Here is the September 2007 report on our work on the Mosquito. 5 Week month this month.

1. With the bulk of the gear leg work complete, Barry has moved onto the canopy overhaul this month. The main frame, emergency re\lease and side windows were all temporarily cleaned up and painted so that we could safely handle the assembly during the fuselage construction, but no true overhaul work has been started. The Perspex panels are held to the tubular frame by unique screws and tubular nuts and these have now been removed and work has begun duplicating them. The main frame has been grit blasted and patch repaired as required, treated for corrosion, inhibited internally and primed ready for painting.

2. We have dismantled the quarter doors from the canopy and begun the refurbishment of the tracks and runners along with the emergency exit hatch from the top of the canopy. The numerous pieces have all been separated and are undergoing cleaning repair and repaint as required.

3. Work has continued with the fuel tanks again this month. We have formed the tank sections in the area of the filler caps and access panels and welded the mounting plates in place. Most of the anchor nuts have been fitted to these plates so that the sections can be welded together. Some of the original surge valves have been repaired with the replacement of the valve seal cup, but most of them need new aluminium frames made and we have had a program drawn for the CNC mill and will have them machined next month. The baffles have also been completed and welded into place on the tank sections and work has moved onto the numerous sumps, vent fittings and internal pipework that go into each tank.

The main canopy frame will be painted this month and we will start on the overhaul of the nacelles as well as continue with the tanks.

Woodwork

Work on the wing has continued with the flap shrouds which form the basic trailing edge section in the area of the flaps.

The flaps have been set up on the rear spar with the hinge brackets mounted to the wooden ribs and the ribs attached to the spar. The flaps were temporarily mounted up onto the hinges to ensure they fit correctly and the hinges are in line, and then removed.

The next step is to fabricate the shroud ribs and fit them to the spar and begin the process of fairing them into the wing. The whole area is skinned in ply both top and bottom surfaces and also with a curved ply skin over the inner face. The skins have all been completed glued and screwed in place.

With the flap bay finished, work has moved onto the aileron bay with a similar procedure being followed starting with the mounting up of the aileron hinges and the commencement of rib manufacture.