Warbird Information Exchange

Great stuff!

It will be interesting to see the Mossie in civilian configuration. I had no idea that P-40C was around.

I really admire the strength of the warbird movement in NZ.

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Why do I get the distinct impression that he's digging into his wallet for some extra $$$?



Mudge the suspicious

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Land of the free because of the brave

But look at all the money he was able to save by reusing the metal fittings!

So is this a dataplate restoration or did they use enough original termites in the project?

All kidding aside, I can't wait to see the final result in the air. It will be fantastic.

Been a long time coming..she's gonna be a beauty!!!

As for the P-40C..Look Jack! Your favorite color..a baby-blue Allison!

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
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DBF

Right on....and man do you need those fittings ( and there are quite a few of them !!!! )for re-use or templates,,,,

It's neat to see that Mosquito again. I remember when it was stored on the Canadian Museum of Flight's home-site before the move to Langley. It was sad to see it sitting as it was, but it's great to see it being restored now.

As a little boy I would sneak past the ropes and crawl up close to the hulk of a fuselage. I remember looking at the nose cone with all the holes for the machine guns and thinking..... "Hmm... that would look good on my parents' living room wall."

Well, I honestly did think about stealing it, but darn it... I'm too good a person for that. Would have been quite an acquisition though.

I thought that airframe was only meant to be restored to static... but it's going to be airworthy? Very cool.

Cheers,

David

Yep, I haven't spoken with Mr. Jens about his new plan with the Mosquito, but I'm glad to see it going somewhere that work will not be interrupted.

When he had it located at Vancouver Airport he'd end up having to move it so many times that I kind of expected a move like this. It's really great news too, considering at the pace it was on at his hangar it would most likely have been some time well after 2010 for its first flight.

And yes, as far as I know Spartan Airways colours are expected to the its paint scheme.

I've been waiting so long to see a Mosquito take to the air, and I'm so glad that it's going to happen close to where I live.

Cheers,

David

It sort of sounds like this discussion concerns one Mosquito, but actually two are in view here...both of them having had a Zalesky/CMFT connection at one point. VR796/CF-HML is Bob Jens' British-built ex-Spartan B.35, slated to be moved to Victoria for completion...very interesting to read that she may take on Spartan's livery, quite apt given that several surviving Mossies are ex-Spartan. KA114 is Jerry Yagen's Canadian-built FB.26, being rebuilt/reincarnated in NZ...she is expected to wear 487 (RNZAF) Sqn Amiens Prison Raid markings when complete, also an apt choice given that NZ's Glyn Powell, via his fuselage molds project, has made KA114 viable as a restoration. I'm keenly awaiting the day (at Gennie maybe?) when I see a ten-plane formation of Lanc, Mossie and four each Spits/Hurricanes...which is about three years from being possible hereabouts! Fourteen Merlins in mighty chorus: just think of it.

S.

JDK & Daveymac with Bob Jens' Mozzie 1st Aug 2008.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

It's not quite 40-odd years since anybody's seen 2 Mosquitos together, but it is well over 20.

BAe's T.III RR299 and Kermit's B.35 RS712 flew together at what was then the Mosquito Museum's annual event in the early to mid-eighties.

I'm delighted to say I was there and it was pretty special.

Holy crap, Kightly. Either Dasveymac's 5'2" or you're 6'8".

Mudge the vertically endowed

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Land of the free because of the brave

He have huge Mosquito gatherings here in Florida every summer...Oh, the airplane....Now ducking!

They have a nice one on display at the Bodo Norway Museum...at least she looks nice!

I can't speak for David, but I'm 6'4" last time I checked. Just long enough to touch the ground.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Well Mudge,

I'm 5'6" and not getting any taller. That's fine with me though because weren't some of the best fighter aces around my height?

I suppose I was built to fly warbirds!!!

Oh, and as for giving everyone on WIX updates on Bob Jen's Mosquito project for WIX.... well, I've tried to do that over the last few years (or whenever I can get to YVR), but progress was slow as mentioned before, and lately everything that's been done is quite invisible like installing the electronics, refitting the fuel tanks... ya know, things that take a lot of time, but don't make the airplane look any more done.

Also, the Mosquito also used to be at Vancouver Airport which is about 20 minutes from my house, but Bob is moving (or has already moved) it to Victoria, which is a long ferry ride across the Straight of Georgia from Vancouver. That distance and need to pay for the ferry decreases the likelihood of me getting over there too often for updates. Maybe I'll try contacting Victoria Air Maintenance to see if there's someone there that would want to join WIX and give updates in a Gary'esque style.

Cheers,

David