OT - Old Warbird - the Mosquito Flies!

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: OT - Old Warbird - the Mosquito Flies!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Friday, September 28, 2012 - 10:46 pm:

Knowing how keen folk here are on things old that move, I thought I'd share this photo with you.....



It is the first time a Mosquito has taken to the air for many a decade - it had been thought impossible to get one back in the air. If you want a very quick idea of what it's all about, I wrote a short item about it for our company blog yesterday after the owner, Gerry Yager, had flown in from the USA and picked up one of our cars to get to the airfield. You can read that on http://www.rentalcars.co.nz/pegasus-rental-cars-new-zealand-blog/ - it's the first item.

I was supposed to join my son in Auckland today for this, but could not get away from work. I am really sorry to be missing this wonderful event.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Friday, September 28, 2012 - 11:33 pm:

Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZLnOlaFGac.
There are some others, too. This reminds me of warplanes flying over Wilmington and Long Beach right after the war. At age five I could identify several.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison on Friday, September 28, 2012 - 11:49 pm:

Hell here in Minnesota those little mosquitoes like that will pick you up and take you down to the swamp where the big ones live. Awesome photo John. Thanks for sharing. Somehow I get the feeling that old devil is a noisy bird to fly in.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:01 am:

Steve that video was definitely worth watching. Thanks for posting. I conjured in my mind one of those coming in on a run just over the canopy and cutting loose with twin mini-guns. One in each wing tip. That would put a bind in Uncle Ho's boxers.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob Heyen - Nebraska on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:21 am:

The Mosquito reminds me go the P 38 Lightning. My dad, now 90, said as a GI on New Guinea and the Philipines, he saw air battles and thought the P 38 looked remarkably fast. It appears both aircraft served similar versatile roles. Good to see a Mosquito in the air again.



Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:43 am:

My Dad was in New Guinea and the Phillipines. I don't know what his unit was. He loved talking about being in the Army until it came to talking about his time in the South Pacific.

When I was in Viet Nam I was in the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division. About a month ago I was up on the North Shore of Lake Superior and met an old veteran up there that was in the Americal during the 2nd World War in New Guinea, New Caledonia and the Philipines. I never even thought about where the name Americal came from until I realized it was a word made up by the Americans in New Caledonia. He was with the Americal when it started during WW2 and I was one of the last guy with the Americal before they stood down in DaNang Viet Nam.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:48 am:

As I used to say when defending my wood-winged Bellanca: "Aluminum won't even float; how can it possibly fly?"

In the early 1930s, Bellanca built a wood winged fighter that was 100 mph faster than anything the US Army Air Corp had. They offered him a contract if he would build it in aluminum, and he refused. 50 of those were built, but it's unsure where they went; maybe Chile, maybe USSR.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Clipner-Los Angeles on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:53 am:

The Krauts had a name for fighter bombers, JABOS !!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 01:03 am:

Thanks, John. From what I've read, the Mosquito was far faster than any other plane at the time, and could haul bombs.

We still have two P-38 pilots in Surf City's Old Bold Pilots. Joe was late in the war and saw some action over southern Germany.

Tom was shot down over New Guinea in Sept 1943, and broke his back after his parachute tangled in the trees. Natives took him to the coast and Aussies took him to Oz hospital.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 04:37 am:

Mike - I didn't take that photo it was emailed to me - I wish I had been there to take it!

Ralph -
The Mosquito was one of the most successful aircraft of WW2. Not as sexy as a Spitfire, or a Mustang, but in it's raw form it could outperform the Spitfire.

I know little about aeronautics but the tare weight of a Spitfire (metal construction) was around 5,300lb. The tare weight of the Mosquito varied between around 5,900 and 6,900lb, depending upon the type and configuration. They both had essentially the same motor - except the Mosquito had two of them! The laws of physics begin to take over the imagination. Set up as a fighter, the Mosquito could out manouvere a Spitfire!

It is co-incidental but the taking to the skies of this particular aircraft is about the same time of the year as it's first publicised raid - on the Gestapo HQ in Oslo, 25 September, 1942.

The "Mossie" (aka "Wooden Wonder"!) was originally designed to be an unarmed bomber or photo reconnaissance aircraft. It had a crew of two and no rear-facing gun (deemed unnecessary, given its speed). But other uses were quickly found for it. Below is a period pic of one with a glass nose, where the co-pilot would lie to aim in his dual role as bombardier.


Mosquito


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Trevan - Australia on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 06:36 am:

Can't leave our AUSTRALIAN built ''mossie'' out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7cVvYdLeek


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 07:57 am:

Wooden Wonder, Bamboo Bomber, Spruce Goose, Termite Tavern are all tags given by those flying lesser performing airplanes.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 07:59 am:

That is an excellent video Bob. Very descriptive of their construction and their uniqueness. Thanks for putting in the link.

