De Havilland DH 89, Mosquito, 489[NZ] Sqn, 1943 to 1945, Part 5

An Exercise supposedly guarding the Aircraft with a Bren Gun and a Sten Gun.

Design:
Geffery De Havilland

Company:
De Havilland at Hatfield
and Leavesden
Percival Luton
Standard Motors at Canley
Airspeed

Australia
De Havilland

Canada
De Havilland

Wing Span:
54 ft 2 in 16.52 M

Wing Area:
435.0 sq ft

Length:
44 ft 6 in 13.57 M

Height:
15 ft 3 in

Ceiling:
36,000 ft 10,975 M

Speed: at 30,500ft
425 MPH 684 KPH

Range:
2,335 Miles 3,759 Km

T/O Weight:
25,200 lb 11,430 Kg

Empty Weight:
14,600 Lb 6,628 Kg

Entered Service
July 1941

Crew:
1 Pilot
1 Navigator

Role:
Fighter
Fighter/Bomber
Bomber
Night Fighter
PR
Navy

Total Manufactured:
7,784 All Mark

Qty Built
Mk 11 467
Mk 111 343
Mk 1V 273
Mk V1 2,217
Mk X111 220
Mk X1V 432
Mk XV1 1,200
Mk X1X 220
Mk XX 145
B 25 400
FB 26 338
NF 30 526
NF 36 266

First Flight:
25 Nov 1940

Armament:
Night Fighter
4 x 20 mm Cannon in Fuselage Nose
4 x .303 in Machine Guns in Wing

ENGINE

image source

Quantity
2

Type:
Rolls Royce Merlin Mk 21 & 23

12 cylinder, 60^ vee, in line, liquid cooled, 2 speed supercharger

Bore:
5.4 in 137 mm

Stroke:
6.0 in 152mm

Volume:
1,649 cu in 27 L

Horse Power:
1580 HP

Max RPM:
3,000 RPM

Fuel:
100/130 Octane

Oil:
OMD 370

Length:
88.7 in 2,250 mm

Width:
30.8 in 780 mm

Height:
40 in 102 cm

Weight:
1,640 lb 744 Kg

Power to Weight Ratio:
0.96 hp/lb 1.58 KW/Kg

An Exercise supposedly guarding the Aircraft with a Bren Gun and a Sten Gun.

AAEE Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment – Boscome Downs
AI Airborne Interceptor Radar Mk VI - Mk X etc
AFDU Air Fighting Development Unit
ASWDU Air/Ses Warfare Development Unit
AUW All Up Weight
BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation
CCPP Coastal Command Preparation Pool - Birchan Newron
De Hav De Havilland
FIU Fighter Interception Unit
FTR Failed To Return
H2X American Version of British H2S Radar
HIGHBALL Barnes Wallis Skipping Bomb - Smaller Version
MAC Mediterranean Air Command
MU Maintenance Unit
RAE Royal Aircraft Establishment - Farnborough
R&D Research and Development
SAG Second Aircraft Group - Leavesden
SCR Type of Radar, SCR 720 was American Version of British AI Mk 10
TFU Telecommunications Flying Unit - Defford
TROP Tropicalised

NFT = Night Flying Training
Flt = Flight
A/C = Aircraft
U/C = Undercarriage
OTU = Operational Training Unit
OCU = Operational Conversion Unit
Navex = Navigational Training Exercse
RN = Royal Navy
CFS = Central Flying School
GSU = Ground Support Unit

Flown by
RAF 487 [NZ] Sqn
RAF 488 [NZ] Sqn
RAF 489 [NZ] Sqn
RNZAF 75 Sqn Ohakea
RNZAF 14 Sqn Ohakea Acting as Multi Engine Conversion Unit 1949

489 [NZ] Sqn

PZ 413

Mark FB V1
Built at Hatfield 250 in contract 16 May 1044 to 19 Jun 1945
To 143 Sqn
To 248 Sqn
To 143 Sqn
To 248 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 132 OTU
To RNZAF as NZ 2381 23 Jan 1948
Sold ZK - BCT 2 Sep 1953
Sold N 4935 V
Scrapped at Palmerston North May 1957

RF 643

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 333 Sqn
To 248 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 132 OTU
To Czech Air Force 8 Feb 1947

RF 839

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 3 FP
Swung on take off and U/C collapsed at North Creake 24 Jun 1946
Damaged beyond repair

RF 842

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To Armee De L’Air 12 Jul 1946

RF 848

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 1 FU
To Armee De L’Air 27 Jun 1946
To Israel as 2120 21 Feb 1951
Written off 11 May 1954

RF 849

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 132 OTU
To RNZAF as NZ 2386 27 Jan 1948
Sold ZK - BCX 2 Sep 1953
Scrapped at Palmerston North May 1957

RF 852

Mark FB V1
Bult by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To Armee De L’Air 9 May 1946

RF 857

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To Armee De L’Air 24 May 1946

RF 880

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 404 Sqn
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To Armee De L’Air 4 Jul 1946

RF 893

Mark FB V1
Built by Standard Motors 300 in contract 16 Dec 1944 to 5 Jun 1945
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 132 OTU
To 6 OTU
Struck off charge 8 Nov 1950

RR 307

Mark T 111
Buily at Leavesden 50 in contract 12 Oct 1944 to 25 Jul 1945
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 8 OTU
To 58 Sqn
To 141 Sqn
To 226 OCU
To FE
Struck off charge 1 Sep 1955

RR 308

Mark T 111
Built at Leavesden 50 in contract 12 Oct 1944 to 25 Jul 1945
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 132 OTU
To 6 OTU
To CFS
To 204 AFS
To Swinderby
To 45 Sqn
To 33 Sqn
Struck off charge 21 Jan 1955

TA 485

Mark FB V1
Built at Hatfield 107 in contract 12 Apr 1945 to 15 Dec 1945
To 489 [NZ] Sqn
To 132 OTU
To RNZAF as NZ 2392 30 Apr 1948
Sold Wings were cut off before sale
Scrapped Mar 1952

De Havilland at
Hatfield production was covered by Contract 555/C.23 [a]
Leavesden production was covered by Contract 1576/SAS/C.23 [a]
Percival production at Luton Contract 3047
Standard Motors production at Canley Contract 1680
Airspeed production Contract 3527

VX 916, Delivered Nov 1950 was the 7.781st and last Mosquito built

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Unsourced photos through the Ohakea Museum

with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner