De Haviland Mosquitoes.
- Thread starter Kittyhawk
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Wonderful, very elegant and great tribute to the Mossie.
I saw a Mossie briefly in the 1990s.
I was volunteering on Friday evenings to train a local ATC squadron for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme in Hawarden in North Wales. The squadron was well run with v. keen cadets, they had entered a competition to be the best squadron in Wales and got through to the final round. On the day of the inspection by the Vice marshals from HQ in Brecon who had come up for the day, all the cadets were lined up after marching on parade for final inspection by the top brass when a Mossie hopped over the fence flew just above our heads over the air marshal and hoped over the next hedge and was off. I should add that the ATC was at the end of the runway of Broughton the old De Haviland factory that was making wings for Airbus and the Mossie belonged to BAe and was based their. The cadets had been tipped off something spectacular might happen and not-one moved a muscle or raised their eyes but focused forward throughout. I should add that you didn't hear it coming, it went so fast and so low that it just appeared over the hedge.. We won the competition and later that year at the diner to celebrate the Mossie stunt was mentioned by the Air marshal as the highlight of the tour.
I only saw it couple of times flying over Broughton. Sadly it crashed a few years later.
Fascinated by your models - great theme.
clogs
just can't decide
Mossie's sure have an aura about them.....
as a youg child my best efferts were made to assemble an "Airfix" (I think) kit of one......built many before ....my mother still had it years later....
No idea where it went.....
Strangely my other fav was the Lysander.....not very flash I agree....
as a youg child my best efferts were made to assemble an "Airfix" (I think) kit of one......built many before ....my mother still had it years later....
No idea where it went.....
Strangely my other fav was the Lysander.....not very flash I agree....
Kittyhawk
Established Member
Thank you for posting the above.
Anecdotes like yours add immeasurably to the pleasure I derive from playing around with model aeroplanes.
Anecdotes like yours add immeasurably to the pleasure I derive from playing around with model aeroplanes.
I can't match the Mossie story, the best I've got was when inspecting ladder access and hand rails on hangar roofs watching a Vulcan make very low passes along the runway, we were 18m off the ground and as I remember it (not always accurate) at eye level with the pilot. An other beautiful airplane but not a match on the wooden wolf.
AJN
New member
As a young boy in the early 1960s we would cycle through the lanes to Exeter airport to see Mossies that were then used (I think) for target towing. They also had Vampire jets there. We would get as close as the airport staff would allow and log numbers of the few commercial flights each day. You would not allow young boys to make that trip today - roads far too busy and the airport now (pre-COVID) huge. I did drive out to the airport about 25 years ago with my young son and we were fortunate to see both Concorde and the Red Arrows (or equivalent) land and park up near the terminal building. Probably arrived for the Exeter Air Show.
RickG
Established Member
It's great to see the models here. They're beautifully made.
In London Colney, Hertfordshire there is, of course the De Havilland Museum. In the 60s I was taken there as a child. I don't know if this was a normal thing. I don't think it was, but I was allowed to sit in one. This could have been because of my grandfather, who worked on building and repairing them, in the De Havilland factory when they were in action. I believe the factory was in St Albans then. I think the Hatfield one came much later.
What I do remember is the interior was really bare. The "seat" was extremely basic. No padding and uncomfortable. At the time, I think I even remarked on the seat had been removed, but was told, "no, that's it. That's what it's like." Sitting for a couple of hours in that would be no pleasure. Only made worse by the fact that you're about to get shot at too!
I did also visit the De Havilland factory in Hatfield. This was in the 70s when they were still building, but it was planes of steel. I remember seeing the panels stamped out and the presses for smaller parts. It was a factory "open day". You wouldn't get that happening these days even if they're much safer now.
In London Colney, Hertfordshire there is, of course the De Havilland Museum. In the 60s I was taken there as a child. I don't know if this was a normal thing. I don't think it was, but I was allowed to sit in one. This could have been because of my grandfather, who worked on building and repairing them, in the De Havilland factory when they were in action. I believe the factory was in St Albans then. I think the Hatfield one came much later.
What I do remember is the interior was really bare. The "seat" was extremely basic. No padding and uncomfortable. At the time, I think I even remarked on the seat had been removed, but was told, "no, that's it. That's what it's like." Sitting for a couple of hours in that would be no pleasure. Only made worse by the fact that you're about to get shot at too!
I did also visit the De Havilland factory in Hatfield. This was in the 70s when they were still building, but it was planes of steel. I remember seeing the panels stamped out and the presses for smaller parts. It was a factory "open day". You wouldn't get that happening these days even if they're much safer now.
NickWelford
So many tools, so little to show
Great story about the Mosquito, and beautiful models, I’d be proud to own either.
my dad was a Wellington bomber pilot in the war and always wanted to be a Mosquito pilot. Sadly never flew one, but post war did become an ace photographic interpreter on mostly Canberra squadrons.
my dad was a Wellington bomber pilot in the war and always wanted to be a Mosquito pilot. Sadly never flew one, but post war did become an ace photographic interpreter on mostly Canberra squadrons.
