The Plane That Saved Britain

[Ninthace]

I do not know if this is a repeat or not but:

Channel More4
Freeview Ch 18
21:00, tonight 8 July
The Plane That Saved Britain.
Arthur Williams pays tribute to the De Havilland Mosquito

I have a Coulson of a Mozzie on my wall and model on my shelves. My dad, a WW2 NCO pilot told me tales though he never flew one. I did see one flying in the UK once. I was at RAE Bedford and it was at Stagsden at the time. It came in between the hangars, 2 Merlins in tight formation - more than wonderful. I would sell my children for a ride in one!

[SASless]

Have you read "Terror In The Starboard Seat"?

Lovely tale of a Mozzie Crew during the War.

[Imagegear]

Manged to get a look inside one staging through Benson circa 1971/2., It was parked outside "Charlies Chippy "hangar.

Big props, big Merlins, slim wings and fuselage - A thing of beauty and potent to boot. - a rare combination.

IG

[tr7v8]

A good Book that cover the Mossie Night Fighter Over Germany: 'The Long Road to the Sky' Graham Whiteand

[Wensleydale]

well I suppose you needed one if you were making a Mosquito....

[GeeRam]

The worlds first composite construction, stealthy MRCA.

[ShyTorque]

I first saw a Mosquito at the Farnborough Airshow in about 1961. I was a very small boy back then and the show was far less formal than in later years. A Mossie, a Spitfire and a Hurricane all beat up the place at very low level. A never to be forgotten experience. That, and the Lightning, with its burners lit and climbing vertically like a rocket from takeoff, sparked my enduring ambitions of becoming a pilot. I eventually did and have spent all my adult life, from the age of twenty, earning a living from it.

So thank you, Mr de Havilland!

[Get me some traffic]

Posted this story before but it bears repeating.
Mid 1970s, RAF Leuchars, Officers Mess bar, putting the world to rights, as you do!!
I'm a young ATCO, listening to aircrew discussing tactics. Ltng, F4, and Bucc crews all discussing their points of view.
I cannot remember exactly who said this but I think it was a very experienced simulator instructor who had also flown Harriers.
He said that the ideal strike aircraft would be twin engined, two crewed, subsonic, able to carry a substantial load, capable of very low level flight, low radar signature, digital avionics, (1970s remember), cheap to build, manoeuvrable and able to absorb punishment.
Gentlemen, I give you the digital Mosquito.

[Old-Duffer]

There is at least one Mossie flying in New Zealand and I believe there is an intention to get another one airborne somewhere else.
Several were destroyed in the making of 633 Sqn and the last one flying in the UK was crashed at an air display about 20 years ago.
My father (a regular NCO) served on 684 (later 81) Sqn in the Far East with the PR34 and 34A from 1944 to 47 and the RAF retired its last ones out there in the mid-1950s.

Drifting - as U do - one of Dad's squadron commanders was the first senior officer 'invited' to retire when the breath test for motorists was introduced. Great pity, very talented chap.
Old Duffer

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by Old-Duffer

There is at least one Mossie flying in New Zealand and I believe there is an intention to get another one airborne somewhere else.

The one's that were recently flying in New Zealand was only because that where they were rebuilt (by AvSpecs) but they were all for US owners, so once test flights had been done in NZ, they were dismantled and shipped to the USA to their new owners.
AvSpecs have restored 3 x Mosquitos in the past decade or more, the first one, FB.VI, KA114 for Jerry Yagen in Virginia.
The 2nd one was the ex-IWM Lambeth T.3, TV959, which was restored for Paul Allen's FHC in Seattle. Its likely that this one may well be up for sale in the future along with most of FHC's other aircraft after the death of Paul Allen. The 3rd one was FB.VI PZ474, restored for US collector Rod Lewis, but sold recently to California collector Charles Somers.
AvSpecs do have another one in the pipeline....possibly.
There was also an original (non new build wood) that was restored to airworthy in Canada over a 25 year period and flew for the first time about 6/7 years ago. However, once its initial few test flights were completed, it has remained grounded ever since and is not likely to fly again under its current ownership.

