THE "WOODEN WONDER"

What an amazing day and an experience not likely to be repeated - ever.  I have just returned from an aviation event at Ardmore aerodrome (South Auckland) to celebrate the return to the sky of De Havilland Mosquito KA114 lovingly restored here in NZ but soon to depart to the USA.  Why such a unique occasion?  Well, for those of you who don't know the DH Type 98 Mosquito was a WWII fighter-bomber originally created as a "fast bomber" and, partly to minimise weight and boost performance, was built mostly of bonded wood using techniques that have been all but lost.  Although there are a number of "Mossie" airframes around the world the likelihood of any more than a handful being restored to airworthy condition is pretty remote.  Having said that, now that AvSpecs at Ardmore have the moulds who knows; there is already another DH 98 undergoing restoration. 
Nine of us went up - in JGP, piloted by club captain Euan ("Flyinkiwi"), two in Alpha, WCD, and yours truly with youngest daughter and another club member in Cherokee, WIT.  I must admit I was a little nervous as I had not flown into Ardmore for some years and never before as Pilot-in-Command.  Ardmore is a very busy, uncontrolled airfield.  It all turned out very well in the end.  The flight up was uneventful and, although I had lost sight of the others on the way up, I could hear their radio calls and joined a left-hand downwind for runway 21 behind JGP and WCD, now back in sight, and followed them to the designated "itinerant aircraft" parking area for the show.
We arrived about 90 minutes before the first display and had a leisurely look around the classic cars that were also there before finding a pretty good spot to watch the displays.  These were really cool but the "Mossie" absolutely stole the show.  A few low passes were all that was needed to show off its lines.  It was interesting that the first flight today was only the third or fourth time it had flown, less than 3 hours logged - it had a short trip to Auckland International on Thursday but didn't fly yesterday.  I doubt whether the European Union bureaucrats or the FAA in the States would be too happy about the relative lack of test flying before participating in an aviation event but here in "laid-back, no-worries, she'll be right mate" NZ it was good to go.  And now for a few pictures:

From this........

...... To This!

Wowing the crowd

The Star of the Show

Merlin, 4; Allison, 1 - Spitfire TR.IX, P-40 Kittyhawk, DH Mosquito, P-51 Mustang

 

"WHIP" and "WHIZZ"

Now the post title above may generate a few hits from people looking for something other than aviation on the internet, know what I mean?! (cookery, of course!).  However, the photos below will clarify:

"Whisky India Papa" in the Aeromotive hangar

Tail of "WIP"

In the driver's seat - all "mod-cons"

"Whisky Hotel Zulu"

I had booked C-172, "WAM" for a few circuits this afternoon but with an 18-25 knot crosswind and multiple fronts passing that was not going to happen (very much the story of the past several weeks) but I did get to see the club's latest acquisitions, a pair of Tecnam P2008s.  They were in the maintenance hangar out of the wind and about to get their Waikato Aero Club logos painted on.  When the weather tidies up and the instructors can get rated on them it will be the club members' turn.  I'm keen!!