RAF East Kirkby – Lancaster and Mosquito Taxi Runs – photo heavy

Monday was a trip to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage centre in the UK. Formerly RAF East Kirkby bomber station in WW2. It is a family run living museum with a moving back story.

Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre - Wikipedia

The main working exhibits are a Lancaster bomber and now an even rarer multi-role Mosquito. They are working to get both planes airworthy and both are capable of Taxi run days. We were also treated to a BBMF Spitfire flypast and a B17 flypast. There are many static displays and buildings / equipment to explore as well.

The Lancaster Just Jane currently has her wing tips clipped for ongoing renovation work.

Many of the volunteers were in period costume / a great way to educate the younger generations and a fitting tribute to all the people who served suffered and sacrificed in that war.

I continued some research on clocks and watches from the period and will need some ID help at a later date.

The de Haviland Mosquito is amazing - the wooden wonder. You could feel the power from those 2x Merlins and enormous props fitted on such a light airframe. The same with the Lancaster. Without a bomb load she would tip onto her nose if they ran all four Merlins at full power.

A bit photo heavy I know, but there are so few of these left as many of you will know. (2x flying Lancasters and 1x flying Mosquito).
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Thanks for sharing.
The Mosquito was an amazing aircraft.

I am sure a very brave chap. The Aluminium skin is waffer thin and the doors to the rear gunner spot are just balsa wood. The Perspex gives no protection and the Magnesium frame burns like a flare. The pilots seat is the only bit with any decent armour. Looking inside / with no access to the bomb bay it would be very hard to get out in an emergency. I took these a good few years back which might be of interest given the familly link. I would say from this week the Mosquito looks almost impossible to get out of - you fly with it and die with it sadly.
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Every time I see a Mosquito I am reminded of a tale an old now passed workmate told me, he was EX RNZAF and some time after the WWII he recounted how they had lined the now surplus to requirement Mosquito's up dowsed them in petrol and set them alight.
Seems a complete tragedy even back in the 80's when he told me this, such an Iconic high performance plane.

Good story but seems fairly unlikely and I can't find anything to support it. Wouldn't have been RNZAF mosquitoes, and 487 Sqn in the UK, where RNZAF flew Mosquitoes doesn't seem to have done this either. I'd say tragedy averted 😁.
(Source for RNZAF Mosquitos: http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzmosquito.htm )

I have no reason to doubt him at all, alas he is no longer around to clarify.

I did read about some old bomber aircraft being used for target practice. The history of the Mosquito in the photos above is long and interesting. There is also seperate project underway to build one from scratch as a number of original drawings have been found.

The Fusalage on the one above was part of the 633 Squadron filiming, and from the timeline below people were still happy to 'burn' old parts in 1972. Intial parts were taken from a plane being used for 'crash rescue training'

1971
Tony located the remains of B.XVI PF498 which had been allocated to Kirkham airfield on the 6th October 1948. On the 6th June 1955, it went to the Civil Defence Unit , Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley, Lancashire, where it was used for crash rescue training, The ravages of this role explain why when Tony first came upon the aircraft the only substantial pieces left were a section of the wing undercarriage assemblies.

On April 29th the cockpit was purchased at an auction in Blackpool for the princely sum of £7. Also obtained was a rudder for just £2, aileron and rudder pedals.

After the war, the cockpit spent some time with the Air Training Corps and a scout group, before resurfacing at the Reflectaire collection in Blackpool. At that time the information relating to the history of the cockpit was that it was NF.II HJ711.

HJ711 had served with 141 and 169 squadrons. While with 169 squadron based at Little Snoring in Norfolk, HJ711 made the squadrons first kill on January 30th 1944. The pilot, Squadron leader J.A.H. Cooper, shot down a Messerschmitt BF110 whilst patrolling west of Berlin.

Tony did have his doubts about the history of the cockpit being a NF.11 as the configuration of the cockpit was that of an FB.VI.

After obtaining permission from 169 squadron it was thought appropriate to adopt the squadron and the serial number of HJ711.



1972
On the return journey from Blackpool Tony deviated to Chorley in search of the undercarriage assemblies and wing sections located earlier. Having previously obtained permission to remove the wing, prompt removal was required otherwise it was the intention to clear the site by burning the aircraft remains.

A friend of Tony's discovered the port and Starboard wing remains from T.III VA878 which had lain derelict in St. David's, South Wales since 1956. On close inspection, Tony found the remains in a poor state, cut off the port wing section and duly transported it home.

Now, with undercarriage, wings and cockpit the task was to find a fuselage.

1973
Tony, along with its owner, Eddie Renolds, salvaged the remains of TT.35 RS715 from a deserted film lot behind the MGM studios at Boreham Wood. RS715 had in fact been used in the making of the film 633 Squadron, but sadly was left abandoned 10 years after filming ended. Eddie generously parting with it without payment and thus the fuselage had to be transported back to York, this been done by a trailer and Tony's ever faithful Singer Vogue, cockpit and fuselage came together for the first time in Tony's driveway.

1975
Jim O'Sullivan wrote to inform Tony that they had recovered an ex-141 squadron Mosquito near Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Thus a pair of needle blade propellers, albeit bent from the crash, joined the Huntington hoard, as did tailplane elevators and other sundry items.

1978
Two Merlin 76 engines became available, the first good engines to become available on the market, were added. Theses came from NF.30 NI616, which had been scrapped at Cosford. Later, however, in a complicated three way deal, Tony was able to acquire the correct engines for HJ711, namely two Merlin 25s. Other parts arriving from all over the country was a pilot's seat from a scrap yard in Warrington.

Here in NZ there have been a few projects going on
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business...tice-day-air-show/B6MQZPI2HSRLAK4OHK3OB4CQXY/


Apparently this company has built/rebuilt 2 of them.

If memory serves me correctly one is being built from scratch somewhere here in NZ though it may be one of the 2 aforementioned ones that I am thinking about.

A little about NZ involvement here https://ferrymeadaero.org.nz/about/de-havilland-mosquito-fb-vi/