Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Balsa Wood Bomber: De Havilland Mosquito” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/de-havilland-mosquito-wooden-bomber/.
Balsa Wood Bomber: De Havilland Mosquito
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
last2brake
Custom
I'll bet they sound fantastic...
Talyn
SAINT
Not only balsa wood.
While the de Havilland Mosquito was famously constructed using balsa wood as a core material. It was sandwiched between sheets of birch plywood to create a light yet extremely strong composite structure. The use of this innovative wood-sandwich construction earned the Mosquito the nickname "The Wooden Wonder".
Key details about the Mosquito's wooden construction:
7.7mm Browning machine guns = .303 British cartridge. The Brits were using "Imperial Measurements" at the time.
While the de Havilland Mosquito was famously constructed using balsa wood as a core material. It was sandwiched between sheets of birch plywood to create a light yet extremely strong composite structure. The use of this innovative wood-sandwich construction earned the Mosquito the nickname "The Wooden Wonder".
Key details about the Mosquito's wooden construction:
- Composite material: The primary material for the fuselage and wings was a sandwich of Ecuadorian balsa wood between two layers of birch plywood. This produced a lightweight monocoque shell that was incredibly stiff and torsionally resistant.
- Variety of woods: While balsa was crucial, other woods were used for reinforcing specific parts of the airframe, including spruce, ash, fir, and walnut.
- Production challenges: When balsa became difficult to source in sufficient quantities during World War II, de Havilland sometimes had to switch to spruce for the core material.
- Wartime innovation: The decision to use wood was a strategic one, as it avoided the use of aluminum and steel, which were critical and scarce wartime materials. It also allowed de Havilland to tap into the woodworking skills of furniture and piano makers for production.
7.7mm Browning machine guns = .303 British cartridge. The Brits were using "Imperial Measurements" at the time.