OSH15 Dawn Patrol CoolPix... Corsair And Mosquito (11Pix)

(click pic for hi-res)  A great Dawn Patrol sunrise at OSH15 on Thursday July 23

 This summer has been a real blur for me as I've been working to build a new online business... today I launched www.loudflowers.com, high-resolution flower images printed exclusively on vibrant aluminum sheet. The ads I placed here today are designed to drive a little traffic that direction as I start off from ground zero. If you like my work there, I encourage you to spread the word, and I hope you stay tuned because I have an aviation derivative of Loud Flowers in the works. In early 2016 I plan to launch BleedingEgdeArt.com with an upscale collection of aerospace images that should be pretty cool : )

 But this post is to share 11 pix I captured on Thursday July 23rd at OSH15 (the best OSH ever!) of a Corsair and the Mosquito while on a Dawn Patrol photo mission in the warbirds area. And all of these images open up to the big CoolPix size, so I think you'll enjoy the journey!

(click for hi-res)  Man and machine prepare for an early morning mission

(click pic for hi-res)  Sun, smoke, and fire... the Corsair comes to life!

(click pic for hi-res)  Two of the four Corsairs heading out for this morning mission

(click pic for hi-res)  The Mosquito with its nose pointed into the western sky

Click to read more ...

Oshkosh 2013 Gets Stung By Jerry Yagen's Mosquito?

(click pic to enlarge) Jerry Yagen's Mosquito recently restored by Avspecs in New Zealand 

 AVweb had a story yesterday about how the EAA was going to stand firm on their policy of not paying appearance fees to have specific aircraft attend the annual convention and fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This has become an issue because it appears that Jerry Yagen, the owner of the Mosquito recently (and impeccably) restored by Avspecs LTD in new Zealand, has said he won't bring the Mosquito (and his new-manufacture Me 262) without being paid to do so. Hmm, really? Normally I'd just hear this news and then let my opinion rattle around inside my head, but as a guy who has covered this Mosquito extensively in the last several months here on AirPigz, I decided I have something to say.

 I'll start with the EAA. I have had my issues with the Experimental Aircraft Association over the years, (don't get me started, some of these issues are big ones to me) but in the end, I don't know of any other organization that has done so much for the true love of flying. I first joined in 1970 when I was 9 years old... I started scratch building an airplane on my own when I was a junior in high school and I've been to well over 30 Oshkosh events over the last 40+ years. The EAA and Oshkosh are good great for aviation, so I'm going to have to side with them in this issue with the Mosquito.

 I'm going to assume that the AVweb story is accurate, and as such, I have a hard time wrapping my I-bust-my-butt-for-30grand-a-year head around the idea that Jerry Yagen (who has more cash wrapped up in the Merlins on that Mosquito than I have spent in my entire 51 years on Earth) can't see fit to spend just a little cash to do what warbird owners have been doing for years and years... pay to bring their airplane to Oshkosh so us meager little commoners could admire them. Please don't misunderstand, this isn't class envy on my part... I have no problem cheering the fact that Mr. Yagen has had the opportunity to generate the kind of wealth that allows him to own an incredibly large collection of extremely expensive and rare aircraft, but to demand to be paid to show one or two airplanes at the world's greatest aviation event is just a bit stinky to me.

 I'll add that I have been also working my butt off the last four years in my spare time with AirPigz.com in an effort to bring the beauty and fascination of aviation to a younger generation. I understand the value of investing time and money in things that can have a positive impact on others. And, while it takes very little money to run this website, it does take a massive amount of time and energy on my part... and as many of you know, I still haven't figured out a way to generate any real income off the 25,000 plus people (and growing) that visit this website every month. It seems that if I was to use Jerry Yagen's approach, I'd just tell y'all pay up or I'm done. Well that's not how I operate. (and yes, it's very true that I did just over a week ago ask for some financial support for the my 1,000-hours-a-year work here on AirPigz. I raised $170, which brought the total income for the website in 2012 up to about $600) 

 My opinion on the Mosquito issue is in no way an attack on Jerry Yagen, but it is request for him to take another look at the principles (and financial realities) involved here and reconsider the value of spending the loose change it would take to put Avspecs' beautiful work on display at Oshkosh 2013 for the aviation world at large to enjoy and appreciate.

Video: Forget The Beatles, The Best Music EVER Comes From The Mosquitos!