NickWelford
So many tools, so little to show
Pilots used to sit on their parachute.
AES
Established Member
Or dinghy, depending (on what, I'm not quite sure). But not all that comfortable anyway. But then again, not really designed for comfort - well, British aircraft anyway.
Even in "my day" on military aircraft (ejection seats) the "back rest" was (usually) the parachute and the seat "cushion" was the PSP (Personal Survival Pack), i.e. dinghy, flare, Sarbe Radio, rations, sea dye, etc, etc. Don't know what it's like these days but wouldn't mind betting it's not much better!
Speaking very generally, US aircraft are/were noted for a bit more in the way of creature comforts, not to mention better cockpit ergonomics.
RickG
Established Member
Good point, Nick!!
Why pad a seat if the parachute does the job?
Interestingly enough, another visit I made more recently was to the Martin-Baker factory for the modern ejection seats. As a lighting engineer I was doing designs for ligthing their area for packing the parachutes. The modern seats are better, but not exactly club-class!
Why pad a seat if the parachute does the job?
Interestingly enough, another visit I made more recently was to the Martin-Baker factory for the modern ejection seats. As a lighting engineer I was doing designs for ligthing their area for packing the parachutes. The modern seats are better, but not exactly club-class!
AES
Established Member
Ah, Martin Baker. NOW you're talking!
I never actually "studied bang seats" as part of my RAF trade, but heard a lot about them. AFAIK; all RAF seats were MB. They seemed to work pretty well, in marked contrast to the American seats (Stencel I think) first fitted to the German F104 Starfighter. It seems that they, initially at least, fired the pilot DOWNWARDS - VERY useful if you've had a engine failure close to the ground - NOT!
But I am talking mid 1960's and am sure a lot of new stuff has happened since then.
I never actually "studied bang seats" as part of my RAF trade, but heard a lot about them. AFAIK; all RAF seats were MB. They seemed to work pretty well, in marked contrast to the American seats (Stencel I think) first fitted to the German F104 Starfighter. It seems that they, initially at least, fired the pilot DOWNWARDS - VERY useful if you've had a engine failure close to the ground - NOT!
But I am talking mid 1960's and am sure a lot of new stuff has happened since then.
Cooper
Established Member
I took my father, who was a night fighter pilot, to a couple of mosquito aircrew signings at Salisbury Hall, the DH museum. I was able to poke my head inside and was staggered about how confined it was. I asked him how could the pilot get out if they had been in trouble, as the pilot sat above the navigator. He said "I think some navigators managed to get out but a parachute really just a cushion for the pilot".
Kittyhawk
Established Member
Reading the above makes me appreciate what a tremendous resource is locked up in peoples memories. And Cooper's photo - this sort of thing should come out of drawers and albums and be properly archived.
I really get a lot out of what is being shared.
I really get a lot out of what is being shared.
stuartpaul
Established Member
Excuse me Mr K but I think you got the thread title wrong. Shouldn’t it be ‘Mosquito WIP’?
Really nice work (again) and a wonderful aeroplane.
Really nice work (again) and a wonderful aeroplane.
Trainee neophyte
Established Member
"Anybody want to buy a Starfighter? Then buy as plot of land....and wait." So awful an aeroplane they made an album about it.
Just in case you never heard of it, Captain Lockheed and the Star fighters is a very odd album from the 70s, half Hawkwind (it is Bob Calvert, after all) and half Monty Python/Goons sketches.
Sorry for the off topic, but someone mentioned Starfighters.
Cooper
Established Member
These pictures were taken on the same visit and show the view I managed to get of the cockpit looking straight up, it takes a bit of imagination to work out the angle.
You may be interested in Project Jericho who are building a mosquito from plans they got from New Zealand?
http://warbirdsnews.com/warbird-restorations/the-peoples-mosquito-operation-jericho-update-8.html
Not the most gripping videos but it is woodwork!
I can PM more pictures from Salisbury Hall if you like.
Martin
Kittyhawk
Established Member
About half way through a WIP on a couple of P51D Mustangs..
Kittyhawk
Established Member
and you've done it now with your photos, Mr Cooper. I want to build a 1:1 scale mossie now.
Kittyhawk
Established Member
And concerning the mossie building video, I wonder why they are attempting to fair up the mold with planes? A simple device called an idi0t board is the way to go - so named because after a days work on one you are reduced to a jabbering idi0t - but they work incredibly well in fairing a curved surface as is found in wooden boat hulls. It is just a straight grained board 4 inches wide, 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick and anywhere from 3 to 5 foot long depending on whether its a one or two man board. Put a bit of resin bonded sandpaper along it and over the ends, secured by a handle at each end. We would normally start with 60 grit. The benefit of the board is that it is long enough not to follow the contours as a plane would - instead it knocks off all the high points. By the time you get down to the 280 grit we would use a black dusting powder puffed all over the hull. When it was all gone you new the hull was fair.
