Happy 70th birthday........

[BigH]

Was the Mosquito wood-framed or am I thinking of something else?

Yes, I believe you're thinking of Uncle Albert.
H

[Ferrari Spider]

What about the Mosquito...

The Mks II, III ands IV could fly at 380 mph - 19 mph faster than the Battle of Britain Spitfire and 50 mph faster than the Hawker Hurricane.

Martini...

yes the Mossie was attractive The Hornet a decendent and hence my nomination, beautiful lines, graceful and very fast.  Sadly none survive, parts thats all.  A real shame.  I'm almost positive it was the fastest prop driven aircraft in service 485 MPH.

Was the Mosquito wood-framed or am I thinking of something else?

Yes quite right.  The aircraft was a private venture by DH.  As the Air Ministry hadn't commissioned it DH were unable to secure metal for the construction, It is known as the Wooden Wonder.  In essence everything is timber except for the engines and bits of the cockpit and control linkages.  A special glue was developed to laminate the aircraft together.  The fuselage was built in two halves split along the vertical centre line and attached together once the inside had been fitted out.  The prototype is still alive and well. http://www.mossie.org/W4050.htm

DH carried over this technique to most of its aircraft from then on including the early jets like the venom and vampire, just think of that!

[Fax]

A few last ones from the Dayton Air Show.
One for Phil, The Royal Canadian Snowbirds.
Air superiority fifty years apart, F-15 Eagle with Mustangs (sporting their D-Day stripes).

[Fax]

And finally, some dumb-ass looking into the bad news end of a A-10.
Fax

[jpchenet]

And finally, some dumb-ass looking into the bad news end of a A-10.
Fax

What exactly did you expect to see up there John??   

[Fax]

Was checking out the amazing rifling of the barrels (about .125 deep!) but clearly the woman looking back is suspicious.
Fax

[jpchenet]

What about the Mosquito...

The Mks II, III ands IV could fly at 380 mph - 19 mph faster than the Battle of Britain Spitfire and 50 mph faster than the Hawker Hurricane.

Martini...

yes the Mossie was attractive The Hornet a decendent and hence my nomination, beautiful lines, graceful and very fast.  Sadly none survive, parts thats all.  A real shame.  I'm almost positive it was the fastest prop driven aircraft in serice 485 MPH.

Was the Mosquito wood-framed or am I thinking of something else?

Maybe another form of wooden framed transport??  

[Rhino]

I must say i think the Mosquito is one of the best looking aircraft. Pretty capable to. Could fly to Berlin and drop a 5000lb cookie. As it flew so high and fast virtually nothing could touch it.
The wooden construction could prove a problem, my father in law remembered a delivery flight coming into Changhi Singapore, within 2 days they had warped, all they could do was strip them of anything useful and burn the rest!

[Perdu]

If I remember it right it didn't take de Havilland long to come up with new adhesives that prevented a recurrence of that sad state either. I think they were early users of epoxy glues after that happened.

I know that Vamps and Venoms didn't have it happen to them in the jungles.

Hornet, beautiful. Never had a good accurate kit of it either. Frog made one that managed to make it a really stunted shape, a real shame.

(Still, made me a few bob when I sold my last one on e*ay)

[mgmark]

I must say i think the Mosquito is one of the best looking aircraft. Pretty capable to. Could fly to Berlin and drop a 5000lb cookie. As it flew so high and fast virtually nothing could touch it.

My favourite was the anti-shipping version - fitted with a 6-pounder gun!   Not only could very little match the Mosquito for speed and height, but being primarily made of wood (except for two lumps of Merlins) the radar signature was minimal, making it even harder to detect and intercept.   Its versatility was incredible, both in terms of roles (fighter, nightfighter, point ground attack, general bomber, pathfinder leader, anti-shipping to name the main ones) and armaments (500lb bombs, 1000lb bombs, 4000lb bomb, incendiaries, target markers, rockets, 6-pounder gun, machine guns and 20mm cannon).   

MG Mark

[Ferrari Spider]

If I remember it right it didn't take de Havilland long to come up with new adhesives that prevented a recurrence of that sad state either. I think they were early users of epoxy glues after that happened.

I know that Vamps and Venoms didn't have it happen to them in the jungles.

Hornet, beautiful. Never had a good accurate kit of it either. Frog made one that managed to make it a really stunted shape, a real shame.

(Still, made me a few bob when I sold my last one on e*ay)

Bill there are some excellent 72nd and 48th models, check this out

http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=CF458

http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=CF459

[chop456]

Possibly of interest to the warbird admirers:

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/06/gns_glaciergirl_070619/

After a World War II crash landing in Greenland, 50 years under ice and nearly $7 million in recovery and restoration costs, Glacier Girl is about to complete its mission.

On Friday, the vintage P-38 Lightning fighter will depart from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to finish what it started in 1942: a trans-Atlantic flight to England. This time, the only surviving relic of “The Lost Squadron” downed by bad weather will have thousands of people tracking its progress on the Internet.

If all goes as scheduled this time, Glacier Girl will arrive June 29 in Duxford, England, where it will be displayed with other classic planes at next month’s Flying Legends Air Show. The plane is one of just three P-38s still in flying condition, Hinton said.

[Steve Pyro]

There was a documentary on Discovery about recovering and rebuilding this P38 a few years ago - very interesting.

They used a steam heated cylinder to melt a shaft down through the ice to where the plane was entombed.

[Leftie]

Hi Guys,

I've shown my Dad this thread and it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

He used to service the electronics in Huricanes, Spitfires, Mosquitos and after demobbing to private inductry, The Beloved Vulcan.

His favourite was the Mossie.

For my Dads 70th in 1995, I bought him a limited edition picture of Vulcan 607, it's called 'Corporate Prelude' by Phillip West, it was not cheap!

The Christmas just gone I was in Waterstones in Chichester trying to find a book for myself but spied a book by Rowland White - Vulcan 607. Guess what my Dad got for Christmas.  Both the picture and the book commerorate the most remarkable British air attach since WW2, the Stanley attack.

When I was growning up in Welwyn GC in the 50's, my school - Howlands IS had a Spitfire on the playground!! and yes we played on it.  We were right next door to Pangshanger.

Guys,  my favourite and it does bring tears to my eyes because of sheer beauty and that noise is the Spitfire.

Jerry

[Catchpole]

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