if anyone still has back issues of Warbirds Worldwide in their archive see issue No.4 for a fabulous write up from George Aird about flying this Mossie across the Atlantic – “Mosquito to Miami”
George Aird – now there’s a character. He was always approachable but very modest. I loved his displays in RR299. He was a natural choice for the RS712 epic. He was if I recall correctly in the famous Black Arrows Hunter team that looped at Farnborough and when a civilian test pilot in 1962 had to bang out of a Lightning at VERY low level then he landed on a greenhouse and broke his legs – the whole lot being shown in a marvelous photo (taken by a bye-stander) that was published in the daily rag next day.
So far as the Mossie goes – I was told (not certain it’s true) that the owner had been willing to let it stay here a little longer but that interest was insufficient from show organisers as there was another Mossie available. I recall it appearing briefly at Abingdon one very rainy day when it was being prepared for KW and then at a Biggin Hill event before it headed off across the pond. Last time I saw it in the EAA hangar at Osh’ it seemed to be well looked after but rather out of place. 🙁
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