Was the de Havilland Mosquito a good plane?
The Mosquito was a remarkable aircraft for its time; not only was it made largely of wood but it was designed as an unarmed bomber, depending on its superior speed to escape enemy fighters. It was nicknamed ‘The Wooden Wonder’. Mosquito, nicknamed the Wooden Wonder or Mossie, was a British twin- engined, multirole combat aircraft introduced during World War II. Its airframe, constructed mostly of wood, made it unique.Aircraft grade Sitka spruce for the DeHavilland Mosquito aka the ‘Mossie’ or the ‘wooden wonder’. The DeHavilland Mosquito is the stuff of legends. Designed and built under wartime conditions in record time, the ‘Mossie’ was revolutionary for its day.
When did the raf retire the mosquito?
The last operational flight by a Mosquito was in May 1963, when No. Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit retired its TT. A total of 7,781 DH. The Mosquito reached 408 mph in level flight, which was faster than the operational version of the Spitfire at the time, whose top speed was 370 mph. After this demonstration flight, the airplane almost failed its acceptance for the Royal Air Force.The British Mosquito fighter-bomber was not actually a fighter, but rather a multi-role aircraft designed for reconnaissance, bombing, and anti-shipping missions. It was not intended to engage in dogfighting or air-to- air combat.As a night fighter, the Mosquito downed more than 600 Luftwaffe planes over Germany and as many V-1 missiles (buzz bombs) over England and the English Channel. As a bomber, it proved able to carry twice the bomb load for which it was designed.So then, **on paper**, we see that the two planes were roughly even in armament (though the P-38 had the bigger machine guns, the Mosquito had more 20 mm cannons), the Mosquito had a slight advantage in speed, and the Lightning Bug (bad flying insect pun vis-à-vis the Mosquito intended) had advantages in the other .The Mosquito reached 408 mph in level flight, which was faster than the operational version of the Spitfire at the time, whose top speed was 370 mph. After this demonstration flight, the airplane almost failed its acceptance for the Royal Air Force.