuselage - 1/2" thick balsa sandwiched between two layers of 1/16 spruce plywood. Made me wonder how they sourced all that balsa during the war.
The Jan/Feb 2022 issue of Popular Mechanics has a really fascinating article on the flight worthy restoration of a WWII vintage Mosquito.
It's also available on-line but is behind a paywall (which I can't seem to get past even though I subscribe to the dead tree version)
How I Restored a Legendary Wooden WWII Fighter Plane (popularmechanics.com)
I was particularly interested in the construction of the fuselage - 1/2" thick balsa sandwiched between two layers of 1/16 spruce plywood. Made me wonder how they sourced all that balsa during the war.
It's also available on-line but is behind a paywall (which I can't seem to get past even though I subscribe to the dead tree version)
How I Restored a Legendary Wooden WWII Fighter Plane (popularmechanics.com)
I was particularly interested in the construction of the fuselage - 1/2" thick balsa sandwiched between two layers of 1/16 spruce plywood. Made me wonder how they sourced all that balsa during the war.
I imagine balsa was popular cargo, if you had to cross the Atlantic with it.
As a reporter, I did two TV stories with Glyn on his original rebuild.
Not sure about the sourcing of the wood, but he told me some of the production of the Mosquito was outsourced to English furniture factories during the war.
He said they had to work to watchmaking tolerances in wood.
Lofting of complex curves and radii - all done by hand on paper - he said recreating it from the DH documents he was able to get copies of was an enormous task.
Concrete moulds were used to cast the steamed plywood/balsa sandwich fuselage halves, which were then glued together and covered in doped canvas.
I remember being struck by how thin the fuselage cross section was where it joined the empennage.
Beautiful aircraft.
Not sure about the sourcing of the wood, but he told me some of the production of the Mosquito was outsourced to English furniture factories during the war.
He said they had to work to watchmaking tolerances in wood.
Lofting of complex curves and radii - all done by hand on paper - he said recreating it from the DH documents he was able to get copies of was an enormous task.
Concrete moulds were used to cast the steamed plywood/balsa sandwich fuselage halves, which were then glued together and covered in doped canvas.
I remember being struck by how thin the fuselage cross section was where it joined the empennage.
Beautiful aircraft.
They used concrete moulds because they were stable, two halves of the aircraft were built and fitted out then joined down the middle, there is a surviving Sea Hornet mould at the Mossie museum. Which was basically a single seat Mossie design wise.
You will find this interesting, it is Glen Powell the late father of the new Mosquito who built a set of wooden moulds. It shows the build process.
https://www.aussiemossie.asn.au/inde...s/Page1052.htm
https://www.aussiemossie.asn.au/inde...s/Page1052.htm
... but he told me some of the production of the Mosquito was outsourced to English furniture factories during the war.
He said they had to work to watchmaking tolerances in wood.
Lofting of complex curves and radii - all done by hand on paper - he said recreating it from the DH documents he was able to get copies of was an enormous task.
He said they had to work to watchmaking tolerances in wood.
Lofting of complex curves and radii - all done by hand on paper - he said recreating it from the DH documents he was able to get copies of was an enormous task.
Interested in the structure of the fuselage. I looked at building a sailing boat which used a similar technique, except that the skins were fibreglass rather than wood veneer. However, the balsa was laid perpendicular to the outer veneers, ie, the grain ran from inside to out, rather than across, at right angles, to the skins. I couldn't see the structural advantage of doing it that way, and I've never seen it done that way anywhere else.
I would suggest that this airplane is not a “restoration” it is a re- creation. The only flying Mosquito that was restored is the Canadian F for Freddie. Almost all of the wood is original restored and repaired to airworthy condition along with the engines and mechanical bits.
A few lumps of metal from a wreck added to a totally new primary structure is not an original airplane. That being said the build quality is magnificent and the aviation world is better for having examples of such rare but important airplanes like the Mosquito.
A few lumps of metal from a wreck added to a totally new primary structure is not an original airplane. That being said the build quality is magnificent and the aviation world is better for having examples of such rare but important airplanes like the Mosquito.
Thread Starter
I would suggest that this airplane is not a “restoration” it is a re- creation. The only flying Mosquito that was restored is the Canadian F for Freddie. Almost all of the wood is original restored and repaired to airworthy condition along with the engines and mechanical bits.
There has been something of a shortage of good quality balsa for model aircraft and rockets the last few years. Apparently large amounts of balsa is being used to form the cores of all those wind turbine blades. I would have thought some synthetic foam would be used but apparently balsa works better and/or is cheaper.
I would suggest that this airplane is not a “restoration” it is a re- creation. The only flying Mosquito that was restored is the Canadian F for Freddie. Almost all of the wood is original restored and repaired to airworthy condition along with the engines and mechanical bits.
A few lumps of metal from a wreck added to a totally new primary structure is not an original airplane. That being said the build quality is magnificent and the aviation world is better for having examples of such rare but important airplanes like the Mosquito.
A few lumps of metal from a wreck added to a totally new primary structure is not an original airplane. That being said the build quality is magnificent and the aviation world is better for having examples of such rare but important airplanes like the Mosquito.
Given the information available from all the NDT survey's done on RR299 while it was operated by BAe, there is probably a good reason for this, especially with regard to the glue situation...certainly, from what I've gathered. The same holds for the Kermit Weeks example, which hasn't flown now for 30 years, and reports are there are some delamination issues visible, and would likely need an all new build wood structure for that to ever fly again.
Probably half of the Spitfires flying are 'all new build structure'......they are still Spitfires though.
