Another DH Mosquito Soon to Fly

[Bomber_12th]

High on my warbird watch-list right now is the restoration of the DH Mosquito T.III TV959. This aircraft, owned by the Flying Heritage Collection (based at Paine Field, north of Seattle), has been under restoration at Avspecs in New Zealand since 2011.

Final preparations are currently underway to mount the aircraft's wheels, props, and exhaust stubs, among other tasks, and the first engine runs are to be made within the next few days, with flight testing by the end of the month (likely will be sent to the paint shop following the engine runs, prior to the test flights). This is the second Mosquito restored to fly by Avspecs (which has three-four more in line, with work already well underway on the next, slated to fly in 2018). TV959 will now become the third airworthy Mosquito in the world, joining Jerry Yagen's fighter variant and Bob Jens' bomber variant (TV959 is the unarmed trainer variant).

Prior to FHC purchasing the aircraft, it had been with the Imperial War Museum for many years, and in storage with The Fighter Collection at Duxford for about a decade. I think the last time it flew was likely in the early 60's. For flight testing in New Zealand, the aircraft has been temporarily registered as ZK-FHC. Following the completion of flight testing, the plan is to have the aircraft shipped to Seattle over the winter (northern winter) in order to have it reassembled and flying at Paine Field by next year's FHC flying events.

Here is a little teaser video posted today by Avspecs: https://www.facebook.com/Avspecs/vid...type=2&theater

Here are some earlier photos of the project...

The un-restored, very original internally, TV959 upon arrival to Avspecs' workshops in 2011 (unlike KA114 before it, TV959 arrived to Avspecs as a mostly complete, but non-airworthy aircraft, but with one wing cut off (from a previous display life)):



The restored aircraft as of May of this year (although I don't know if the aircraft will receive a camouflage or post-WWII all-silver scheme, the silver you see here is just standard, applied to the fabric to serve as UV-protection, no matter what the eventual scheme will be, just as you see in practice on any fabric-covered aircraft of this period - always starts with layers of red dope for tautening, then silver dope for UV-protection, followed by the actual paint/markings):



Restored panel/cockpit (one small panel still missing in this shot, which fits around the gear/flaps levers). Almost every detail has been kept just as it was prior to restoration, with only some slight changes to make it precisely accurate to 1945, when it was originally manufactured (internally, it had been left fairly-well untouched/unchanged since the 1940's, but some parts had been re-painted/marked differently since then, and in the restoration, only the original 1945-era finishes have been reproduced):

[Bomber_12th]

Here is the aircraft's history:

-Accepted July 1945
-Assigned to No.13 OTU at RAF Middleton on August 29, 1945 (coded "KQ-G")
-Assigned to No.266 Sqd. on October 31, 1946
-Assigned to No.54 OTU at RAF Eastmore on April 24, 1947
-Assigned to No.228 OTU at RAF Leeming on May 17, 1947
-Assigned to No.22 MU at RAF Silloth on September 20, 1950 (maintained and stored)
-Assigned to No. 204 AFS on July 15, 1951 (damaged/repaired by Brooklands Aviation Ltd at Sywell)
-Stored with No.27 MU at RAF Shawbury on February 6, 1952 (remaining stored, transferred from No.27 MU, to No.49 MU, and back to No.27 MU)
-Assigned to Home Command Examination Unit/HQ's Fighter Command Communications Squadron at RAF White Waltham on December 16, 1955
-Assigned to No.3 CAACU at RAF Exeter on April 30, 1959 (coded "Y")
-Signed Off Charge on May 31, 1963
-Used in the movie 633 Squadron, in 1963, painted with serial MM398 with code "HT-P" (used for ground and cockpit scenes)
-Transferred to the Imperial War Museum, displayed at Lambeth from 1963-1988 (starboard wing cut off for display), then stored at Duxford from 1989 to 1991
-Sold to Stephen Grey/The Fighter Collection in 1992
-Sold to the Flying Heritage Collection on April 6, 2003 and stored in Norfolk.
-Delivered to Avpsecs at Ardmore, New Zealand for restoration to airworthy, May 2011.


Here is a photo of the aircraft when stationed at RAF Exeter in 1959 (at the time, painted overall silver with yellow fuselage band):

[SPman]

Warren and the boys do a masterful job, alright. How many more are in the pipeline - 2?

