Tangmere Lightning sortie & WLAC Speaker night Wednesday 31st August
Hello JOYSTICKERS,
Dave Horton organised our trip to Goodwood and Tangmere on Thursday but the weather didn't play ball to allow all to fly there. In fact only Dave was fearless enough to fly the rest of us wimped out and went by road, the long way!
We were treated to a go in their Lightning sim, very realistic and great to be travelling at 450kts around the coast and touching down at 180kts...just like a flap less in a heavy B767 and that was in a sim.!
Picked up a Typhoon model ideal for designing a Pedal Plane!
Next week it's Minehead with a head of steam and fish n chips for afternoon tea....we know how to live!
RAF Benson is set up for our 8 volunteers,3 cars, 2 trailers and our 8 pedal planes.
But the day before we're launching a raid on Oxford airfield to retrieve a Seneca sim. and parts of another one....looking for another Pennine Aztec or similar camping trailer?
The Autumn talks approach and Chris has managed to get an Kiwi speaker at short, notice hence an earlier than usual start to the season but what a subject.......
7.30PM WEDNESDAY 31st AUGUST
"A legend re-born"
The inspirational story of the return to flight of De Havilland Mosquitoes KA114 and TV959
Told by Nathan Bailey from restoration company Avspecs, Ardmore, New Zealand
KA114 before and after restoration
Avspecs is a vintage aircraft restoration company based in Auckland, New Zealand engaged in the most exciting restorations of the modern era - the de Havilland Mosquito. This all-wooden aircraft gained an enviable reputation during WWII for its speed and versatility. In 2012 Avspecs Ltd. completed the seven-year restoration of an FB.26 Mosquito - KA114, which won the World War II Grand Champion Warbird Award at the EAA Airventure Airshow at Oshkosh in 2015.
ALL WELCOME
KITCHEN OPEN 1800H – 1915H
Avspecs
Avspecs is owned and operated by New Zealander Warren Denholm. He began as a light aircraft engineer after a short period as a mechanic in the NZ Air Force after which completed his civilian aircraft engineering qualifications and commercial pilot’s licence. He then moved to Auckland to begin work with a small team restoring a Hawker Sea Fury. This was the first major restoration of a Warbird in New Zealand and established the company as a base for this type of work.
Nathan Bailey
Nathan Bailey is a relative of Warren’s and has worked for Avspecs as an engineer at various times over the last 10 years to support multiple Warbird restorations. He has recently moved to London from NZ and is doing some flying at West London Aero Club. He has a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and completed research on the composite sandwich structures from which the wooden Mosquito fuselage is constructed. He has recently been involved with the certification and engineering production management of the second Avspecs Mosquito restoration - TV959, which was originally a T.3 Mosquito trainer aircraft based at White Waltham in the 50s and 60s.
De Havilland Mosquito KA114
KA114, a Mosquito FB.26, was built at dH Canada's Downsview factory in Toronto. First issued to No. 7 OTU at Debert, Nova Scotia in February 1945, KA114 was returned to reserve storage in April 1945. KA114 was next recorded in July 1947 in store at Vulcan, Alberta before disposal in April 1948. Bought by a farmer, KA114 was transported to his farm in Alberta, where it stayed for the next 30 years. In 1978 Ed Zalesky heard about the now derelict Mosquito and negotiated its transfer to the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transport (CMFT). When Ed and his crew arrived, they found the aircraft to be in very poor condition and minus both engines and undercarriage units, but otherwise relatively complete. During recovery, the fuselage forward of the wing disintegrated and the fuselage remains broke in two when being loaded onto Ed's trailer. The wing, fittings and many other components were however in a much better state of preservation. KA114 was stored for a considerable length of time under cover at the CMFT's storage facility before being bought by Jerry Yeagan's Fighter Factory and eventual restoration to flight by Avspecs of Ardmore, New Zealand.
De Havilland Mosquito TIII TV959
TV959 was built at Leavesden in 1945 and delivered to 13 OTU at Middleton St George on 29th August 1945 coded KQ-G. The aircraft then had a varied career, going to No. 266 Squadron on 31st October 1946, 54 OTU at Eastmore on 24th April 1947 and 228 OCU at Leeming on 17th May 1947. Here it remained until being delivered to 22 MU at Silloth on 20th September 1950 for maintenance and storage before being issued to 204 Advanced Flying School on 15th July 1951, where it received some damage which was repaired by Brooklands Aviation Ltd at Sywell following which it went into storage again at 27 MU at Shawbury on 6th February 1952 until 15th May 1952 when it was issued to the Home Command Examination Unit (HCEU) at White Waltham.
This aircraft is scheduled for its first post restoration flight within the next month or so.
Raspberrys plentiful again!
M