It's possibly not widely appreciated that plywood itself was a new technology back then - there was a three-way race between British, German, and Scandinavian producers to get it right. You could even see the Mossie as the first aircraft to be built with composite materials - the combination of the different woods and the Aerolite glue, really a thermosetting plastic, especially when you remember that some of them were thermoset using RF energy like a big microwave oven.
Not a throwback to biplanes as everyone assumed (to be fair the British government's wartime propaganda helped push that idea) but a throwforward to the era of composite-built multi-role fighter/strike aircraft, especially as it was such an important electronic warfare platform.
Not a throwback to biplanes as everyone assumed (to be fair the British government's wartime propaganda helped push that idea) but a throwforward to the era of composite-built multi-role fighter/strike aircraft, especially as it was such an important electronic warfare platform.
It's possibly not widely appreciated that plywood itself was a new technology back then - there was a three-way race between British, German, and Scandinavian producers to get it right. You could even see the Mossie as the first aircraft to be built with composite materials - the combination of the different woods and the Aerolite glue, really a thermosetting plastic, especially when you remember that some of them were thermoset using RF energy like a big microwave oven.
Not a throwback to biplanes as everyone assumed (to be fair the British government's wartime propaganda helped push that idea) but a throwforward to the era of composite-built multi-role fighter/strike aircraft, especially as it was such an important electronic warfare platform.
Not a throwback to biplanes as everyone assumed (to be fair the British government's wartime propaganda helped push that idea) but a throwforward to the era of composite-built multi-role fighter/strike aircraft, especially as it was such an important electronic warfare platform.
The Mosquito was indeed the first composite construction, LO multi-role combat aircraft.
My grand parents lived at Croxley Green in Herts and I used to spend quite bit of the summer with them in the early 60s ,not sure exactly which year, and was privileged to see a whole gaggle of Mosquitos fly over just north of us and failry low ( One of the LHR SIDS which they didnt have back then butt he routing was much the same , passed over the Watford area ) on their way back to Bovingdon where much of 633 squadron was filmed . This went one for a week or more, a wonderful sight and even more wonderful sound !! .
I have never seen a Mossie flying since then and perhaps never will but always thought it was a wonderful aircraft a sort of 1940s Tornado /F 18 multi role concept jack or all trades and pretty much master of them too. I suppose their rarity is due to the fact they longevity doesn't matter much in war time and the potential structural issues didn't matter as the aircraft wasnt going to be around for the life times of todays military aircraft. Also as far as I know from reading they didnt exactly have benign handling characteristics with an engine out and if you were unlucky and this happened at critical points on take off , approach or go around you were dead. So flyting aircraft that are in part 75 years seems quite high risk business just to show off an admittedly wonderful aircraft.
I have never seen a Mossie flying since then and perhaps never will but always thought it was a wonderful aircraft a sort of 1940s Tornado /F 18 multi role concept jack or all trades and pretty much master of them too. I suppose their rarity is due to the fact they longevity doesn't matter much in war time and the potential structural issues didn't matter as the aircraft wasnt going to be around for the life times of todays military aircraft. Also as far as I know from reading they didnt exactly have benign handling characteristics with an engine out and if you were unlucky and this happened at critical points on take off , approach or go around you were dead. So flyting aircraft that are in part 75 years seems quite high risk business just to show off an admittedly wonderful aircraft.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
If you are anywhere near London, I can recommend the D.H. Museum. I was there a couple of months ago, and was most impressed. Quite an experience to stand in a hangar with three Mosquitoes.
There are 2 current projects to restore and fly Mosquitos in the UK
Newsletter Signup - The People's Mosquito (peoplesmosquito.org.uk)
The Mosquito Pathfinder Trust - news (thewoodenwonder.org.uk)
Hopefully at least one of them will be successful. In a few years we could have an airshow with a Typhoon, Tempest and Mosquito!
Newsletter Signup - The People's Mosquito (peoplesmosquito.org.uk)
The Mosquito Pathfinder Trust - news (thewoodenwonder.org.uk)
Hopefully at least one of them will be successful. In a few years we could have an airshow with a Typhoon, Tempest and Mosquito!
Interested in the structure of the fuselage. I looked at building a sailing boat which used a similar technique, except that the skins were fibreglass rather than wood veneer. However, the balsa was laid perpendicular to the outer veneers, ie, the grain ran from inside to out, rather than across, at right angles, to the skins. I couldn't see the structural advantage of doing it that way, and I've never seen it done that way anywhere else.
Same as the web of a H-beam keeps the lower and upper flange apart.
If you would replace the web by a massive fill with balsa it would be lighter but with same strength.
Putting the grain perpendicular to the outer layers makes the core more difficult to compress (dents) and the sheets of balsa can be more easily plied in the mould. And glue can penetrate into the pores reducing possible delamination.
There are 2 current projects to restore and fly Mosquitos in the UK
Newsletter Signup - The People's Mosquito (peoplesmosquito.org.uk)
The Mosquito Pathfinder Trust - news (thewoodenwonder.org.uk)
Hopefully at least one of them will be successful. In a few years we could have an airshow with a Typhoon, Tempest and Mosquito!
Newsletter Signup - The People's Mosquito (peoplesmosquito.org.uk)
The Mosquito Pathfinder Trust - news (thewoodenwonder.org.uk)
Hopefully at least one of them will be successful. In a few years we could have an airshow with a Typhoon, Tempest and Mosquito!
It was a shame that having two competing groups couldn't combine resources to just one to stand a better chance of getting one flying here, but ego's got in the way as usual.
Its highly possible, that at some point in the near future the FHC/Paul Allen T.3 that was restored to fly by Avspecs (and used to hang up in the IWM Lambeth) will be sold when Paul Allen's sister starts to liquidate the airworthy contents of FHC at some point in the future...once they have sold all of the unfinished projects that are currently being sold off.
You'll need deep pockets though.