Let's also not forget, without the vision and perseverance of Glynn Powell and his band of merry men, probably, none of these superb efforts would have eventuated.

Having worked on Moth Minor, Fox and Tiger Moths many years ago, projects like this are one of the few things that make me wish I were still in NZ.

[Whitehawk]

Am looking forward to seeing her fly, saw a lot of KA114 including air to air, it's just incredible!

[Bomber_12th]

How many more are in the pipeline - 2?

Following this one, the next one Avspescs will have completed/flying is PZ474, owned by Rod Lewis/Lewis Air Legends (will be based in Texas). According to Avpsecs, right now the time table has it being completed as early as Easter 2018, perhaps in-time for Wanaka - this may seem quite impossible, but the fuselage and wings for PZ474 are already completed and just waiting to be mated, and it was only last spring when TV959's fuselage/wings were mated for the first time following completion (and having done all they have, I'm sure Avspecs have built up a large stock-pile of parts they can now simply take off the shelf, rather than having to manufacture everything again and again with every build).

Following that, Avspecs has two Mosquito projects lined up that are both destined for England when completed - one for the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar (rumored to be DZ542), and one for the "People's Mosquito" group (RL249). Then there is Glyn Powell's Mosquito as well, NZ2308, which should be very near flying, but no one seems to know or be at liberty to sate what the current status of the project is, or if it was ever purchased by a new owner (it had been listed for sale for a time, but the sale listing was taken off in 2015).

[mrogers]

Wow, thanks John for an interesting and informative article on the Mosquito TV959. Seeing what it was before it was restored shows just how much of it was quite complete except for the one wing that was cut off. So was surprised to see how original and complete it was then.
PZ474 I think was a former RNZAF example that flew all the way from NZ to the USA after purchase by an American. Two more were to follow, but this was vetoed by the Government of NZ at the time, they didn't like the sale of high powered ex-military aircraft to civilians.
Some years ago I had the privilege to have sat in an original example, NZ2336, that is stored in a shed at Mapua which is just up the road from where I live. This one is complete and is virtually a time capsule with everything still in the cockpit, right down to the seat belts. And when you're up close to it, you do really begin to appreciate the size of it, especially the paddle blade props, they looked so wide and huge. The tires were an original block tread type and looked much fatter (like the treaded tires on TV959 in the last photo above- they appear to be a diamond tread type) that those on the restored example that we see flying today

[Bomber_12th]

Mark, I've seen a number of photos of NZ2336 (inside and out), and it is remarkable the sate of preservation! A very special survivor.

With regard to PZ474 (RNZAF serial NZ2384), you're absolutely right. Here is the history of the aircraft and photos of the remains when still at Chino, just prior to Rod Lewis purchasing the project and sending it to Avspecs: http://www.mossie.org/PZ474.htm (As can be imagined, like KA114, the rebuild of PZ474 is an entirely new aircraft, with few original parts, but with the original identity attached.)


TV959 was rolled out of the Avpsecs hangar for the first time today, and photos can be seen here: http://mrcaviation.blogspot.co.nz/20...ated-12_6.html

This is the first time I think it has been on its own wheels since probably the 60's. Rumor has it that the aircraft, although it will be flight tested in New Zealand shortly, it won't be painted until after it arrives in Seattle, with FHC handling the painting of the aircraft themselves.

[Bomber_12th]

Video of the first test run (on the aircraft) of the starboard engine: https://www.facebook.com/Avspecs/vid...4718568561573/

[SPman]

NZ2336 - that's the John Smith FBVI at Mapua. He was an apprentice when he bought the plane, and was given the weekend to remove it from Woodbourne airforce base, or else it would be chopped up and burned! He had to take down the fence and tow it back to his place, by road, like a trailer! To do so, he had to cut the wings off outboard of the engines. He reattached these some time later, but, they are of course not structural. (Did he replace the whole wing assembly with another?) I believe he used to run the engines up from time to time. When the RNZAF Museum was being set up, apparently someone went to see him and virtually demanded he give them his airplanes (including P40N Gloria Lyons 4)! They were "escorted" from the property and told to never return.

[Bomber_12th]

Another starboard-side engine run today, and more work completed ahead of running the port-side engine. Photos from today (port-side prop now set/full installed, and nose doors reinstalled): http://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2016/08...oday-19-8.html