World War II Pilot is building a scale replica of Mosquito Bomber

[GoldenRivet]

http://www.ocala.com/article/20110424/ARTICLES/110429843/1402/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

Russell F. Loomis Jr. needed steady hands and cool composure to pilot a Douglas A-20 Havoc fighter-bomber in risky missions over World War II-ravaged France, Belgium and Germany.

.art_main_pic { width: 250px; float: left; clear: left; } Sixty-seven years later at age 87, those steady hands are crafting a three-quarter-scale replica of another plane that helped the Allies pound Germany into submission during the war.
Loomis, a retired aeronautical engineer, can be found most days assembling a British Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquito bomber in his west Marion workshop.





http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=OS&Date=20110424&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=110429843&Ref=AR&Profile=1402&MaxW=600&border=0

[AVGWarhawk]

I love some of the retired folks and the paths they take in retirement. I'm going to build a bomber from WW2. :yeah: "That'll keep me busy!" Got to love it!

[Jimbuna]

87 years old!....he'd better be quick :o

[Oberon]

Damn, good on him. :yeah: Beats a boat. :yep:

[August]

Why bother making it 3/4th's, why not just go full scale?

[AVGWarhawk]

Why bother making it 3/4th's, why not just go full scale?


His garage is just so big. Plus, I'm guessing he wants to fly it alone or with one. No need to build full scale IMO. Not like he is carring any bombs either!

[Herr-Berbunch]

Vickers Armstrong built a Wellington in 24 hours, but that was a full production team working flat out on the one. I'd like to see the finished product. :yep:

[Fish In The Water]

87 years old!....he'd better be quick :o

Hopefully he has time to finish it and then fly off into the sunset... :03:

[MaddogK]

The 27-foot-long center fuselage is built in left and right half sections. Just the right half fuselage section and the rudder and fin, or rear tail, have taken about five years to finish. Loomis estimates he has hammered about 2,000 18-gauge nails into the fuselage so far and would “welcome some help.”

Nails ??

He's gonna die if he flies this thing.

[papa_smurf]

Thats one way to spend your retirement:up:

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Nails ??

He's gonna die if he flies this thing.
Original Mosquito was basically wood & glue with some metal. Amount of nails used - 2000 - only to fuselage sounds quite high but I don't know what was case with original Mosquito. :hmmm:

What ever is the case there must be significant engineering adjustment to allow building down scale version.

[Jimbuna]

I wonder where he intends purchasing his three-quarter-scale Merlin 21 engines from? :hmmm:

[AVGWarhawk]

I suspect the engines will be piper cub type engines. :hmmm:

[AVGWarhawk]

What ever is the case there must be significant engineering adjustment to allow building down scale version.

He is a retired aeronautical engineer. He has the right stuff! :yeah:

[GoldenRivet]

I wonder where he intends purchasing his three-quarter-scale Merlin 21 engines from? :hmmm:

I suspect the engines will be piper cub type engines. :hmmm:

Yeah...

a couple of Continental O-200 series engines ought to do the trick

unless this thing starts getting some weight behind it... then you could go up to a couple of Lycoming O-320 engines

I hope he gets the help he needs... it would be neat to see this thing in flight.

[MaddogK]

Original Mosquito was basically wood & glue with some metal. Amount of nails used - 2000 - only to fuselage sounds quite high but I don't know what was case with original Mosquito. :hmmm:

What ever is the case there must be significant engineering adjustment to allow building down scale version.

Guess wood screws weren't used then.

My bad.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Guess wood screws weren't used then.

My bad.
They didn't use wood screws. :) Wings of Mosquito were built of layers of plywood skin with different wood types forming inner structure all (mostly) put together with adhesive. Exceptions were control surfaces which were either aluminium or aluminium with canvas skin and wingspar also made of aluminium. Whole idea of Mosquito was to spare metals by using as much wood as possible. Here is nice quote from Reich Minister of Aviation Göring:
"In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again..."
– Hermann Göring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring), 1943