Metal Mosquito

[Shortround6]

There was also a shortage of boat engines. Both high speed boat engines and the GMC or Gray Marine diesels used in the landing craft.

Even if you could make an all metal mosquito and even if it was lighter by 500-1000lbs, what have you gained?
Speed is more dependent on drag than weight. The smooth skin of th Mosquito offered lower surface or skin drag than an equivilant metal plane. While the slightly lighter metal plane could lift more fuel it might burn up most of it trying to cruise at the same speed with more drag.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

The smooth skin of th Mosquito offered lower surface or skin drag than an equivilant metal plane. While the slightly lighter metal plane could lift more fuel it might burn up most of it trying to cruise at the same speed with more drag.

Not really - Depending on assembly and aluminum wing can be just as smooth as a wood wing.

 

[Shortround6]

It can be but was it for the aircraft concerned?

The Mosquito was noted for it's smooth skin, while some all metal aircraft had good finishes, many others did not with dishing between ribs or stringers and such. Some wooden aircraft also had finish problems, especially as they aged.
It is a bit of a crap shoot. Spend tens of thousands of hours designing the structure for an all metal mosquito and the jigs and tooling, then train a work force to be more careful in assembly than on many contemporary British aircraft. To gain a how many percent increase performance? Single digits?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

It can be but was it for the aircraft concerned?

It "could have" been, no problem

The Mosquito was noted for it's smooth skin, while some all metal aircraft had good finishes, many others did not with dishing between ribs or stringers and such. Some wooden aircraft also had finish problems, especially as they aged.
It is a bit of a crap shoot. Spend tens of thousands of hours designing the structure for an all metal mosquito and the jigs and tooling, then train a work force to be more careful in assembly than on many contemporary British aircraft. To gain a how many percent increase performance? Single digits?

It all depended on design and construction and what the customer at the time wanted. If this "Metal Mosquito" had simple skin to rib construction and was hand riveted in crude jigs, yes. Many WW2 aircraft had corrugation under the outer skin. The corrugation was machine riveted to the outer skin; the corrugations were hand assembled to the interior structure. You can also construct wings out of "planks" where you will mill down a thick plank of aluminum leaving machined "risers" on the interior portions of the wings. The planks were held in place with close tolerance rivets and rivet tolerances could be held to +.002/ -.000. Lastly you also had micoshavers that can be used to shave down rivet heads that are too high. A coat of paint and you're just as smooth (if not smoother) than any wood wing.

Is all this worth it? Depends what was needed at the time. If someone wanted a Mosquito that had a high airframe life capable of operating in all environments, I think this idea isn't too off base. If someone needed a fast quickly built fighter bomber made out of non-strategic materials - the Mosquito was perfect as is.