“They’re gone away, never to return.” “No more of them, except in museums.” Don’t tell that to people who care. Who find a place in their budgets to seek out the rare, the wreckage, the lost carcasses, then send them on to those who understand the meaning of the word “craftsmanship.” Slowly, steadily, with blood, sweat and above all love, they put a bird back into it’s natural environment.
A Ghost, Long Dead
Down in New Zealand, they worked and worked. A ghost was given life. A DeHavilland Mosquito, twin-engined (Merlins, no less), two-seat (seem familiar, BusBob?) bit of hell-for-leather, butt-kicking airplane; one of those graceful, nay, beautiful planes that seemed to come with regularity off British design boards, came to find her way back into her natural environment.
KA114 Flies Again
So, click here, download the 1080p version. Crank your bass and volume to 11, and enjoy. Those of us who’ve perhaps, on occasion, zorched around the landscape at low levels and high speeds, will especially be pleased around 3:15 in. The pure sounds at the end will also give auditory pleasure, should you care to linger on, as the credits roll.
Oh yes, she’s coming over this side of the Pacific, come this summer. I will be seeking her out.
Postscript 08JAN13: Take a close look at the cockpit, as seen from outside. That’s a pretty darn small airplane to cram a couple of aircrew into. Imagine flying for hour upon hour, either down in the weeds or way, way up there, over places where there are those who mean you the utmost hostile intent. Imagine being the pax that were crammed back into the rear fuselage for very special runs, across the North Sea, into Sweden and other locales both neutral and unfriendly, across Occupied Europe. Damn. [Testicular Arrays] of Steel.
The Lexicans 
Repairing, rebuilding and restoring wood strikes me as even harder to do than metal.
That was truly beautiful. To see photos of the Mosquito is one thing, to actually see (and hear) one in flight is absolutely breathtaking.
That first link you provided, that’s a great museum which I’ve visited twice. Well worth your time is you’re ever down Va Beach way!
Thanks Comjam!
Merlins,plywood, speed. Love it!!!
Those twin Merlins seem to give it a deeper growl than a Spitfire or Mustang.
As I am watching this I am thinking that the pilot who took the maiden flight was probably of a test pilot background – think of it – most any other WW2 plane has had knowledge passed from pilot to pilot, generation to generation.
I think even Steve Hinton’s son, in his early 20s, competed at Reno in a Mustang.
I was thinking too that no matter how many hours were billed I am sure a lot was done gratis and out of love for what they were creating.
The Mossie drove the Germans nuts – fast, high, and because it was mainly wood, hard to detected on radar.
Maybe we could consider it the worlds first stealth warplane.
Deep, deep joy!
Am reading a book about a double agent sent to Britain by the Germans to try and sabotage the De Havilland plant. Goering coveted the “Mozzie”. A quote from the fantastic book i’m currently reading:
‘Agent Zig-Zag”, by Ben Macintyre. True story. Excellent stuff Comjam!