Hi can any give a answer about Mosquito KA114 recently restored in New Zealand. It is fitted with two Rolls-Royce Merlin 25s but has only five exhaust stubs the rear two being joined into one. I know that the De Havilland Hornet was fitted with Merlins but with only five exhaust stubs so that the hot exhaust gasses, would not inter fear withe the carburettor and super charger intakes, which were fitted in the wing leading edge.
The original Mosquito engines were R/R Merlins 130 and 131 with the air scoop under the engine, which KA114 still has. Do you think she is fitted with later engines as in the Hornet, but retains the original under engine air scoop for looks. Am I any were near the mark what do you think.
Regards Bob
By: Mark V - 29th August 2013 at 14:27
There is nothing further reported re a sale as far as I am aware. Its as likely to stay in the US as it is to come to Europe and that will remain the case until a sale is confirmed.
By: markstringer - 29th August 2013 at 12:52
Any more news on this birds sale? What are the chances of this coming to Europe?
By: MerlinPete - 29th August 2013 at 12:40
At the risk of being labelled a needle-butt, many Hornets had 4 fishtails, not 5.
Pete
By: Graham Boak - 29th August 2013 at 10:20
It seems that the siamesed pipes were a standard fit on all single-stage Merlin except very late ones, notably (only?) Canadian production. I have seen it suggested that examples showing six pipes on the outer side of the nacelles still had five on the inner, but I don’t know the truth of that.
By: coldkiwi1 - 28th August 2013 at 10:57
Definitely has 23EX props installed with the fine spline.
By: lordish - 28th August 2013 at 07:29
KA 114 Status
Has anyone heard definitavely that KA 114 has been sold and will be moving to Texas? It would be sad if she were locked up in a hangar somewhere and not flown. So far as I know the farthest this treasure has flown is from Virginia Beach VA to Hamilton, Ontario Canada. Where I saw and hugged her fuselage to examine the fabric work.
lordish
By: lordish - 28th August 2013 at 07:23
There’s a lot of rumors about the Merlins on KA114. According to Mike he said that they were Packards but not sure of the number. Best guess is Packard Merlin 225.
By: ChernKStewfan - 5th February 2013 at 00:04
The conjoined/merged pipes were also fitted on the Hornet for much the same reason as on the Mosquito–the inboard stubs would’ve blown hot exhaust almost directly into the radiator intakes.
The single stage Mosquito models (PR I/IV, B IV, F/NF II, NF XII/XIII/XVII/XIX, FB VI/XVIII) had Merlin 21, 23 or 25 engines (or Packard built equivalents for those build in Canada or Australia), and all except the Oz-built FB 40 had the jointed rear pipes. The FB 40 had 6 pipes outboard/5 inboard.
The two stage Mosquitoes (B/PR IX/XVI, PR 34, B 35, F/NF XV, NF 30/36/38) had 6 on each side because of the engine nacelles being 9 inches longer, allowing room for 6 stub pipes.
In the case of the Hornet, though it had two stage Merlins, it had 5 pipes on each side for the reasons explained above, as it’s engine nacelles were shorter than those of the two stage Mosquitoes (the Mosquito was designed originally around single stage Merlins, while the Hornet had it’s engines designed essentially for it–namely the downdraught injector carb sort of like what most Allison V-1710s had, but was a British made Rolls/SU carb based partly on the license built Bendix/Stromburg units fitted to most Merlin 60 series engines/all Packard V-1650 variants, and was more advanced than the early Bendix carbs).
And as pointed out, the FB 26 (DHC license built FB VI) had Packard V-1650 Merlin 225 engines, based on the Rolls-Royce built 25 as it’s original engines, and the 25/225 are interchangeable on the Mosquito.
By: Bruce - 4th February 2013 at 22:38
The siamesed rear pipes were a standard fitment on later single stage Mosquito’s.
The Hornet engine is a Merlin on acid – the most highly developed production version of the engine, and a quite different beast from the early engines.
Bruce
By: Firebird - 4th February 2013 at 20:46
The original Mosquito engines were R/R Merlins 130 and 131 with the air scoop under the engine, which KA114 still has.
The Merlin 130/131 were Hornet specific engines.
As far as I’m aware, KA114 has a pair of ex-RNZAF Merlin 25’s fitted (although as a FB.26 it would have originally had Packard built Merlin 225’s fitted)
Sign In
February 4, 2013 at 8:28 pm