NZ Mossie restoration might lead to recasts?

[John Howling Mouse]

Zac probably knows more about this but the link was just sent to me by a pilot who thought this was noteworthy.  If I understand correctly, this restoration may lead to "kit-planes" of a sort being recast from the restored airframe?

http://www.warbirdrestoration.co.nz/mossie_april07.html

[K5054NZ]

Basically what Glyn Powell - pretty much single-handedly - has done is to remanufacture the insanely complex fuselage moulds so that ANY variant of Mosquito can be built/rebuild/restored. ANY VARIANT. Two will fly at the moment - Jerry's KA114 as seen in the link, which we all hope will be in the big blue within a year, and Glyn's own NZ2308. Another, static fuse was done for a group in Canuckistan. As you may understand, we Mossie fans - and Kiwi Mossie fans! - eagerly await each project update on KA114. When she flies (I heard RUMOURS of November this year), Glyn will turn his full attention to NZ2308.

Realistically, it seems if you have the metal parts, instrumentation and Merlins, you can pretty much pay Glyn and his team to build the airframe for you to put it all in. I see no reason why, with wealthy prospective owners keen to make an investment, we shouldn't have at least four Mosquitos airworthy around the world in time for the types 70th birthday in November 2010.

Anyone else think a new 633 Squadron should be on the cards after PJ and Christian are done with The Dambusters? 

Glyn's project website is here: http://www.mosquitorestoration.com/

[K5054NZ]

Oh! In that case, could you please make a set of 1:1 Mossie fuselage moulds for me Lee? 

Mmmmm I only hope the Hornet project succeeds in building one. Twas a very pretty machine.

[Nick]

Here's my pics of the Hornet fuselage moulds (all that remains) at the Mosquito Air Museum. This is where the first Mosquito was built and flew from.

[jcf]

Insanely complex?  Bollocks, it's just a simple shape, a primitive vacform. Look at the mould for the Hornet fuselage at Salisbury Hall.

Got it in one, the construction technique is a variation on one that has been used to make canoes since the late 19th-century.

It seems that some folk confuse the method used for the Mosquito and Hornet with that used for the Lockheed Vega, the Lockheed method used a female mould and an inflated rubber bag. It was relatively complex but produced a very strong shell.

Jon