The ex-RNZAF de Havilland DH98 Mosquito NZ2308, under long-term rebuild at Avspecs Ltd at Ardmore Airport, Auckland, New Zealand, edged a step closer to flight today. Maintenance staff fueled her tanks for the first time on February 23rd, 2024 and then conducted the aircraft’s first engine runs in almost 70 years. As is common with all airworthy restorations, it usually takes a fair bit of time from the first engine runs to the first flights, but it is a major milestone on NZ2308’s journey back into the air. However, it seems likely that we can now measure the time to that happy day in weeks, rather than months, or years.

On Sunday, February 19th, 2024 (as reported by Vintage Aviation News) Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow announced that one of the world’s most iconic WWII fighter-bomber aircraft will take part in its Easter 2024 airshow. Mosquito NZ2308 is now weeks away from the end of a fifteen-year restoration in Auckland and the American owners have generously agreed to allow the aircraft to fly at the Southern Hemisphere’s largest warbirds airshow before it is dismantled and shipped to its new home in the US.

The history of this Mosquito T.43 was detailed in a report by Dave Homewood for Vintage Aviation News late last year, but in brief it was originally built in Australia for the RAAF and later sold to the RNZAF where it served with 75 Squadron as NZ2308/YC-Z, these markings now replicated on the restored aircraft. In recognition of the late Glyn Powell, the mastermind behind the New Zealand Mosquito restoration projects which had their genesis in NZ2308 – Powell’s own personal project – the aircraft now has the civil registration ZK-PWL.

The aircraft will be test-flown at Ardmore and then displayed at Wanaka by accomplished American pilot Steve Hinton. Steve, a former Reno air race champion, has flown numerous warbird types including the last Mosquito from the Avspecs’ workshop (Charles Somers’ FB.VI NZ2384/N474PZ), and is currently President of the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino in California.