De Haviland Mosquito flys in Tauranga Skys

December 19 2012 saw the only De Haviland Mosquito aircraft from the Second World War era take to the sky in Tauranga Airspace. Keith Skilling completed the restoration at Ardmore airfield over a seven year period. Prior to the 19^th, this classic WWII aircraft had only flown twice before, once on September 29, 2012 and again on November 11 for the Cambridge Remembrance Day celebrations.

The Mosquito was an RAF multi-purpose aircraft built largely from wood in a period when metal was a scarce resource due to the war effort. It was powered by twin Rolls Royce Merlin engines, also used in the iconic Hurricane, Spitfire fighters, P51 Mustang fighters and the Lancaster bomber. Tauranga resident Group Captain John Rushton Gard'ner flew the De Haviland Mosquito on bombing missions during the Second Wold War. You can hear him recount his experiences here.

Photographs courtesy Steven Simpson.

The Youtube video below by Vision Productions NZ  records the De Havilland Mosquito at Tauranga Classic Flyers 19th December 2012.