Here is the May 2005 report on our work on the Mosquito. Progress has centred around the cockpit equipment/panels etc. as well as electrical equipment and the rudder

1. The navigators rear armour has been refurbished and painted and all of the associated brackets and hinges along with the placarding has been rebuilt and is ready to fit

2. The engine and system instrument sub panels have both been damaged beyond repair and we have begun fabrication of replacement items from new raw material. We have had the original placarding from the engine instrument panel duplicated on the rotary engraving machine and will fill this with accent paint at the completion of the main paint process.

3. A number of small sub assemblies have been completed this month. This includes the oil dilution switch assembly, elevator trim indicator, aileron trim handwheel and indicator assembly, fire extinguisher switch covers, engine boost cut out assembly and blind flying panel mounts. All steel items and recoverable hardware has been cadmium plated. All the available engraved placarding has been resurrected and paint filled after the final paint application.

4. Electrical junction boxes C,D, and E have been overhauled along with the voltage regulator tray. Canon plug outer shells have been refurbished and refitted to boxes A,B,C,D and E. New plug identification placards have been produced and riveted in place as per the originals.

5. Various switch guards and mounting brackets for the junction boxes and the instrument panels have been cadmium plated and painted as required. The sub panel shock mount assemblies have been likewise refurbished and new rubber shock mounts fitted.

6. The hydraulic selector panel, gun master switch panel and oxygen system gauge mounting plates have all been overhauled with the steel items plated. These panels were all quite badly bent and distorted, but we have been able to rework and salvage them all.

7. Various original placards have been salvaged, reworked and painted and the lettering carefully in filled with accent paint.

8. We have completed the structural frame repairs to the rudder. New ribs have been fabricated as required and the complete structure has been dismantled, corrosion removed and epoxy painted. A new rear spar has been fabricated and considerable rework carried out to the tip/balance weight skin. A new leading edge skin was also required. The components have now been reassembled. A new trim tab has been fabricated. The lower attachment lug on the rudder post assembly broke when we attempted to straighten it, so we are now seeking a replacement before we attempt to repair this casting. We have ordered new bearings for the tab torque tube assembly.

Woodwork

As can be seen from the pictures there has been some significant progress this month with the fuselage half shells removed from the mold. The balsa filler and outer skin laminating was all completed by about mid month and preparations were made for removing the shells from the mold. On May 25 a team assembled at the shop and the shells were lifted off the molds. The halves were placed in the special support structures and moved into the assembly area for inspection and cleanup work.

Construction has also continued on the various floor assemblies that need to be fitted to the halves before they are joined together. At this point the cockpit floor, navigators floor and gun bay floors are all complete. The rearmost bulkhead that holds the rear fin spar and tailplane attachments is also under construction. The bomb doors and side panels have also received a lot of attention and are 95% complete.