MOSQUITO FLIGHT
£5m rebuild to bring warplane back to Britain
A WARPLANE dubbed “the Wooden Wonder” is to fly again over the UK.
The de Haviland Mosquito is undergoing a £5million rebuild with a return to the skies planned for 2021.
The project is masterminded by the Mosquito Pathfinder Trust, a charity which is seeking donations to pay for the 36-month restoration in New Zealand.
The WWII Mosquito, a multi-role combat aircraft, was unusual in being made almost entirely of wood. When the restored plane returns to Britain it will be the first time a “Mossie” has been based in the UK since 1996 when a pilot and his navigator were killed in a crash during an air display at Barton Aerodrome, Manchester.
The Trust’s Jaques Brooks said: “We aim to get a Mossie back in the air over the UK and Europe.
“The role of such planes as the Spitfire is well documented, but the key part played by the Mosquito is under-appreciated.
“We are currently restoring the plane and now need donations to push the project forward.”
The Mk. IV Mosquito chosen for the project was built in 1944 and used for testing.
It was transferred to Australia and sold off to a New Zealand restorer in the 1980s.
The aircraft is being rebuilt by Avspecs in Auckland.
When finished, it will probably be based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford – a former RAF base in Cambridgeshire – which houses dozens of historic aircraft.
The project is backed by wartime Mossie pilot Colin Bell, who flew 50 bombing raids over Germany in the Second World War.
Mr Bell, 97, told the Daily Star Sunday: “The Mosquito did a wonderful job.
“It was unique and to have one back in the UK will be fantastic for the younger generations.
“They will be able to see it where it should be – back in the sky,”
The former pilot from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, recalled the horror of being shot at over Berlin.
He remembers a huge explosion and both engines cutting out.
He said: “We got hit by flak, which stopped both engines. Thankfully, we got them going again.
“When I got back to base, I found my parachute, which I had been sitting on, was shredded by shrapnel.”
Avspecs has already assembled the main body of the aircraft, including its nose with room for eight machine guns and cannons.
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