8 FLYPAST April 2018
briefi ngs
NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE
Mosquito to be built and fl own in the UK
Thousands of original de Havilland
Mosquito technical drawings,
acquired by UK-based charity The
People’s Mosquito, are assisting plans
to build and fl y one of the famous
aircraft in the nation of its ‘birth’.
Much of FB.VI RL249 will beconstructed by seasoned Mosquito
builders Avspecs, in Ardmore,
New Zealand, alongside Mosquito
Restorations and Aerowood, but
the charity is now likely to bring
a signifi cant proportion of the
restoration to the UK.Under the revised plan, the
organisation still intends to work
with the New Zealand-based suppliers
in delivering the wooden structural
components, including fuselage and
wings. However, all forgings, control
surfaces, undercarriage, key aircraft
systems, as well as engines will be
delivered, installed and tested in the UK.
The decision follows months of
effort, reviewing and analysing more
than 22,300 de Havilland technical
drawings, donated to The People’s
Mosquito in late 2016 by Airbus UK.
The project’s managing director John
Lilley said: “The wealth of data we have
unearthed over the past few months,
coupled with an extensive network of
specialist aerospace companies in the
UK, means we now have the technical
specifi cations and capability to
complete the assembly of RL249 herein the UK.
“We were always mindful of the
desire to see the aircraft built here,
in its spiritual home. It’s clear now
that we have everything we need.
Discussions are under way with UK-
based suppliers to make that dream
a reality.”
The charity believes it could
achieve its aim within four years,
subject to funding. Three Mosquitos
are currently airworthy in North
America, but none have fl own in the
UK since the tragic loss of RR299 in- Avspecs is currently working
on B.IV DZ542 on behalf of British
charity the Mosquito Pathfi nder
Trust, raising the tantalising
prospect of seeing not one but two
fl ying ‘Mossies’ in their homeland
within a few years.
http://www.peoplesmosquito.org.uk
One of the many technical drawings now in the hands of The People’s Mosquito.
WITH THANKS TO STEWART CHARMANRoyal colours for
Dutch Dakota
The Dutch Dakota Association’s Douglas DC-3 PH-PBA ‘Princess Amalia’ recently received a
new colour scheme. It has been returned to the livery worn when it fl ew Prince Bernhard of
the Netherlands on state visits during the 1950s and ’60s. The aircraft recently underwent
engine tests and will fl y later this year. PAUL VAN DEN BERG-DDAGrumman HU-16B Albatross 51-7144 is receiving some restoration work and fresh paint at
Warner Robins’ Museum of Aviation in Georgia, US. Jeff Summey and his team have spent
around 3,000 hours working on the amphibian, recently focusing on the interior, replacing
fl ooring and dials in the cockpit. The Albatross has been at the museum since 1983.
TONY SACKETOSFlying boat refurbishment
continues at US museum
The Farnborough Air Sciences Trust has
installed lighting around its statue of Samuel
F Cody. The American aviator is recognised
for making the fi rst manned fl ight of a
heavier-than-air machine from Britain on
October 16, 1908. The statue was unveiled
by Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown in August 2013.
RICHARD HALL http://www.airsciences.org.ukA new website tells the story of Westland through a series of interviews with people who
worked at the company’s Yeovil factory. It features the voices of more than 30 former
Westland employees and is the result of an 18-month project to build a spoken archive of
aircraft manufacturing in the Somerset town from 1915 to 2015. Among the contributors
are 103-year-old Mini Ostler and 96-year-old Norman Pilton who talk about working for
the company during World War Two, building Spitfi res. A fi lm about the world helicopter
speed record set by Westland Lynx G-LYNX in August 1986 can also be viewed on the site.
http://www.Westland100.org.uk