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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 0858.PDF
442 IN THE AIR XIV. FLIGHT The Mosquito Some Impressions of One of the War's Outstanding Aircraft : Advanced Simplicity By "INDICATOR ONE should obviously have very clear-cut first impres-sions of any type as outstanding as the Mosquito.The majority of pilots came round to it more or less straight from twin trainers or even from the driving seatsof single-seat fighters or four-engined types, and their feel- ings during the first hour or two on the type must havebeen strictly marked and lastingly remembered. In my own case, after a little flying in such auxraft asthe Whirlwind, and after a very great deal more flying in Beaufighters, the sensation of being provided with multi-engined power and prospective safety as well as fighter handling qualities was not quite so surprising. Certainly,apart from any unexpected lightness and vigour in the aileron control, my only outstanding memories of a firstcircuit in the Mosquito were of its comparative simplicity as a flying machine and of its strange resemblance to muchleas pugnacious de Havilland types. Though the wing load- ing of the Mosquito is probably nearly three times thatof aircraft such as the lightly burdened Dominie, it still, somehow, appeared to have retained the same generalqualities—all of them merely at a much higher position on the speed scale During those early days of Mosquito experience, nearlyeveryone had developed a bee in his (or her) respective bonnet about its capacity for weaving off the straight dur-ing take-offs and landings. There was nothing strange or unusual about this sort of reputation; nearly every newhigh-powered twin and quite a few new single-engined fighters had been libelled in the same way. Of course, theMosquito could swing quickly and finally to its destruc- tion during both take-off and landing if it was so per-mitted—but the same could be said of nearly every other aircraft in a similar relative performance category. Ground Handling With the centre of gravity so comparatively far aft in relation to the undercarriage, and with its fair supply of keel surface, the Mosquito required reasonably intelligent Probably the most " handleable " twin ot its time, the Mosquito's qualities were really appreciated when it first appeared infighter form—as the Mark II, with stick control and flat screen. Later, this type was dereloped into the Mark VI fighter- bomber, which, though similar in appearance, carried a very considerable bomb load As will be seen here, the p!an-form of the Mosquito was nothing if not distinctive.
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