Some of the late aircraft collector John Smiths New Zealand treasures revealed including the Mossie

New, longer video:

https://youtu.be/L6engpjSfzE

Good god that’s brilliant–well done.

What a fantastic effort gone into that aeroplane in such a short time

Well done all 

I think it was missed here but the restoration was largely completed and the aircraft put on display at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in early April this year, with minor work continuing in situ and the propeller overhaul sponsored and carried out by Airbus’ NZ facility at nearby Woodbourne.

Just………..WOW !

Extraordinary progress, well done. 

The Mosquito had an engine run today, the first with both running since 1952:

https://youtu.be/cgBV9SOO4Qw

I’m surprised it’s actually possible to start them without a propeller, although I suppose 12 cylinders helps, as the prop is effectively a flywheel.

Prop Strike, I thought it was so you can use the centrifugal force to aid starting and to clear the pots upon shutdown.

Where’s Merlin Pete these days, I wonder? He’d have been the chap to ask.

Total guess – OK to run at low speed without a prop? I kow most ground display engines are fitted with something called a test club, which is pretty much a stubby-bladede propellor, but I forget the whys and wherefors.

NZ looks like a happy hunting ground for old British kit – Canadian Chipmunk, Series 1 Land Rover, Massey Ferguason 35, Mosquito….

Thanks for the clarification. Is it usual, I wonder, to run an aero engine without propellers fitted ?

That’s the port Merlin, last run sometime in the 1960s and with 84hr.

This is the starboard Merlin, possiblly last run in 1952 and with 27hr TT, which was run yesterday: https://youtu.be/rQ_iPmYY8ms

The starboard Merlin of the Mosquito was fired up this week ! It has just 27 flight hours on it, and seemed to wake from its slumber with not visible difficulty.   
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=st7KG3eXZiw&feature=youtu.b…

Thanks for those Zac.
This Mossie is a real time capsule.
Glad she will be staying in New Zealand.

The Mosquito was moved over the weekend. Omaka-based restoration shop JEM Aviation has posted on Facebook about the move: 

A big weekend with the final dismantling and moving of the Smith family Mosquito to Omaka.
Al’s advance crew were able to extract her from her long term hangar on Friday and then on Saturday the rest of the team role in to get the fuselage removed from the wing and both installed on Avspecs shipping frames. 
The Avapecs previous experience with these machines certainly helped and the job was pretty painless, helped by great weather conditions.
Unfortunately a missing piece of the shopping frame meant a new piece had to be fabricated and this put pressure on time frames to get her back to Omaka….
She got there in the end though, no doubt due to the commitment of the Muscles Lifting crew.
As before, many of the JEM Aviation crew were there in their own time to assist with this historic move.

NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 03 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 04 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 05 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 06 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 07 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 08 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 260920 JEM Aviation 09 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 270920 JEM Aviation 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
NZ2336 Mapua 270920 JEM Aviation 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Disassembly of the Mosquito for transport has begun. The Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre team has shared more details and photos about the Mossie mission today on Facebook:

It was a magnificent weekend here in the Top of the South which saw a large team from the Omaka aviation community, head to Mapua to prepare the John Smith Mosquito fighter bomber for her journey to Omaka in Marlborough. It was a big day and a productive one with fantastic team spirit shared by a great crew of dedicated supporters. Thank you to everyone who participated and the many more that offered. We look forward to sharing more of this epic journey with you. Click on the images for more details & if you would like to contribute financially any assistance big or small is much appreciated, please visit see our Give-A-Little page https://bit.ly/3jvpAL6

NZ2336 Mapua 150820 OAHC 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Start of the day – John Saunders at left explains the journey travelled so far to reach the point at which the gathered team could prepare to ready the aircraft for its big shift. This line-up features key people in the mission. from left, John, Mike Nicholls, family members Jo, George and Robbie Smith, Bill Reid, and newly appointed Project leader, Al Marshall.

For those unfamiliar with the name, Al Marshall is the brains behind the restoration of Omaka’s resident Bristol B.170 Freighter to taxiing condition.

NZ2336 Mapua 150820 OAHC 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

By the late afternoon, much progress had been made with a key milestone being reached with the removal of the propellers by a team from Airbus at Woodbourne. By this stage Cowls and flaps are off, props, gun access doors, ammo boxes, bomb bay doors. Jay’s JEM Aviation Ltd team has the port engine ready to lift out (that was a huge job) and the starboard nacelle is off with the port nacelle nearly ready to come off too.

