::: MADE IN TORONTO Mosquito…flies again!
MADE IN TORONTO, RESTORED RECENTLY IN NEW ZEALAND…deHavilland FB.26 KA114 Mosquito, nicknamed the 'Mossie' in WW II…flies again!!
Made in Downsview (now Toronto proper) by deHavilland of Canada in 1945!
TODAY it is the only Mosquito in flying condition, in the whole-wide world!!
…how about that?
During WW II the Mosquito had many roles: Fast-bomber, Fighter-Bomber, Night Fighter, Maritime Strike Aircraft, Fast Photo-Reconnaissance, and even advanced trainer.
Commander in Chief of the Nazi Luftwaffe, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring said THIS about the Mosquito in 1943:
"In 1940, I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again.What do you make of that? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked."
Oh, those pesky Mosquitos!
On January 20, 1943…RAF Mosquitos silenced Göring's propaganda speech celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nazis having seized power which was being broadcast live, at the time, from Berlin, to the entire German nation!
Göring was humiliated.In response to this and other increasing well-known successful RAF Mossie attacks Hermann formed special Luftwaffe units—to specifically combat these pesky Mosquitos.
No luck, chap.
The Mosquito was an ALL-WOOD construction.
It had no defensive armour, or armament, whatsoever.
HIGH SPEED was its' defence!
The Mossies could fly low, under German radar, at high speeds and were the first STEALH (radar-undetectable) AIRCRAFT brought into existence.
The main users of the Mosquito in order of units served was the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, and the USAAF.
My dad's squadron, RCAF SQN 404 put their Mossies to use as coastal anti-shipping and submarine strike aircraft.
The CANADIAN MOSQUITO FB Mk. 26 FIGHTER-BOMBER (seen above, photographer unknown) was an improved version of the Mk. 21 fighter-bomber. It was powered by two 1,620 HP Packard-Merlin 225 piston engines. That was a boost of 200 HP from the 21!
Those Packard-Merlins, and all Canadian Packard-Merlins used in Canadian Mosquitos, were made in this (now vacant) Downsview Park building (also seen-above)!
A total of 338 Mk.26s were made in, and only in, Toronto!
7,781 Mosquitos were built overall, all marks, and 1,132 were BUILT IN TORONTO.
Will CANADA ever see a Mosquito beat up the skies of Canada, again?
In mid-June, 2013 the Canadian Mosquito (owned by Jerry Yagen) and seen above, WILL FLY once again over the skies of Toronto.
…and possibly land at Bombardier Toronto!
It will fly as the SHOW'S HIGHLIGHT in the Hamilton Air Show on June 15-16, 2013.
Oh…yeah…when this Canadian Mk. 26 was restored over a seven year period in Ardmore, New Zealand by AvSpecs Ltd …a COMPLETE SET of forms, jigs and moulds were created. This means that MORE CANADIAN VERSION Mk. 26 MOSQUITOS will be produced in the future!
FYI, Toronto…
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