The de Havilland Aircraft Company was noted for it's light aircraft, such as the famous DH82 Tiger Moth, and some mixed construction transport planes. In 1938 de Havilland proposed to the British Air Ministry that they should build a bomber or reconnaissance aircraft that would be so fast it could be unarmed. The Air Ministry was generally hostile to the plan and turned them down. In October 1938 they told de Havilland that their contribution was best served by building wings for one of the existing bomber programs.

 

 De Havilland was not put off and continued with their project as a private venture. With great foresight, they proposed to build the aircraft predominately of wood; another item the Air Staff did not approve of. However de Havilland had surmised that in time of war, aluminum for aircraft would be a very scarce commodity and so would those who were skilled in the construction. There would be, on the other hand, many experienced carpenters, piano, cabinet, and furniture makers available whose skills could be used.

 

 Almost the entire plane was built of wood. The wings had two spars with double plywood skins on the top and single underneath. The fuselage was made with a sandwich of balsa between two ply skins built on spruce stringers. It was made in two sections split down the length and molded on concrete formers. After all internal fuselage wiring and controls had been installed the two halves were then glued together. The flying control surfaces were of light alloy with a metal skin on the ailerons and fabric on the tail. The hydraulic plane flaps were wood.

 

 America's General Henry 'Hap' Arnold, who saw the plane fly on 20 April 1941, was very enthusiastic and could see the potential. However when he returned to the USA and passed his information to five American aircraft manufacturers for assessment they unanimously opposed the aircraft. One of them, Beech, said "It appears as though this airplane has sacrificed serviceability, structural strength, ease of construction and flying characteristics in an attempt to use construction material which is not suitable for the manufacture of efficient airplanes".

 

 No fewer than twenty-seven different versions of the Mosquito went into service during the war years, and some of the most spectacular operations of the air war stood to its credit. The Mosquito carried phenomenal loads over extremely long distances, performing feats out of all proportion to the specification originally envisaged by its designers. In short, the Mosquito was an outstanding warplane on every count.

 

 Thus the DH98 Mosquito, Timber Terror, Wooden Wonder, or Mossie was born. All else after is amazing history. Today, it is rated among the top five bombers of all time. The internet provides many, many stories of this extraordinary aircraft.

 

                               RWV Mossie Composite Plate Properties

 

 RWV Mossie Plate's carbon fiber composite laminate is an engineered sandwich structure. When a panel is flexed, the majority of the stresses are created at the outer surfaces of the panel. This is explained in the Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory (1750). And proven by the DH98 Mosquito's history (1939-45).

 

 This high strength to weight laminate plate takes advantage of this theory and places high strength carbon fiber on the outside and in-between a lower density structural material as a core.

 

 RWV Mossie Composite Plates incorporates only Aircraft-grade Birch plywood as its core material. Birch is a fine-grained hardwood of exceptional toughness. Birch plywood has been commonly used where high strength and resistance to abrasion are required, and for bent applications. It is the material of choice for wooden aircraft propellers. Aircraft-grade plywood is a very special material, in that no knots or voids are allowed. Aircraft grade uses all quality plies of the same species. Also, aircraft plies are “balanced”, that is, with an odd number of plies with the same amount of fibers in the crossed direction to minimize warping. Special waterproof glue is used and the plywood must be able to withstand a 24-hour boil test in water without delaminating (that should survive Florida humidity!).

 

 Birch plywood laminate is approximately one-half the density of carbon fiber laminate, so RWV Mossie Composite Plates are lighter in weight than a 100% carbon fiber laminate of the same thickness. Because the bending strength of a plate is related to the square of its thickness, a RWV Mossie Composite Plate is stronger that a solid carbon fiber plate of the same weight. A finished Mossie Composite Plate by RWV is approximately 30 percent lighter than the same size RWV carbon fiber composite plate.

 

 Did You Know?
Native Americans often rolled and burned Birch bark to keep mosquitoes away. Ironic?

 

                             RWV Mossie Plate Construction Challenges

 

  The process for constructing the RWV Mossie Plate is more technically challenging than a carbon fiber composite plate. As some special knowledge is required along with equipment, this process takes time to master. I've invested the time and money to advance this product. The cost of Aircraft-grade Birch plywood is almost the same as the cost of carbon fiber material it replaces. Labor for Mossie Plates is slightly less than carbon fiber composite plates, but still requires the same overall time to produce the completed product. Additional equipment and up-grades to existing equipment was necessary to add the Mossie Plate to the RWV product line.

 

                             RWV Mossie Composite Plate Applications

 

  Almost any application for a RWV carbon fiber composite plate can be replaced with the RWV Mossie Composite Plate. All RWV camera and flash mounts are now constructed from Mossie Plates. Top plates for camera helmets can also be replaced with a RWV Mossie Plate in most circumstances. With a 30 percent reduction in weight and no loss in strength, this is one of the easiest ways to lose weight on any camera system. Any weight loss on top of your head is a good thing. RWV will continue search for new applications and uses for the Mossie Plate.