Recent content by Gemhorse

I'm fully aware of the British Purchasing mission and the fact the Mustang came about from a British request based on the AT-6 Harvard etc - I really was trying to draw attention to the whole ''Mustang D vs Spitfire IX'' as being rather moot - I haven't got time to sit here all night putting...

Merlins used a gallon of gas a minute unless they were in combat, then the consumption went up...

Pbehn's "P-51D vs Spitfire IX" thread isn't really a contestable statement - Both of these Aircraft were built for entirely different purposes - The only thing barely in common was the Mark(s) of RR Merlin they had installed, which was constantly being developed during the War with an average of...

I heard about John Smith's passing a couple of months ago from Dave McDonald, Deputy Editor of Classic Wings, which is owned & run by Graham Orphan - They have a 'Teaser' contest in each issue which we try and guess an aircraft from an old photo - I had rung him about my answer and in the...

The Mohawk was a design that eventually lead to a V-12 engine transplant, hence the arrival of the P-40, and in due course with the AVG ~ The chaps in Singapore had preferred the Hurricane to a Buffalo, so in defence of Burma I would approve the Mohawk in preference a Buffalo also - The...

Not many aircraft get known as "the world's worst fighter aircraft" but the Buffalo was consistently reputed as such, so the P-36 would likely have been an improvement for sure ~ One NZ pilot Geoff Fisken achieved seven victories in the Buffalo though, so I guess you can 'make a silk purse out...

In the book "The Mosquito Log" by Alexander McKee ( ISBN 0 285 62838 0 ) - The Earl Bathurst to the author , 1987 ~ " Would it be of interest for you to know that some six million cubic feet of beech trees were felled in the Cirencester Park Woods to be made into plywood at Lydney...

Hey, there you go Kurtl , Crimea_River is right onto it ! - Good stuff !!

The latest Issue 111, Vol 24, No.3 of Classic Wings, our 'warbird' restoration magazine mentioned recently finished Rod Lewis's FB.VI (PZ474), the Deputy Editor's article stated "that this aircraft was another outstanding addition to the world's airworthy Mosquito population, which currently...

There is a book written in 1988 by Alexander McKee called " The Mosquito Log " - He is the author of more than 20 books on aspects of military, naval & aeronautical history, among other things - He flew his first aircraft while still in his teens - I urge anyone who doubts the integrity of...

I think you may have better luck contacting the chaps who are re-building the new Mosquitoes here in New Zealand - We have around 6 aircraft here left over from the post-war purchase by RNZAF from the UK & Aussie back in July 1946 of 80-odd Mosquitoes and one of them got together the 30,000...

I also thankyou Bill, I remember Parsifal's posts from years ago, I liked his style ~ Rather a shock actually that time has whistled past so - Didn't know he was younger than me, always seemed alittle older - I thank too DerAdlerIstGelandet for his comments, they are as it is here ~ I don't...

Anyway, the DH Mosquito's design lead on also to the DH Hornet, which had a level speed of around 487mph and was a study (at the time) of streamlining, particuarly of the Merlins 130/131's cowlings... all superb considering there was largely wooden structure involved, leading onto the first wood...

Well for me I'm for prop jobs, all the de Havilland Mosquitoes' different variants that also ultimately led to the de Havilland Hornets and they all had their respective Fleet Air Arm variants ~ The Mosquito was the first twin-engined aicraft to land and take-off from aircraft carriers , (the...

I notice this title ''ACE OF ACES'' ~ Nothing like the great teutonic turkey-shooters in Russia, but this title is also the name of a book about the British Empire's Top Scorer - A largely unknown Ace of the RAF ~ Written by E.C,R Baker in 1965, published by William Kimber &Co. Ltd, I have...