Dehavilland Mosquito plans

Ivanhoe wrote:"Thinking of painting it in the USAF 25th bomber group colors,,red tail version"

Did the USAF ever fly the Mossie? according to my reading it was offered to the US, but never taken up,

Quote from the History of the DH Mosquito


"The Americans did not pursue their interest. It was thought the Lockheed P-38 Lightning could handle the same duties just as easily. Arnold felt the design was being overlooked, and urged the strategic personalities in the United States Army Air Force to learn from the design if they chose not to adopt it. The USAAF then requested one airframe to evaluate on 12 December 1941, several days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the USAAF entered the war without a fast dual-purpose reconnaissance machine."[37]

dckrsn wrote:
I always thought,... if the Mosquito was built from aluminium

instead of wood, it would have been the dominnat design (imho).

PV Pilot wrote:At that time with the true balsa wood construction,,it's power to weight ratio was unmatched for a bit. The brits especially liked it for skip-bombing german dams. There was a WWII movie about that squadron.

andrew wrote:

dckrsn wrote:
I always thought,... if the Mosquito was built from aluminium

instead of wood, it would have been the dominnat design (imho).

Being isolated with no bauxite resource, wooden construction was a reasonable technique to employ during the war years. It also allowed the UK to utilize industries that were not already involved in smelting and metalworking since woodworking was an established industry.

Although it was 98% wood, it still was a kick-butt aircraft.

PV Pilot wrote:At that time with the true balsa wood construction,,it's power to weight ratio was unmatched for a bit. The brits especially liked it for skip-bombing german dams. There was a WWII movie about that squadron.

Ivanhoe wrote:

PV Pilot wrote:At that time with the true balsa wood construction,,it's power to weight ratio was unmatched for a bit. The brits especially liked it for skip-bombing german dams. There was a WWII movie about that squadron.

Film was "The Dam Busters", sorry, Lancasters not Mosquitos. For a time, at 16,000 feet, the Mossie was faster than any fighter, allied or enemy, it could also do climbing rolls on ONE engine!

PV Pilot wrote:

Ivanhoe wrote:

PV Pilot wrote:At that time with the true balsa wood construction,,it's power to weight ratio was unmatched for a bit. The brits especially liked it for skip-bombing german dams. There was a WWII movie about that squadron.

Film was "The Dam Busters", sorry, Lancasters not Mosquitos. For a time, at 16,000 feet, the Mossie was faster than any fighter, allied or enemy, it could also do climbing rolls on ONE engine!

Ahh ok, remember the name now, Thought they were Mossie's. Been a long time and never seen the whole flick.

The Pilot's poem is a great one, I have a nice framed silver foil etched lithograph with a gypsy moth in the background, with that poem on it.

Ivanhoe wrote:

PV Pilot wrote:

Ivanhoe wrote:

PV Pilot wrote:At that time with the true balsa wood construction,,it's power to weight ratio was unmatched for a bit. The brits especially liked it for skip-bombing german dams. There was a WWII movie about that squadron.

Film was "The Dam Busters", sorry, Lancasters not Mosquitos. For a time, at 16,000 feet, the Mossie was faster than any fighter, allied or enemy, it could also do climbing rolls on ONE engine!

Ahh ok, remember the name now, Thought they were Mossie's. Been a long time and never seen the whole flick.

The Pilot's poem is a great one, I have a nice framed silver foil etched lithograph with a gypsy moth in the background, with that poem on it.

Yes, that's the kind of thing I'd like, must keep an eye open for one, the poem just sums up the joy of flight for me

Ivanhoe wrote:"Thinking of painting it in the USAF 25th bomber group colors,,red tail version"



Correction to earlier comments made without enough research!

Wilf