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One of Us |
You have got to watch this. Beautiful film, but the sound makes it even better. http://vimeo.com/115546043 Geoffrey de Havilland said that if an aircraft looks right, it usually flies right. And this was the most beautiful aeroplane he ever built. And the best British (at the least!) aircraft of the war.. For over 25 years, no Mosquito flew anywhere in the world, after the last flying one crashed at Barton Aerodrome, Manchester. That was largely because nobody wanted to trust the 50-year-old-plus balsa wood and especially the glue in the ones that remained. Then a chap in New Zealand, realising that the only way a Mossie would ever fly again would be to build a new one, discovered that all the original jigs necessary to form the wooden structures, had long since been destroyed. So, as a "retirement project," (!) he set out to build new ones, faithful to the originals in every respect. Took him decades. What follows is the first result to come from those jigs. First flew in NZ in 2013, now in the USA. Best aircraft of the war? :- • Could carry a greater bomb load to Berlin than a B-17 • Could fly higher and/or faster than nearly all contemporary fighters, so no need for defensive armament • The first true Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA). Bomber, fighter, night-fighter, fighter-bomber, strike, anti-shipping, torpedo-bomber, photo-recce, trainer, target-tug. • 1/10th the loss rate of the Lancaster • On the relatively rare occasions when one did go down, only 2 men were lost, not the 7 in a Lancaster or the 10 in a B-17 • 1/3rd the cost of a Lancaster • So fast that the Americans, to avoid comparison, issued a standing order that their fastest fighter, the P-38 Lightning, was never to fly side-by-side with one. • Quotes: o AVM Don Pathfinder Bennett, AOC No 8 (Pathfinder) Group: "It's quite clear that the value of the Mosquito to the war effort is significantly greater than that of any other aircraft in the history of aviation.” o General Erhard Milch, the deputy head of the Luftwaffe: "I fear that one day the British will start attacking with masses of this aircraft" (which we should have.) o Reichsmarschall Herman Goering, head of the Luftwaffe: “It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy.” Enjoy! | ||
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One of Us |
Okay, a question for you pilots. I understand on the P-38, the props each turn outward, so the contra-rotation cancels the torque effects. I see on this Mosquito, the props rotate the same direction. Comments? Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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One of Us |
The idea was to save weight (increase performance) and to make it simple to swap engines in the field. It most likely rolled better in one direction over the other, but apparently didn't suffer in the agility department. I am sure takeoff power was limited to what rudder authority could deal with. The wooden wonder indeed. Both Hitler and Herman Goering were jealous and wanted their own version but Germany didn't have the glues to keep their version from delaminating. That sorta sucks at altitude. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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one of us |
Because of the P-38's outboard counter rotating props, BOTH engines are critical engines. If they would have both counter rotated inboard the neither would have been a critical engine. A Mosquito will only have one critical engine. A very good explanation of "critical engine" here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxKY6UOGgWs | |||
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One of Us |
thanks gents! Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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One of Us |
A cool and worthwhile project, but there is some error in the article. The bomber version of the Mosquito was faster than fighters in early WW II, but fighters soon exceeded it. The fighter version of the Mosquito was slower than many early WW II fighters--at least if the well footnoted Wikipedia article is correct. Also, it is common for have multi engine prop planes to have all the engines rotate the same direction. The C-130 is that way. In fact, I think counter rotating engines are the exception rather than the norm. | |||
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One of Us |
Major project for sure. Brits are obsessive tinkerers. | |||
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one of us |
Far as I know they were built of Sitka spruce, primarily from the Queen Charlotte Islands of BC. The prototype went on to pass the acceptance trials with flying colors. The 8,000 Mosquitos built in WWII consumed large quantities of balsa, Canadian yellow birch and Sitka spruce. When supplies of high quality wood became scarce, Douglas fir and English ash were sometimes substitute Grizz Indeed, no human being has yet lived under conditions which, considering the prevailing climates of the past, can be regarded as normal. John E Pfeiffer, The Emergence of Man Those who can't skin, can hold a leg. Abraham Lincoln Only one war at a time. Abe Again. | |||
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Moderator |
Another bit of interesting trivia is that Aerolite wood glue was developed for the Mosquito, and it is still being sold today. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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One of Us |
They are but this aircraft was built in New Zealand. | |||
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