I have some good news for you. The second Mossie from Mosquito Aircraft Restorations in Auckland is an Australian one. The owner of Mosquito Aircraft Restorations intends flying it to Aussie, to it's birthplace (Bankstown in Sydney I think).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 08:09 am:

The The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was one very bad bird. :-) Actually, the first 'stealth' aircraft. Being mostly wood, it had a very low radar signature.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Ashton Rosenkrans on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 01:37 pm:

The was a great movie made during the late 60's called 633 Squadron about a semi-fictional bombing raid on a German heavy-water plant which featured a number of Mosquitos. Wonderful sounds as they run up those two Merlins!

I visited the Mosquito museum in the UK a number of years ago. Off the beaten path, you have to look up where it is, but its the original home of the Mosquito complete with the cut through the hedge they had to make to fly the early prototypes out. The No.1 prototype is on display there along with one of the 633 movie planes.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary H. White - Sheridan, MI on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 05:05 pm:

I was stationed on Malta in the late 50s and our outfit shared an airfield with the British navy. There was a salvage yard out back that held several Mosquito hulks. They were no longer being flown by then. I enjoyed climbing in and around and looking over the engineering of the wood construction.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 08:08 pm:

Just a quick update.
Here is a link to an item from our tv news last night, which includes a quick word with Gerry Yager.....

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/warbird-flies-again-video-5108120

Plus story off web news site 'Stuff'...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7747544/WWII-Mosquito-takes-flight

Great to see the former pilots involved!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roar Sand on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 10:30 pm:

John,
I have not verified the date, but that raid on the Gestapo ( GEheimliche STats POlizei ) headquarters at Viktoria Terasse in Oslo was probably the one where they missed and a bomb hit a street car during rush hour. I would guess the air sirens went off and I was in a bomb shelter with my parents.
During the German occupation Viktoria Terasse was a feared place. Many that got hauled in there were never seen again.
Roar


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bud Holzschuh - Panama City, FL on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 10:48 pm:

Both the "633 squadron" and the "mosquito squadron" films are available from netflix and on netflix streaming too.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 02:44 am:

Roar,

Here is a link to a website that I view most days - what was happening in WW2 this day 70 years ago. It's takes about 5 - 10 minutes a day and it feels like the least any of us can do to try to appreciate the times the affected folk lived day after day for years. A few days ago they covered the Oslo raid, which is what triggered the thought and the mention in my post.

Roar, it sounds as though you may have been one of those affected folk. Thank you for saying something. They were tough times. Probably the toughest the world has ever known.

Bud - I might be wrong but is the movie "Mosquito Squadron' not about the raid on the German prison at Amiens? I saw that movie a zillion years ago. If so, the squadron involved was 487 NZ squadron, aircraft code EG, as in the example that has just taken to the air here!

Best wishes
John Stokes
New Zealand


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By keith d lawson on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 09:54 am:

We've had a restored B -25 flying around Topeka,Ks. this weekend . Guess you can purchase a ride in it .
I just love hearing it come around as I live somewhat in a landing pattern . Keep going outside everytime and not getting much done .
Love that sound and can't imagine what 10 or 20 of them sounded like together ..


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roar Sand on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 10:15 am:

John,

I did a little research and found that the raid by four Mosquitos over Oslo on Sept. 25, 1942 was not the one I mentioned.
In that raid two German FW 190 took off from Fornebu airfield just outside of Oslo. They managed to shoot down one of the four Mosquito planes and two RAF men died. The other three managed to get away but suffered some damage.
The end result was 6 Norwegians killed and 68 wounded, and 3 Germans dead and 11 wounded.

The raid by the 627th squadron on December 31st, 1944 is the one I remember people talking about.
One bomb hit the ground near the Royal Castle, bounced up in the air and exploded over street car #115. The result was 78 Norwegians and 27 Germans dead, and 57 Norwegians wounded.
At that time I was staying with relatives 80 miles north of Oslo, the same place I later kept
my 1926 Touring during winters, as there was less chance of getting bombed out in the rural areas, and the food supply was better there too.

Yes, war is ugly!

Roar


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Evan Mason on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 11:47 am:

We had an air show in Paso Robles yesterday. It was quite a show. There were 6 P51's including a C model, 2 P40's, a flying P38, a Wildcat, a Corsair, an Avenger, a B25 Mitchell bomber, a replica FW 190, a Yak 3 and 2 Hawker Sea Furies. Plus 3 T-28s and a bunch of Stearmans and AT-6s

But the star of the show was the flying prototype Northrup Flying Wing. It was very interesting to see it fly and realize that it was WWII era cutting edge technology.

I was working the show for the local museum and so I did not have an opportunity to take any photos. This was a joint show between the Estrella Warbird Museum and the Planes of Fame Museum from Chino, CA.

It was great and you could but a ride in a P-51D for only $1200! It would be nice to be so flush that you could spend the money but alas I will just have to enjoy the thrill from the ground.


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