Calgary Mosquito in the news again...

[Warbirdnerd]

Alderman dead set against city funding airplane restoration


By Richard Cuthbertson, Calgary Herald February 14, 2011

With the fate of a Calgary-owned vintage airplane in council's hands today, one alderman continues his efforts to stop the city from handing it over to a local volunteer group for restoration.

The recommendation coming to council is that the city contribute $800,000 to help with the restoration to museum quality, so long as there are matching funds and there is a significant volunteer element in the process.

This proposal is especially pleasing to the Calgary Mosquito Society, a group of aircraft enthusiasts who have lobbied hard to keep the Mosquito in this city and prevent it being sent to a collector overseas.

But Ald. Gord Lowe said he believes restoring the Mosquito, along with another city-owned aircraft, a Hawker Hurricane, is complex and difficult work that should not be left to the volunteer group.

He is also opposed to taxpayer money being used for this project.

"The $800,000 is a non-starter, as far as I'm concerned," he said.

Lowe has long advocated for an arrangement that would see both aircraft sent to a collector in England who would have both planes restored for no charge.

The collector would keep the Mosquito as his own, and return the Hurricane to Calgary, along with an endowment fund worth nearly $1 million.

But that arrangement has faced considerable opposition.

That prompted Ald. Jim Stevenson to help craft the recommendation that would keep both aircraft in the city.

Whether the expertise is available here to restore and keep the airplanes in Calgary is a good question, Stevenson said.

It's one that will be answered if the recommendation is approved by council and the city puts out a tender for the restoration.

"I think we've got to try this method first to see whether or not these people have what they say they've got as far as, No. 1, an ability to raise funds, and No. 2, the ability to come up with the expertise necessary to do the right job," Stevenson said.

For its part, the Mosquito society said concerns the members don't have the expertise are ridiculous.

Richard de Boer, the head of the group, said restoration experts from around the world have agreed to help out.

He also said the group would have no problem raising the matching funds that are needed.

De Boer said they have corporate sponsors on board, have qualified to fundraise through casinos and that volunteer work would cut down the restoration costs.

"Members of our board of directors have been to aviation museums in New Zealand, United States, three museums in Canada and the very museum that holds the prototype Mosquito and has two others, to gain the support and expertise of these people," de Boer said.

"We have in writing letters from all of these places saying, 'We're happy to come over and help, we have spare parts, we have drawings, we have manuals.' "

rCutHbertson@CalgaryHerald.Com

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Found it here:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Ald ... story.html

[peter]

That is excellent news! so by this time next year she could be under restoration...

[daveymac82c]

Well, I've got a better idea..... Let me just win the Lotto Max next Friday ($43 million, non-taxed) and then I'll buy the airframe, have it sent to Victoria Air Maintenance for restoration to flying condition (as much as it would probably bother the guys in Calgary that they wouldn't be doing it themselves) then I'd have it flown back to Calgary where it will be based.

Then I would have a hand full of pilots that could operate her in my absence, but I'd also fly the airplane myself, as I wish, while ensuring that I don't disrupt any events at the museum.

I believe that is the best solution. So cross your fingers for me and we can make it happen.

With that aside, I certainly hope that this situation can be resolved in the best possibly way for the airplane, and the people that wish to restore her.

Peace,

David

[Mike]

The worst possible outcome from this debacle would be for the airframe to be 'restored' by an underfunded volunteer group IMHO. If the funding is there to have it professionally restored by an experienced restoration shop with the necessary experience and skill set (rather than the 'low bidder' in the tender process that has been proposed) that's fine with me. Otherwise, irreparable damage may well be done to the airframe in the name of saving cost and cutting corners just to get it restored.

If the present custodians are unable, or unwilling, to fund an acceptable level of restoration, they should realize the value of the asset and it should be sold or traded to someone who has the wherewithal to properly restore and display it, whether within or outside Canada. I wonder if Mr Potter would be interested in taking it on, if offered? I can't think of a better home for it within Canada.

[daveymac82c]

Yeah, the worst that could happen with this airplane is that it remains in storage for a lot longer. Or, maybe it'll have a very slow restoration by the volunteer group in Calgary, and most likely, only to static condition.

Best case scenario, is that she's restored to airworthy condition somewhere in the world. It would be great to see it to join Mr. Potter's collection, or perhaps CWH, or the Russell Group? Or perhaps a collection in Europe or the USA? I'd be interested to see a Mosquito flown down into the US at air shows as I imagine there hasn't been a Mossie flown down there for a few decades.

Anyways, it'll be great to see how this all turns out.

By the way, I can't remember, is this Mossie a glass nosed or solid nosed version? I think it's a glass nose, but can't remember.

Peace,

David M

[Alan Brooks]

I do not generally weigh in on these topics, but I will politely do so (and probably get dismembered for doing it).... I tried to post on the Flypast forum...but discovered I had been banned........ don't know why, though....anyway...back to task.... I do try to understand the various nuances of Canadian Law concerning historical artifacts..... but I do not agree with some of the results.......
In my honest opinion..... If you have an offer to sell the Mossie and you get a beautifully restored Huri with cash to boot.....take it......
I am not ducking for cover on this overall topic concerning the Mossie and those threatening to block the sale and export....... I simply have one question to ask....... How much longer before we see that Canadian B-24 Liberator take to the skies? You know, the one that was recovered and then banned/blocked/confiscated from being shipped down to the states for restoration to flying status. All of the older Wix members know the one......
Alan

[Bill Greenwood]

Al, the Mosquito is even more rare than the Hurricane. Maybe they should let the UK source restore both planes and keep the Huri and return the Mossi to Canada.
If it was my plane, I think I might get experts to come to Canada to do it.
They really only need a really top restorer to supervise the volunteers, every worker does not have to be a long time expert.

