Civilian Mosquitoes

When peace was finally declared in 1945, the allies had amassed huge fleets of trainers, bombers, fighters and transport aircraft. Nowhere was this aerial armada more impressive than in the fields of surplus warplanes awaiting reclamation. Within a few years, combat aircraft were almost completely extinct in England. In North America, where the government took a more liberal view on civil aviation, hundreds of trainers and transports flooded onto the civil registry. Even limited numbers of bombers and high-performance fighters escaped the scrap man's clutches.

Twin engine aircraft, like Beech 18s, North American B-25 Mitchells and Douglas A-26 Invaders, the Mosquito could not be modified to carry additional passengers, especially the business travels that demanded both high-speed, and comfort. Even the wooden Avro Anson found a new life as a freighter and short-haul airliner. For aircraft like the de Havilland Mosquito, that were too specialized to adapt to new roles, the end came quickly.

Canadian Mosquitoes were placed into open storage, while the Air Force began declaring specific aircraft surplus and placing them up for disposal. Most military aircraft sold in Canada never flew again. In fact, most were disassembled and hauled onto farmyards across the prairies, where they were picked apart for anything made scarce by 6 years of war. A small number of Mosquitoes were surplused in this manner, eventually rotting away, forgotten on someone's farm.

The Mexican Mystery

KA999, the last B.25 model manufactured in Canada, was also one of the earliest Mosquitoes to enter the civil registry, purchased by Luis Struck of Mexicana de Aerofoto S.A. in either late 1945, or early 1946.

On January 19, 1946, RCAF ace Don MacFadyen ferried KA999 from Jarvis to Oshawa, ON, where preparations were made to ferry the aircraft to Mexico. The Mexican registration of XB-HOB was applied, but the plane seems to have simply disappeared at the point. Norm Malayney discovered that Luis Struck was killed in an airplane crash, with one source stating the aircraft was a B-25. Could KA999/XB-HOB have been ended up destroyed in a fatal crash, misidentified as a North American B-25 Mitchell and not a de Havilland Mosquito B.25?

Air Racers

The popular sport of air racing returned to the United States in 1946, with the resumption of the Bendix Trophy Air Races. Unlike the closed-course pylon racing still seen today, the Bendix Air Race was a speed dash across the USA, from Long Beach, CA to Cleveland, IL. Adventurous pilots purchased surplus high-performance aircraft, mostly fighters, with the goal of winning the $10,000, $5,500 and $3,000 prizes. Knowing that the Mosquito had a wartime reputation as a fast, or hot, plane, several intrepid air racers turned to Canada and purchased Mosquitoes.

Canada's Don McVicar was one of the first to place a Mosquito on the civil register. McVicar bought two B.25 models, KB377 and KA984, for about $1,500. They were delivered from their wartime base in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to Montreal's Dorval airport on July 2, 1948.

McVicar kept KB377 for himself, and sold KA984 to his friend, Jesse Stallings of Capital Airways, Inc. Both intended to use their new planes as air racers. KB377 was prepared for its racing career, being registered CF-FZG and assigned race number 41, while superfluous military hardware removed. A colour scheme of cream and Stinson green completed the transformation. Meanwhile, Stallings' KA984 went through a similar change. It became N66313, race number 81, and featured a white and red paint job.

Both Mosquitoes were entered in the 1948 Bendix Air Race, from Long Beach, CA to Cleveland, OH. McVicar failed to start the race, having dropped out when 'FZG blew an engine in Wichita, KS on September 3. The following day, Stallings flew N66313 to a fifth place finish in Cleveland. Dejected, McVicar sold his Mosquito to Donald Bussart of Illinois, where it became N37878. Both N37878 and N66313 were prepared for the 1949 race by Stallings' crew.

Now sporting a colour scheme of blue, cream and red, N37878 was flown to a forth place finish.

Their air racing careers over, both N37878 and N66313 were purchased by the Mark Hurd Co. and prepared for service in aerial photography. N37878, former CF-FZG, was damaged beyond repair when the air cylinder used for the pneumatic brakes exploded, punching a hole in the fuselage side.

Canadian Photo Survey

American Photo Survey

Others

Most of the above information was supplied by Norman Malayney, who has spent years researching civilian Mosquitoes.