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Texas-based Lewis Air Legends has reported the arrival of their newly restored de Havilland Mosquito PZ474, which is one of only four airworthy examples of the type in the world.

As previously reported, the Mosquito FB VI was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and was used for RAF training before serving with 75 Squadron in New Zealand as NZ2384. In the 1950s and 60s the machine was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA, and is believed to have been used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America. [continue reading…]

Lewis Air Legends and Avspecs, Ltd. have shared a new feature on newly restored Mosquito FB VI PZ474 aired by Television New Zealand’s (TVNZ) Seven Sharp.

As previously reported, the machine was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and used for RAF training before moving on to New Zealand in 1948, where it was overhauled and delivered to 75 Squadron as NZ2384. In the early 1950s, the aircraft was acquired by new owners and registered as ZK-BCV before being transferred to the United States. There, the Mosquito was given civil registration N9909F and, from around 1955-66, was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA. During this time it was believed that the machine was used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America.

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Yesterday, Mosquito FB VI PZ474 performed its first post-restoration flight from Ardmore Airport in New Zealand.

As previously reported, the machine was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and used for RAF training before moving on to New Zealand in 1948, where it was overhauled and delivered to 75 Squadron as NZ2384. In the early 1950s, the aircraft was acquired by new owners and registered as ZK-BCV before being transferred to the United States. There, the Mosquito was given civil registration N9909F and, from around 1955-66, was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA. During this time it was believed that the machine was used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America. [continue reading…]

On November 8, Avspecs, Ltd. rolled out Mosquito FB VI PZ474 for its first port engine test in Ardmore, New Zealand.

The machine was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and used for RAF training before moving on to New Zealand in 1948, where it was overhauled and delivered to 75 Squadron as NZ2384. In the early 1950s, the aircraft was acquired by new owners and registered as ZK-BCV before being transferred to the United States. There, the Mosquito was given civil registration N9909F and, from around 1955-66, was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA. During this time it was believed that the machine was used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America.

In 1970, PZ474 was abandoned and began a period of decline. It wouldn’t be saved until 2014, when it was acquired by Rod Lewis of Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas. [continue reading…]

The Mosquito Pathfinder Trust has announced “a commercial understanding with the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARC)” to “provide the suite of Engineering and Design Services” for a de Havilland Mosquito airframe that will be brought to airworthy condition before being transferred to the UK.

The machine in question has been under construction by Glyn Powell and is currently said to be 50% complete. The project is based on the remains of NZ2308, which was originally constructed at Bankstown near Sydney as an early model FB.40. It was initially allocated RAAF serial A52-20 before being converted to a T.43 dual control trainer and given the serial A52-1054. In 1947, the machine was acquired by the Royal New Zealand Air Force with less than 20 hrs of service time. Now identified as NZ2308, the Mosquito entered service with 75 Squadron at Ohakea and performed “numerous exercises and aerial demonstrations all over New Zealand.”

The aircraft was declared surplus in 1955 and sold to a private owner. Over the following years it languished outdoors until it was recovered by Powell, who spent the next 20 years working on the project, which included the scratch-built construction of an entirely new wooden airframe. [continue reading…]

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire XVIe S/N TB252 (N752TB), deemed “one of the most original Spitfires surviving today” is now available for sale.

The aircraft was built in the Castle Bromwich factory in January 1945 and served with the Belgian Air Force and the Royal Air Force before becoming a gate guardian in 1955. It was reportedly traded to Historic Flying in 1988 in “100% complete and original” condition and “still had the parachute sitting on the seat from when it was last flown 35-40 years prior.”

In 2002, TB252 was acquired by a new owner and transported to Avspecs, Ltd. in New Zealand, where it is currently undergoing a complete restoration with “no expense spared” in order to make it “the best Spitfire possible.”

The Packard Merlin 266 engine, the same engine it last flew with in military service, reportedly has 0 hrs SMOH by Vintage V-12s (completed in 2017) as does the Dowty Rotol propeller, which was overhauled by Skycraft and has new blades by Hoffman. The airframe is said to have been completely re-riveted with new skins, new main spars, and “everything 0 timed.”

The Spitfire is currently being offered for US$2,500,000. Click here to check out the complete listing.

(Photo: Steve Fitzgerald via Wikimedia Commons)