NZ MADE
KIWI-MADE ‘MOSSIE’
OR ‘WOODEN WONDER’ EXPORTED TO TEXAS
SPECIALIST WARBIRD AND VINTAGE AIRCRAFT RESTORER
AND REPAIRER, AVSPECS IS ABOUT TO EXPORT ONLY THE
THIRD FLYING MOSQUITO IN THE WORLD TO THE USA.
It’s no mean engineering feat
restoring an airplane.
But when the World War II Misquito
was rolled out for Armistace
Day commemorations, the
1945 twin-engine plane was the
culmination of 75,000 hours of
engineering at its finest.
were in “reasonable condition”. It
was purchased by its new American
owner and shipped to New Zealand
in a 40ft shipping container in 2014.
The engines were reconditioned by
Vintage V12, a California company,
and the radiators and cooling
systems were built from new by
Whangarei company, Replicore.
Replicore also re-cored the two
original serviceable oil coolers.
A key to Warren’s success so far has
been partnering up with companies
that are committed to the standard
and deliver. “The level of expertise
from Replicore was outstanding -
world class,” he says.
During WWII, some 7,781 Mosquitos
were built with 42 versions. With
two Rolls Royce Merlin engines
as the power house – it could
reach speeds of over 600km/h at
about13,200 ft (12-cylinder 60ø Vee
liquid-cooled engines each providing
One of only three ever completed –
all by the Kiwi company - Avspecs
is Warren Denholm’s creation and
started in 1986.
This latest export success story was
found in an airport (Chino) in a state
of complete disrepair. Fortunately, its
original Rolls Royce Merlin engines
22 February 2019