How many seats in a Mosquito?

[melvyn hiscock]

Well, we all know it was two. However, today I was at Popham airfield to meet a 97 year old former Mosquito pilot. We arranged to take him flying and went for lunch but sadly his memory was going which is always terrible to witness (and a good reason not to name him) but also sad that he could not remember some events what were in his logbook. I asked him about one particular point but he shrugged and said 'I can't remember'

He was a prewar pilot and so went into training for 1942/43 which probably saved his life. He was then posted to 105 (I think) flying Pathfinder missions. He did 70+ operations.

He was flying operationally on May 8 1945 but a few days after started taking people over Europe on what his logbook called 'Cooks Tours' taking people fro the squadron to see the ruins of Europe. What is interesting is there are often two names listed in the logbook, Often 'Sq Ldr Smith and LAC2 Jones'. Now, as I stated at the start, we all know Mossies have two seats, but some marks also had a bomb aimers position. I think he had the higher ranked person in the comfy seats and the erk in the nose.

I SO wanted to discuss it.

Melvyn Hiscock

[hacker]

Could be possible with the end of hostilities they carried one passenger in the seat and the other in the nose. I always thought the second person had a dual role due to limited space

[melvyn hiscock]

Well, photos of the squadron mosquitos, (105 sq) show pained over glass noses (as a pathfinder squadron they used Oboe) But they may have had some with normal bomb aimer positions.

It would have been a squeeze

[Rob G]

I think he had the higher ranked person in the comfy seats and the erk in the nose.

Most likely. But the erk got the much better view, I imagine.

[brewerjerry]

hi

Maybe one in the bombbay looking out the camera ports ?

Reminds me of the story of that fw 190 unit that flew with their mechanics in the tail

Cheers

Jerry

[Edgar]

Ted Hooton told me, once, how he was involved in three-up experimental flying post-war. He got the navigator's seat (never think of it as comfortable,) while a boffin was laid full-length in the bomb-aimer's position, with his feet sticking out of the tunnel. "Cosy" was how Ted described it.

[Darby]

Ted Hooton told me, once, how he was involved in three-up experimental flying post-war. He got the navigator's seat (never think of it as comfortable,) while a boffin was laid full-length in the bomb-aimer's position, with his feet sticking out of the tunnel. "Cosy" was how Ted described it.

'Three up experimental' and an Avatar like that? What are you really thinking about?

[JasonC]

The Mosquitos used on the Swedish run often had a VIP(!) passengers position set up in the bomb bay, complete with mattress, light, heater, and reading material.

J.

[Welkin]

The famous Danish physicist Nils Bohr was flown from Copenhagen to England in the bomb-bay of a BOAC Mosquito. Bohr, equipped with parachute, flying suit and oxygen mask, spent the three-hour flight lying on a mattress in the aircraft's bomb bay. During the flight, Bohr did not wear his flying helmet as it was too small, and consequently did not hear the pilot's intercom instruction to turn on his oxygen supply when the aircraft climbed to high altitude to overfly Norway. He passed out from oxygen starvation and only revived when the aircraft descended to lower altitude over the North Sea! (Wikipedia).

[Ratch]

The Americans flew this type of mission from Harrington using Mossies in 1945

[Mike]

Didn't one/some passenger(s) get a bit chilly when a BOAC Mossie was bounced on the way back to England from somewhere Nordic, when the pilot opened his bomb bay doors & dropped his landing gear in a braking move, but forgot to close the bay doors after in the confusion/relief? Talk about wind-chill!

[avro683]

Didn't one/some passenger(s) get a bit chilly when a BOAC Mossie was bounced on the way back to England from somewhere Nordic, when the pilot opened his bomb bay doors & dropped his landing gear in a braking move, but forgot to close the bay doors after in the confusion/relief? Talk about wind-chill!

I'm sure I read something about that as well, possibly in one of Martin W Bowman's books.

[melvyn hiscock]

I doubt it would have been in the bomb bay as these were standard Mosquito IXs and there was no 'passenger kit'. I am inclined to think they would have been non oboe equipped aircraft with the glass nose. It was a shame he could not remember

[Pete in Lincs]

As Ratch says above, I remember reading of

American Mosquito's with a radio operator in

the rear fuselage.

Their mission was something like that of 100 Sqn.

[Pete in Lincs]

I remembered, They would fly over France

in straight lines recording radio messages

from agents on the ground.

[Procopius]

Didn't one/some passenger(s) get a bit chilly when a BOAC Mossie was bounced on the way back to England from somewhere Nordic, when the pilot opened his bomb bay doors & dropped his landing gear in a braking move, but forgot to close the bay doors after in the confusion/relief? Talk about wind-chill!

I know Niels Bohr nearly asphyxiated while riding in a Mosquito bomb bay when he failed to connect his oxygen supply when being exfiltrated to the UK; only quick thinking on the part of the pilot saved him.

[Uncle Dick]

Chaps if my memory does not fail me - there is good colour footage of the bomb bay passenger set up and other seating options depicted in the classic War Film "Purple Plain" - Burma WWII theatre ops starring Gregory Peck available on DVD

[melvyn hiscock]

I still don't think these were bomb bay flights as they were sight seeing. Passengers were certainly carried in Mosquito bomb bays, I just don't think that fits for these flights. I still think it was one in the nose and one in the seat. Sadly HIS Alzheimers means I could not ask direct

[brewerjerry]

Hi

think there was windows in the bombay, used for cameras when on ops ?

cheers

jerry

[John Aero]

Forget the bomb bay, those fittings were only on the Special BOAC ones. Anyone in a standard bomb bay would slide around in a frightening manner on the smooth doors. A supernumerary crew member could go on the bomb aimers couch and it's possible they could wear an Air gunners chest type chute as we still wore in Canberra's (but only with a Rumbold seat fitted). I know the Air force was a lassiez faire place at the wars end as a friends Dad flew his wife and 6 month old baby son into Berlin, sitting in the right hand seat of a York during the Airlift.

John