The de Havilland Mosquito was used by many Allied nations during World War II. NZ2336 was operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and was stored at Woodbourne for most of her life. She was built as the FB Mk.VI and first entered service in June 1942. These attack bomber variants could carry eight 250 or 500-lb bombs or rockets in addition to four 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machine guns. .
This amazing, rare aircraft was sold to a farmer in 1955 - John Smith kept it on his property and it was in a dilapidated condition. She is kept as part of his collection of historic warbirds. John, who sadly passed away in August 2019, had a treasure trove of military vehicles including a Tiger Moth, a P-51D Mustang as well as a pair of P-40 Kittyhawks. Much of his collection has now been given to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Center and is on display at this exhibition.
John collected airplanes using his car and trailer. Photo Credit - The Smith Family.
Although all of John's aircraft are noteworthy for one reason or another, the de Havilland Mosquito holds a special place for many. Affectionately nicknamed - the wooden miracle by its pilots during the war. This aircraft was a highly capable machine. Fast and deadly. Its ability to perform a wide range of missions was key to its success throughout the war.
Found NZ2336 in a bit of condition. Photo credit - Dave Homewood.
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The Mosquito is now incredibly rare, with three examples still flying and only 30 or so left.
NZ2336 was originally built for the RAF but too late to see war service. It was later purchased and sent to New Zealand for use by the RNZAF. Flying for 80 hours (15 of them with the RNZAF) before the aircraft was decided to be redundant.
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However, John Smith wanted this particular example and, like many post-war aircraft, offered it for sale. Delivery will be John's responsibility. That means he will need to find a way to transport the mosquito to his property.
A photo of John with NZ2336. Photo Credit - The Smith Family
This requires disassembling the airframe into parts small enough to put on trucks.
John was under tight deadlines when he had to scrap the plane and in a hurry he had to cut the fuselage in half and cut the wings outboard of the engine.
Parts of NZ2336 slowly began to appear on his farm in Mapua, where he slowly began to reassemble the DH 98. A testament to his skill - he painted the plane with a special coating to prevent beetles from eating through the wooden airframe.
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