Texas-based Lewis Air Legends de Havilland Mosquito PZ474, which is one of only four airworthy examples of the type in the world.As previously reported, the Mosquito FB VI was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and was used for RAF training before serving with 75 Squadron in New Zealand as NZ2384. In the 1950s and 60s the machine was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA, and is believed to have been used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America.
In 1970, PZ474 was abandoned and began a period of decline. It wasn’t saved until 2014, when it was acquired by Rod Lewis of Lewis Air Legends. Airframe work was carried by New Zealand-based Avspecs, Ltd, while the Rolls Royce Merlin engines were restored in America. It returned to the air on January 13 with pilot Steve Hinton at the controls.
Having safely arrived at its new home in San Antonio, the Avspecs team has been making “quick work” of the reassembly process. Photos courtesy Rod Lewis and Bradley Wentzel.
