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The last flying D H Mosquito in the UK crashed in July 1996 killing both on board
The plane crashed due to carburation issues with one of the 2 Merlin engines
Here is an concise documentary that explains the crash
It also showcases Miss Shilling's Orifice, a simple yet effective fuel flow restrictor that had a bearing on the crash .... designed by the eponymous Miss Shilling
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D.H. Mosquito, touching upon Miss Shilling's Orifice on 14:42 - Sep 22 with 245 views
Thank you for posting this. Really interesting. I did know about Miss Shilling’s Orifice and a little about he motor racing and engineering history. An amazing woman in what was essentially a man’s world.
The basics of this for those that don’t want to spend time on the documentary is that in 1939/40, German fighter aircraft engines (DB 601s) had direct fuel injection. That meant that in any attitude the engine would not be starved of fuel.
Spitfire and Hurricane Merlin engines had carburettors. That meant that g force and gravity could starve the engine resulting in it coughing/faltering until it sorted itself out.
Now the Bf109 already had a better climb and dive performance than the British fighters anyway and this fuel flow problem just made it worse. If a 109 found a Spitfire or Hurricane behind it and spotted it early enough, the pilot could simply shove the stick forward and the aeroplane would dive under power.
The British aircraft? Push the stick forward and the engine would hesitate fuel starved and the enemy would be away before you could do anything.
Putting the British aircraft into a half roll was a partial solution as doing that right kept the fuel flowing, but a better, very cheap solution came from Tilly Shilling.
The DH Mosquito was one of the great aircraft of WW2. It was a truly multi role aeroplane that flew was well as it looked. It wasn’t initially wanted when De Havillands approached the air ministry with it. They wanted production concentrated on existing types and the company were told to scrap it.
De Havillands believed in the aeroplane though and the company sank their own money into the project. One day, they decided it was ready and they showed the prototype off at Hatfield. The hierarchy were astonished at its performance and the rest was history.
As a bomber, fighter bomber, night fighter, target marker, photo recce, shipping strike aeroplane ir was ridiculously good. So good even the Americans bought it. The wooden construction was made to patterns in furniture workshops and assembled at Hatfield. The glue compounds were of course secret and when the Germans tried to copy it, their versions tended to come unglued. Bad news in an aeroplane.
The only downside to it was that it had its handling foibles and you had to be one of the best pilots to fly it. All the issues in that respect were corrected in the superlative DH Hornet, but sadly for that aeroplane the jet age had arrived.
It also didn’t fare so well in the far east where the harsh, damp climate tended to have an adverse effect on the airframe.
Overall, it made a fantastic contribution to the war effort. Along with the Spitfire and Lancaster, it was one of the three best British aircraft of the war.
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