Sadly, with the Mosquito ending its operational service life in the
1950s, the original moulds, which were initially made using mahogany
before being substituted with concrete, were broken up for disposal.
The construction of a new fuselage mould in the UK paves the way for a
new Mosquito airframe to be fabricated under strict UK Civil Aviation
Authority oversight.
It is the latest visible sign of progress in The People’s Mosquito’s
exciting plans to return one of World War Two’s most influential and
iconic aircraft to UK and European skies.
In April, after a journey of more than 13,000 miles by sea, more than
six tonnes of vital equipment from New Zealand safely arrived in
Southampton. In addition to all the jigs and much of the tooling
required to complete construction of a Mosquito wing and tail section,
the shipment also included full CAD data for both.
Subject to funding being secured, work on the fuselage moulds is
expected to take several months. To support the construction, The
People’s Mosquito will shortly be launching a focused fundraising
campaign to ensure completion of the moulds.
Much of the cost associated with the mould comes from raw materials. As The People’s Mosquito
embarks on this vital phase of the restoration journey, the charity is
looking for support from industry, in particular the UK timber industry
or anyone capable of assisting with the supply of 12mm birch plywood.
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito remains one of the most influential
aircraft ever designed and an exemplar of British engineering. It played
a pivotal role in the Allied war effort from 1941-1945, and continued
to serve with the Royal Air Force until the mid-1950s, well into the jet
age.
At the height of World War Two, the Mosquito was the world’s fastest
production aircraft; it was the world’s first true multi-role aircraft
and helped to pioneer the use of composite construction techniques, now
ubiquitous in today’s aviation industry. It’s ground-breaking
construction also included the first use of radio frequency heating
(similar to a microwave oven) in the construction of the aircraft.
Despite its innovative design, outstanding performance and unrivalled
versatility, the Mosquito is often overshadowed by the more common
Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster. The last Mosquito to grace UK skies
was sadly lost in an accident at Barton in 1996.
Working with East Sussex-based restoration company Retrotec Ltd., the
charity is working towards restoring a Mosquito lost on a training
flight from RAF Coltishall, Norfolk in 1949. In doing so, the project
will deliver the first UK-built Mosquito in more than 70 years: the last
UK-built example rolled off the line at Chester on 15 November 1950.
Any interested parties are invited to contact the project team via sponsors@peoplesmosquito.org.uk and you can follow them on Facebook
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