[insty66]

Originally Posted by Old-Duffer

There is at least one Mossie flying in New Zealand and I believe there is an intention to get another one airborne somewhere else.
Several were destroyed in the making of 633 Sqn and the last one flying in the UK was crashed at an air display about 20 years ago.
My father (a regular NCO) served on 684 (later 81) Sqn in the Far East with the PR34 and 34A from 1944 to 47 and the RAF retired its last ones out there in the mid-1950s.

Drifting - as U do - one of Dad's squadron commanders was the first senior officer 'invited' to retire when the breath test for motorists was introduced. Great pity, very talented chap.
Old Duffer

There is this, People's Mosquito I'm not aware of any other attempts to get one flying in the UK.

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by insty66

There is this, People's Mosquito I'm not aware of any other attempts to get one flying in the UK.

There is another one, The Pathfinder Trust's project..... https://thewoodenwonder.org.uk/ which IMHO actually stands a better chance of happening, as they acquired the late Glynn Powell's project so actually have real parts to start with, unlike People's Mosquito that had a damaged data plate and nothing else. The metal parts content of a Mossie is quite a lot, and Pathfinder Trust have most of that now from Glynn's stash, and these metal parts are getting hard to find.

[treadigraph]

Theoretically there are two Mossies potentially coming to the UK; as I last heard it, AvSpecs are doing one for the Pathfinder Association and the People's Mosquito were doing theirs in the UK - there was talk of making moulds and so on which seemed daft as Glyn Powell had done the hard bit already. Plans may have changed now. AvSpecs are also working on the vestigial remains of a Hornet and I hope we in the UK get at least a visit when it flies. I'm being very positive but they seem to achieve what they set out to do.

25 years this month since the Mossie crash at Barton, a week after the P-38 crash at Duxford...

[KING6024]

The only time I saw Mosquitos fly was when they were making 633 Squadron at Bovingdon when a formation,I can't remember how many, flew the length of Watford High Street at fairly low level.

[teej013]

I see from their website, that Lincs Aviation, (East Kirkby), are advertising Mossie taxy rides, in addition to their Lancaster taxy rides.

https://www.lincsaviation.co.uk/stor...to-taxy-rides/

Teej...

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Get me some traffic

He said that the ideal strike aircraft would be twin engined, two crewed, subsonic, able to carry a substantial load, capable of very low level flight, low radar signature, digital avionics, (1970s remember), cheap to build, manoeuvrable and able to absorb punishment.
Gentlemen, I give you the digital Mosquito.

Or Beaufighter.

[tdracer]

When I saw the title, I assumed the subject would be the Spitfire (or perhaps Hurricane) - not to dis the Mosquito, but had it not been for the Spits and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain the Mosquito wouldn't have had the opportunity to shine.
Anyway, since there is discussion of the 633 Squadron movie (first saw it with my dad at a drive-in when it first came out - interesting to hear my WW II veteran dad (US Infantry in the Pacific) rave about what a great airplane the Mosquito was), I have a question:
I'd assumed that 633 Squadron was a fictional story. Am I correct, or is it loosely based on a real mission? Or perhaps somewhere in between?

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by tdracer

I have a question:
I'd assumed that 633 Squadron was a fictional story. Am I correct, or is it loosely based on a real mission? Or perhaps somewhere in between?

It's a fictional story.
But its inspiration was clearly the various low level and precision raids done by Mosquito groups during the war, such as Amiens Prison raid, and the 3 x Gestapo HQ raids to Oslo, Aarhus and Copenhagen.

[canuck slf]

Gaining Altitude: The Mosquito Reborn

Documentary (58 minutes), Gaining Altitude: The Mosquito Reborn, on the story of the Mosquito restored/rebuilt at Victoria, BC, Canada, available in Canada at Knowledge.ca and being rebroadcast on Knowledge on Tuesday August 31 at 6 PM Pacific.
A search of title shows other methods of viewing it.

[Herod]

i agree with tdracer. The Mossie certainly helped Britain and the Allies win the war, but the aircraft that actually saved Britain was the Hurricane. That said, it's not a bad film, although the comic bits were unnecessary.