The Fighter Flights team, which operates Reno racing Yak-3 Full Noise, has also been sharing photos of the work underway:

The innards of the Mosquito expose just how complex it is to create a multi role aircraft. Not only does this Mossie carry 4x 20 mm Cannon and 4 x .303 machine guns but there’s still room for bombs and Chelsea golden syrup as well. Awesome.

NZ2336 ammo and gun doors Fighter Flights via FB by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Apparently there had been whispers of a second Mosquito in John’s collection, but it was a (very welcome) surprise to me! On July 24 Avspecs released a short video tour of the parts haul, which is only visible on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Avspecs/posts/3602073823159358

Mustang Two Three came out of the shed yesterday and bits are already on the way to Ohakea ahead of the big move next week: https://www.facebook.com/groups/119982544710555/permalink/4239229772785791/

For those who don’t do Facebook here’s Brendon Deere’s post:

P51D NZ2423 out in the sun today for the first time in nearly 60 years as it prepares for its journey up to Ohakea next week. A container full of all its other parts, spares and the remains of several other RNZAF Mustangs started the journey north today. The main radiator and a bunch of other stuff is journeying back with me tonight on the ferry Kaiarahi – marking the first stage of the return of NZ2423 to RNZAF Ohakea where it spent its operational life.

A great team did a magnificent job over the last two days. Led by John Saunders and Mike Nichols, a lot of really hard work was done by Mit Brereton, Graham Andrews, Ryan Southam, Robbie Smith and Jo Smith – all under the watchful eye of George Smith who fittingly closed the doors on the container today.

Brendon’s photos, again from Facebook (I hope he doesn’t mind):
NZ2423 Mapua 140820 Brendon Deere via Facebook 01 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

NZ2423 Mapua 140820 Brendon Deere via Facebook 02 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
John Smith’s brother George at the wing root.

NZ2423 Mapua crew 140820 Brendon Deere via Facebook by Zac Yates, on Flickr

According to the latest Aeroplane, in addition to the complete Mosquito, there are the deteriorated remains of another Mosquito fuselage (NZ2345 /TE881) plus two further sets of nacelles with undercarriages etc. These have all gone to  Avspecs for further projects

Wonderful news: P-51D NZ2423 is joining Brendon Deere’s Biggin Hill collection at RNZAF Ohakea, where it will be restored to fly: https://www.facebook.com/groups/119982544710555/permalink/4191872334188202/

For those not on Facebook:

Joining our collection at Biggin Hill will be ex RNZAF P51D Mustang NZ2423. This aircraft has been part of the historic collection of the late John Smith at Mapua near Nelson for the last sixty years. The aircraft is a complete time capsule but like the other RNZAF Mustangs sold surplus from Woodbourne in 1958, it had its wings cut off just outboard of the main undercarriage for transport to the buyer in Nelson (these are with the aircraft). Once the aircraft is at Ohakea, we will begin the process of planning its return to airworthy.

NZ2423 was based at Ohakea for its entire operational life, serving with No.2 Territorial Air Force and also 42 Squadron. It conducted the last ever RNZAF flight of the Mustang when it was flown to Woodbourne for disposal in 1958. It was built at North American‘s Dallas factory in 1945 and was part of an order of 160 Mustangs purchased by the RNZAF to replace the Corsairs. With the end of the war, the order was cancelled apart from the 30 already on the way.

We were pleased to host John’s brother George and the Smith family at Ohakea recently so they could see the new home for the aircraft their family had looked after for so long and to pass the baton to our Biggin Hill team. Thanks to Base Commander, Group Captain Shaun Sexton for welcoming them onto Base Ohakea.

Special thanks to John Saunders, Mike Nichols and Bill Reid who have put so much effort into cataloguing John Smiths treasure collection and collating all the Mustang items which will be coming to Biggin Hill as well.

For the uninformed, Brendon also operates Spitfire IX PV270 (in the colours of his uncle Al’s EN568), Harvard NZ1037 and Grumman Avenger BuNo91110 from his hangars at RNZAF Ohakea.

Don’t go down that road Tony! It was traumatic enough at the time.

Laurence