25 November 1940: de Havilland Aircraft Company’s Chief Test Pilot, Geoffrey Roal de Havilland, Jr., made the first flight of the DH.98 Mosquito prototype, E-0234, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The multi-role combat aircraft was constructed primarily of layers of balsa covered with layers of birch, then a layer of cotton fabric. It was powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engines. It had been predicted to be 20 m.p.h. faster than the Supermarine Spitfire, but was actually much faster. In testing, the prototype reached 437 m.p.h. The construction materials took advantage of plentiful supplies of wood, and also made workers who were not in the standard metal aircraft industry to take part. The prototype had a wingspan of 52 feet, 6 inches (16.002 meters). It was powered by two liquid-cooled supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk.21 engines, producing 1,460 horsepower each and driving three-bladed propellers. Its gross weight was 16,000 pounds (7,257.4 kilograms). The top speed was 392 miles per hour (631 kilometers per hour) at 22,000 feet (6,706 meters). This made it the world’s fastest operational airplane at the time. 6,411 DH.98 Mosquitoes were built in England, 1,134 in Canada and 212 in Australia. W4050 (the prototype’s Royal Air Force identification) remained at de Havilland and was used to test different engines, armaments and versions. After a series of tests conducted in December 1943, the first Mosquito was permanently grounded. It was used as an instructional airframe and later placed in storage. In September 1958 W4050 was turned over to the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre. Today, the restored prototype DH.98 Mosquito is at the museum at London Colney, Hertfordshire, England. r/max
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 23:00:00 +0000
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