Mosquito to fly at Legends 2011?

Mossie

Can anyone elaborate on the Neil Williams story with a Mosquito?
My dad ferried Doug A’s Mossie back from the US to Blackbushe in ’76. i remember standing beside the runway when they arrived. The hair on the back of my neck still stands up thinking of it!

Simon

What happened to the TFC Mossie? The one from IWM Lambeth.

That went to Paul Allen’s colection in washington state. The last I saw of it it was in the same ‘shop as his Fw-190 in Norfolk

What happened to the TFC Mossie? The one from IWM Lambeth.

Isn’t Peter Henley still around? He used to fly RR299.

Peter is indeed still around; I met him at the reunion at the RAF Club a couple of weeks ago. He had some very interesting photos of RR299 to show!

Andy

Apart from the RNHF Fury who was the last pilot to bail out and abandon a vintage aircraft? .

Pilot Jeff Michael and passenger Butch Cauble successfully parachuted from a P-51D back in 2001 and Art Vance exited a burning Corsair at low level in 1991.

Thanks for posting the photo’s, like Bruce said it will certainly be worth the wait. Looks like the team have done a great job and I’m looking forward to hearing that lovely sound again.
Out of all the aircraft that we have lost on the display scene, The Mosquito is the one that I’ve missed most of all.

No, I have no formal knowledge of where they are, but the pictures tell the story.

Superb work; it will be ready when it is ready.

Bruce

When I was [gloat] up close and personal with Mossie KA114 a month ago [/gloat] she was quite complete but a long way to go – undercarriage being worked on, no sign of radiators. Bruce may know a bit more of what is left to do, but unfortunately we were pressed for time and couldn’t stay long. But a magnificent machine, to be sure! I believe the AvSpecs team decided to focus on readying the P-40C to appear at Omaka, temporarily putting the Mosquito on the back burner. Here are a couple of photos I took on the day – apologies I never got more, but we had to head for home shortly after.

I also took photos of two Spitfires under wraps in the hangar, but I doubt they would be of interest to anyone in this forum 😉

damn it it was probably my only chance of seeing a live mossie 🙁
unless the other one in new Zealand does make it over to oz as planed.

The Mosquito is not yet complete in New Zealand – it will be worth the wait if it is another five years (not that it will be!)

In order to be at Legends, it really needed to be at that show, so I think for this year at least, we can cross it off our lists.

Bruce

I’ll never forget the Strathallan Mossie – I saw it the day it arrived – from above ! We were up on a parachute lift – I was due first out, when we were told to delay as an aircraft without R/T was arriving. Imagine the joy as I looked down and saw that glorious machine touch down.

Needless to say when we got down we were all over it. Wish I could get the Tardis to zip me back there……

Now that Easter 2011 has gone, does anyone know if the Mosquito flew at the airshow in Auckland as predicted? If so, when is it coming to the UK? The last time I saw one fly was in Canada when Kermit Weekes brought the Strathallan Mossie to the States – and that was a sight I’ll never forget when he flew it into Hamilton, Ontario on the way!

When the mossie flies it will be al over this forum, i for one cannot wait!!!

Isn’t Peter Henley still around? He used to fly RR299.

[QUOTE=mosquito51;1737777]Now that Easter 2011 has gone, does anyone know if the Mosquito flew at the airshow in Auckland as predicted? …….QUOTE]

A quick check of the airshow flying programme and their news pages show that it wasn’t there.

Corsair at the Phoenix air races in the mid ’90’s ?
The pilot was going to dead stick it in till it caught fire.

Kevin Eldridge, it was!-Shocking videos of it on Youtube

The Mosquito is a very good aeroplane on one engine.

However, it is not so good if an engine is lost on take off. Much like most other twins I guess.

There exists a fine piece of footage of Geoffrey de Havilland junior giving a full aerobatic display in W4052, the fighter prototype, on one engine, with the other feathered.

The Neil Williams incident is told from a different perspective (the other guy in the aeroplane) in a recent Flypast.

Bruce

What Bruce is alluding to, is VMCA – minimum control speed in the air, below VMCA, life can become incredibly exciting before disappointing, above it, you are better off.
All aircraft (single or twin) have a degree of risk in their operation; everything is about risk mitigation. No-one should (or does IMHO) go into such a venture without risk assessment (budget, safety and technical) and appropriate mitigation. A suitable training scheme would result in suitable pilots being trained. You always have to make your first flight on a new aircraft type….be it in 1941 or now. Kermit had to make his. Sure, it is hard to find ‘current’ Mossie pilots, but there are other big engined twins out there that have similar characteristics…all multi engine aircraft have VMCG and VMCA issues.
Flying in a single engined aircraft (especially a jet) will always have a interesting speed range where all you can do is land ahead or bang out….
So the upshot is if you can afford to rebuild it, you can ensure you have a suitable pilot!

Apart from the RNHF Fury who was the last pilot to bail out and abandon a vintage aircraft? .

Corsair at the Phoenix air races in the mid ’90’s ?
The pilot was going to dead stick it in till it caught fire.

Now that Easter 2011 has gone, does anyone know if the Mosquito flew at the airshow in Auckland as predicted? If so, when is it coming to the UK? The last time I saw one fly was in Canada when Kermit Weekes brought the Strathallan Mossie to the States – and that was a sight I’ll never forget when he flew it into Hamilton, Ontario on the way!

Just a P-38

Yeah whoops P-38 not P-39 as thats no longer at DX is it.

The Mosquito is a very good aeroplane on one engine.

However, it is not so good if an engine is lost on take off. Much like most other twins I guess.

There exists a fine piece of footage of Geoffrey de Havilland junior giving a full aerobatic display in W4052, the fighter prototype, on one engine, with the other feathered.

The Neil Williams incident is told from a different perspective (the other guy in the aeroplane) in a recent Flypast.

Bruce

Not sure but I think you’ll find that display was the thing that persuaded the Air Ministry to award a production contract.