 The Historical Aviation Film Unit has just uploaded a new video of the incredible Avspecs Mosquito making some of the best stereo Merlin music ever! Forget the Beatles, it's all about the Mosquitos now! Even tho I'm a hardcore old-school radial engine guy, I have to admit that there just is no sound made by man that's better than the Rolls Royce Merlin V-12 engine... and the concert with two of them bolted to the wooden airframe of the de havilland Mosquito is just pure perfection. Some day I'm gonna publish a top ten (and also a top 100) aircraft of all time, and the Mosquito is most likely gonna be on that top ten list!

 So do yourself a favor and stop reading my words and listen to this fantastic video!

 After you've enjoyed the awesome sights and sounds of the video, you might wanna check out these Mosquito links:

Mosquito posts on AirPigz

Avspecs LTD facebook page

CoolPix: Avspecs de Havilland Mosquito In The Air - Bravo!

(click pic for hi-res)  The amazing de Havilland Mosquito in the air in New Zealand

 Words aren't needed here... just click this CoolPix to open it up big and savor the amazing work done by the people of de Havilland over 70 years ago, and the restoration work done the people at Avspecs (and others) over the last eight years. The Mosquito is a stunning human accomplishment, and this is the only one flying in the entire world.

(Mosquito on AirPigz)

(photo: Avspecs open house Saturday 9-29-12: from a friend of AirPigz in New Zealand)

Video: The Amazing Sound Of The Avspecs Mosquito! (Plus 3 Fighters)

 There was an Avspecs open house over the weekend at Ardmore Airfield in New Zealand celebrating the completion of the 8 year de Havilland Mosquito restoration project for Jerry Yagen... it must have been an incredible experience for all who where able to attend. The Historical Aviation Film Unit was there and captured the awesome sound of the Rolls Royce Merlin powered Mosquito flying formation with a Merlin powered Spitfire and P-51 along with an Allison powered P-40. Wow! The Merlin must surely be the best sound ever made by man!

 The first pass made by all four airplanes has been altered to look more like we remember seeing WWII aircraft in films, and then the other passes are as we would have seen them if we were there at Ardmore that day. This is definitely a 'must see' video! I highly recommend you watch this video in 720p HD in fullscreen mode and with your speakers cranked way up. Repeat as need : )

(check out the Histortical Aviation Film Unit youtube channel)

Video screenshot of the Mosquito in formation with a Spitfire, P-51 and P-40

The DH98 Mosquito Lives Again - Bravo Avspecs! First Flight 9-27-12

(click pic to enlarge) Mosquito flies after 8 year restoration (photo: Avspecs facebook)

 Here's an awesome pic from the Avspecs Limited facebook page of the Mosquito in the air near Auckland New Zealand on its first day back in the sky, Thursday 9-27-12. Could and airplane look more pefect than this?! The caption for the pic on their page: The DH98 Mosquito lives again! What a day! 3 flights and all home safe and sound.

 Bravo to all the people involved in making this dream become a reality. Lets hope that this is just the first of several Mosquito aircraft finding their way back into the wild blue yonder. 

 To keep learn more about the Mosquito project, check out these links:

Avspecs facebook page
Avspecs official website
Military Aviation Museum (owner) 
MosquitoRestoration.com
(builder of the molds for the Avspecs wooden fuselage and restoring another Mossie)

 And you might want to check the AirPigz Mosquito category for the other recent posts on this restoration as well as a few additional Mosquito posts from the past.

Video: Avspecs de Havilland Mosquito Landing Back At Ardmore On First Flight Day!

 The Historical Aviation Film Unit (New Zealand) has uploaded a video of the Avspecs de Havilland Mosquito from the first day of flying after their long and extremely detailed restoration. See my post from this morning on the first flight of the Mossie for more details. (if you're at the main page of AirPigz, it's the post right before this one)

 This video is of the airplane returning to Ardmore Airfield where the restoration was done and the first takeoff had been made a little earlier. The airplane spent some time flying in the Auckland region after departing on the first flight and made its first landing at Auckland International Airport. A pitot static system issue was resolved while at Auckland Int'l. The video that shows the airplane departing Auckland (that is included in this morning's post) is re-posted below in case you haven't seen it.  There will likely be no shortage of great videos to come here in the near future, but for all of us right now, anything that shows this amazing aircraft in the air is definitely 'must see'. Enjoy!

