Down under wooden wonder

Air Classics, Jun 2003

Mosquito under long-term restoration in Australia

De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito PR Mk. XVI serial A52-600 has been removed from long-term storage to become the Royal Australian Air Force Museum's latest restoration project. Originally built in Britain as NS631, the aircraft was delivered to the RAAF on 13 December 1944. By 1947, the all-wood high-performance aircraft was in use as an instructional airframe at RAAF Ballarat. During the early 1950s, the Mosquito was assigned to the RAAF Air Training Corps before being sold surplus in 1954.

The new owner was a farmer and he stored the craft on his farm for a dozen years until it was obtained by Pearce Dunn for his Warbirds Aviation Museum in Mildura, Victoria, where, once again, it was stored dismantled until 1983 when it was sold to a group of individuals who apparently wanted to restore the Mosquito back to flying condition since the machine was assigned the civil registration VH-JUX. However, little work was accomplished and in 1987 the aircraft was acquired by the RAAF Museum and placed into storage.

The aircraft is not in bad shape and, currently, volunteers from the Friends of the RAAF Museum and the Mosquito Aircraft Association of Australia are completing an inventory of parts held for this aircraft before beginning the major task of restoring the airframe. The restoration project is expected to last ten years.