The question of spending $800K of public funds on an airplane is another matter.

[agent86]

I love the Mosquito and would enjoy seeing it fly.I do however wonder how one would go about restoring one to fly dealing with 65+ yr old glues and wood. they had glue issues when they were in service.I'm sure it can be done but what would be involved/replaced?

[peter]

Daveymac, you do know there is already 2 mossies in the US right Kermits aircraft adn the one at Dayton.

[Bill Greenwood]

I have never read that Mossi had glue or wood issues in service. They certainly did their jobs in the war.
There are many 65 year old wooden boats or houses that are very sound, not to mention trees.

[Dan Jones]

Al, the Mosquito is even more rare than the Hurricane. Maybe they should let the UK source restore both planes and keep the Huri and return the Mossi to Canada.
If it was my plane, I think I might get experts to come to Canada to do it.
They really only need a really top restorer to supervise the volunteers, every worker does not have to be a long time expert.

The question of spending $800K of public funds on an airplane is another matter.

Good Morning Bill,

I agree the Mosquito is harder to come by up here, but given that the Calgary Air Museum resides just off of McKnight Blvd, as in hometown hero 242 Sqn Hurricane pilot Willie McKnight for which it is named, the Hurricane has long held the position of ultimate potential crown jewel of the collection. Selling it to finance the Mosquito would likely cause (and rightfully so, IMHO) rioting in the streets. That being said, and I'm sure I'll get roasted for this, I was in favor of seeing the Mosquito sold to restore the Hurricane. Restoring either aircraft is not a job for the faint hearted, and both of those airplanes are virtual basket cases and will require a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to sort out. In my opinion, for it's negligible value, selling the Mossie off to someone with the resources and time to do it right and do it properly in exchange for having the Hurricane done by a certain shop in England who's Hurricane knowledge and experience is second to no one, would have been in the best interests of both aircraft.

As for the $800K... I'd rather see it spent that way than on some of the other ridiculous things that politicians throw our money at!

Dan

[Dan K]

I have never read that Mossi had glue or wood issues in service. They certainly did their jobs in the war.
There are many 65 year old wooden boats or houses that are very sound, not to mention trees.

A quickie from wiki:

In November 1944, several crashes occurred in the Far East. At first, it was thought these were as a result of wing structure failures. The casein glue, it was said, cracked when exposed to extreme heat. This caused the upper surfaces to "lift" from the main spar. During the ensuing investigation it was concluded that there were construction defects found at two plants; at Hatfield and Coventry. The gluing there left “much to be desired”.[52] However, the main reason for the failures, the Air Ministry concluded on 1 January 1945, was due to the weather conditions in Asia, endorsing the view of Major Hereward de Havilland, leading the investigation. To solve the problem, a sheet of plywood was set along the span of the wing to seal the entire length of the skin joint along the main spar.[52]

The casein glue was replaced by "Aerolite", a synthetic urea-formaldehyde adhesive developed by Dr. Norman de Bruyne[53] at Aero Research Limited (ARL), which was better able to resist deterioration in high humidity conditions. The de Havilland company also pioneered the use of radio frequency (RF) heating to accelerate curing of the adhesive.

[rwdfresno]

I love the Mosquito and would enjoy seeing it fly.I do however wonder how one would go about restoring one to fly dealing with 65+ yr old glues and wood. they had glue issues when they were in service.I'm sure it can be done but what would be involved/replaced?

The approach these folks are taking is to tear down to individual pieces, reuse what can be reused and remanufacture a significant amount of the wood structure.
http://www.mosquitorestoration.com/

I agree the Mosquito is harder to come by up here, but given that the Calgary Air Museum resides just off of McKnight Blvd, as in hometown hero 242 Sqn Hurricane pilot Willie McKnight for which it is named, the Hurricane has long held the position of ultimate potential crown jewel of the collection.

That is very interesting Dan. I spend a lot of time in Calgary for work and have seen McKnight Blvd many times driving down Deerfoot and have never realized the namesake. I haven't ever made it to the museum, only driven by. It seems every time I drive past and remember I'm on my way to catch a flight.

Ryan

[Dan Jones]

Casein glue has a couple of undesirable characteristics, among them are a) it's not waterproof and b) it's biodegradable. Some seventy year old aircraft wood structure is still airworthy (my E75 has mostly original lower wings) but it has to be judged on a case by case basis. If the structure was well glued up in the first place (sufficient glue was used, clamping was well done with the correct pressures and times and number and types of clamps, the temperature at the time of glueing was favorable, etc) and the structure was well varnished with a quality product and that varnish maintained, and if the aircraft lived out it's life in decent, gentle climate and was always reasonably well protected from the rain and the weather, then yes it stands a pretty good chance of still being airworthy. But you would really want to treat the old girl very gently anyway and signifigantly retard your operating limits. My airplane doesn't even do aerobatics anymore.

[Bill Greenwood]

I was under the impression that DH developed a new type of glue, resorcinol? for the Mosquito, better than casiein.

Am I wrong?

Soemtimes when someone tells you how bad some old wooden thing is built, it is someone who is peddling some new wonder material, fiberglass or aluminum, or carbon.
Wouldn't a fiberglass house be a thing of beauty? Or a grand church made of aluminum?

If you take all the protective varnish or paint off of wood and glue, it might deteriorate. What happens if you leave bare metal exposed to the elements? See any deteriorzation, if there is such a word.