Stellar Achievement! Avspecs de Havilland Mosquito Makes First Flight!

Avspecs (New Zealand) Mosquito restoration first flight 9.27.12 at Ardmore Airfield

(7 pix and 3 videos - all photos from the facebook page of Ned Dawson)

 The massive restoration project of a de Havilland Mosquito by Avspecs Limited in Auckland New Zealand for Jerry Yagen and the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach Virginia has reached the ultimate goal... the Mosquito is back in the air! The first flight took place before noon Auckland time (Wednesday evening 9.26.12 in the US) and it appears to have been a great success. The airplane departed Ardmore Airfield and then landed at the Auckland International Airport. They did have some sort of pitot static issue that was resolved while on the ground and then the aircraft returned to Ardmore.

 The following photos give you a first look into the departure from Ardmore and the return back there. I've also included three videos that are very much worth your time. The first of the videos, the only one showing the Mosquito in the air, includes the takeoff at Auckland International on the way back over to Ardmore. Wow! The Mosquito is truly one of the greatest airplanes ever built. Much more info will follow in the coming days as this amazing effort is being and cheered by people all over the world!

Crew photo op after the first flight success of the only flying Mosquito in the world

Engines starting at Ardmore Airfield in preparation for the first flight since restoration

Click to read more ...

Video: Avspecs Mosquito Engine Run - First Flight Getting Close!

 Avspecs Limited based on Ardmore Airfield in Aukland New Zealand is getting very close to having their incredible de Havilland Mosquito restoration project completed and flying. Wow, how cool is that! When it's back in the air it'll be the only flying Mosquito in the world. It's being restored for Jerry Yagen and his collection of flying aircraft at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach Virginia, and the quality of the work is simply stunning. The video above shows a recent run of the Rolls Royce Merlin engines... and if you didn't know, the only thing better than a warbird with a Merlin engine on it is one that has two of them!

(click pic to enlarge)  1942 photo of the beautiful and amazing de Havilland Mosquito
 

There's a special open house for the airplane taking place a week from today on September 29th at Ardmore that'll draw a crowd of Mosquito fans in addition to survivors that were crew on the Mosquito. It's sure to be a very special event for everyone who attends.

 You can see some additional photos of the restoration project on the Avspecs facebook page, and I'm sure we'll be seeing an excellent first flight video before too long. The extra video below is one from back in July that shows some of the effort that's gone into putting this amazing aircraft back into the air. The de Havilland Mosquito is an incredible airplane and this restoration is nothing short of spectacular!

Video: Building The World's Greatest Engine - The Rolls Royce Merlin

 There's really no way to decide what the world's greatest engine really is, but the Rolls Royce Merlin has to be in the running. When you consider the importance this engine had (and its U.S. built counterpart, the Packard V-1650) in being a critical element of winning World War II, you might be able to give it that title right there. But this engine has also proven itself as an amazing race engine, used in hydroplane boats from the late 40's til the 70's, and of course as the powerplant for countless Unlimited race aircraft since WWII... like Strega, the P-51 that's won the last three years at Reno. The versatility and strength of the Merlin is legendary.

 I think there's a fair chance that most of us would be likely to consider it the world's greatest engine just based on its sound alone. There's nothing better than the sound of a Merlin! And that's coming from a radial engine fanatic!

 But the legacy of powering aircraft like the Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Mosquito, Avro Lancaster and the North American P-51 is really what made the Merlin a superstar. This video, while not fast paced and exciting, is an amazing look at the dedicated craftsmen that made the Merlin a reality. It's fascinating to see the amount of hand labor that went into each engine. I also find it extremely interesting that the people that engineered and built this engine (the British), seemed to lose their way in the years after the war. To go from the accomplishments represented in the Merlin and wind up where they are today is hard to imagine. But then, America is on a similar path, from Apollo to where we are now... what is wrong with us all? No need to answer that, it's the frailty of the human condition, and it's in all of us.

 Regardless, this was Britain's time to shine... and shine they did.

(btw, this video is particularly relevant with the Red Tails film currently in theaters, as well as the news that the Reno Air Races have set the course to return in 2012, and with the recent video of the de Havilland Mosquito being restored in New Zealand. The Rolls Royce Merlin is an engine that may never die!)