As the mossie is my all time favourite aircraft I thought I would risk putting my two cents in here as well.

I understand this mossie is one of two surviving Spartan? operated aircraft, both were preserved after operation and both ended up in rather odd places and in long term storage.

The first then went through a succession of restoration hands until it is now subject to a flying restoration in Canada (I believe?)

The second one, owned by the City of Calgary has been well cared for in long term storage but clearly in the hands of an organisation that had no real plans of display.

(This doesnt happen too often but a good local example is the oldest DC-2 in the hands of the Albury Council – who are unsure they want to wear the restoration and indoor display costs).

There is a volunteer museum interested in acquiring the mossie, but as per all volunteer groups, it has no real cash flow or funds to make such acquisitions, and the owning “City” is full of accountants and ratepayers who expect to get economic returns from “assets” (the mossie) and “investments” in local activities (even the museum).

(The Wangaratta City Council broke up and sold Australia’s most impressive vintage aircraft collection – Drages, because they couldnt justify continued subsidy of its operation.)

Even Museums that own title their aircraft sometimes cull mossies, the RAF Museum and IWM both disposed of their flat windscreen TIII mossies as being duplicates in their collections?, but leaving only B35’s in “public” ownership, and the only static fighter model being the Mk VI under restoration at the DH Museum (and I think the NF-11 at Yorkshire may also be a flat screen model??)

(I think the RAF collection still have two B35s?? I would have kept a TIII instead of a second B35, but the TIII went overseas in a specific trade??)

And volunteer (and government owned) museums sometimes sell their only examples of a type to raise money, to create space, or to de-load the collection of workload or unsuitable types??)

The Moorabbin Air Museum came very close to selling its prize exhibit the DAP Beaufighter so it could raise cash to build a roof over the remaining collection.

The AWM sold its B25 as surplus to its collection?

My point is that even mossies are a commodity to be traded and sold, no matter how I/we place them as rare and important.

I understand the City of Calgary is already supporting the museum through the loan of aero engines, but the museum must assume even that is at risk long term, to be wanting to raise funds to purchase them outright?

The Museum would need to create a public outcry and raise significant funds to be able to match the external offer for the mossie, and the mossie has no real heritage value to the City of Calgary so its hard for the City to justify either keeping it or giving it away to a local museum when it has a tradeable value in $$$.

I would love to see a mossie back in the air, and it looks like a number are heading that way, but I always have a concern that mechanical failure or pilot error (even showing off!!) will kill a rare historic aircraft, and the number of surviving mossies is in the order of 20?? ( I havent rushed to look up the exact number) and so the loss of each one is far more painful than a T6 or P51 where there are many more on the ground and in the sky. (and all of course without in anyway diminishing the loss of human life if that occurs as well)

So summing up, I prefer to see aircraft kept in their local country if the aircraft has some historical connection, the exact location in the country wouldnt seem to matter as long as they are well cared for.

If there are other examples catering to the retention of heritage in the nation, then release for export should be permitted, (Australia applies a similar 2 airframes in public collections test to exports) and the ongoing preservation of the airframe in the air or on the ground will hopefully occur in respect to its own history, and its types rarity?

My two cents worth, without intentionally bagging anyone??

regards

Mark Pilkington

It doesnt look heavy enuf or long enuf to be a long weight, I think its a very early version of a thingybob? before they were automated.

regards

Mark Pilkington

OD,

hopefully your A26 will be staying in OZ much much longer than your B-25 did, (and it should still be here too!!)

is your A26 a solid or glass nose??, and are you planning on korean, Vietnam or late WW2 colour schemes? I cant wait to see it – if this keeps up Setter wont need to steal qny aircraft from Duxford or the US, they will already be here, and I can save on airfares to look at them. 😉

regards

Mark Pilkington

23rd July 2005 18:55
oscar duck Sounds good. So pray tell what is the capacity of your ferry tank?

My last effort at this was in 1983 when we flew my B-25 across the “peaceful” pond to Oz.

JDK,

so from your comment I assume the owner is looking for an investor/strategy to ermove structural corrosion, not simply a paint scheme to overcome surface corrosion on the bare metal??

If that is the case my best idea is that it looks like a good donation aircraft to the Longreach QANTAS Museum and display in their 1950’s colours as a Static, with a tax writeoff under the Cultural gift Program???

regards

Mark Pilkington

TT,

I used to be a Wirraway man but parted with my Wirraway project some years ago, – although it had grown into a fully viable airworthy rebuild kitset, I had too much on my plate to finish in two lifetimes and decided to pass it on to someone I had the faith had the interest, the money, – and was young enough to have enough life time left in their life time to finish it.

I know Matt Very Well, I know his Wirraway project very well too.

Although I put a lot of time and energy to collect some very rare and interesting parts for my Wirraway to build it up from an aileron to a complete kitset, my main efforts in this hobby have related around collecting CAC Wackett Trainer parts, an uninteresting? to most, non combat local design CAC built before they tackled Woomera’s Boomerangs and CA15’s.

200 Wacketts flew with the RAAF, suffered poor engine reliability and achieved a modest role in providing the EATS program with wireless/air gunners, 30 Wacketts flew unspectacularly with the NEIAF post war prior to the independance and creation of Indonesia.

A further 40 flew civilly in Australia until wiped out in the great DCA “removal” of wooden wing aircraft in the 1960s.

Today 4 “original” Wacketts exist in some form in Australia (and therefore in the world) the best surviving example being the one owned by Moorabbin.

My real penance for the loosing the Woomera fuselage section is to redress the Wackett situation and increase the body count and hopefully put at least one back into the air. (When I stop getting distracted by Museum fundraising, and Point Cook type causes I will get in my workshop and try and achieve that outcome) until then I just get to dream.

(I wont even mention the Anson squashed into a container – its too long story)

I also look forward to getting a ride in Matt’s Wirraway when he finishes that, as I still have a soft spot for that as well.

regards

Mark Pilkington