Warbird Information Exchange

I thought I'd post some pictures of my last visit to see Bob Jens's airplanes.

He owns an airworthy Supermarine Spitfire Mk 14 (C-GSPT) and a DeHavilland Mosquito Mk 35 (CF-HML) which is undergoing restoration to airworthy condition.

The Mosquito is being restored slowly by a small team of volunteers. Their main problems are finding the time and space to work on the it. The planes have been moved through three different hangars in the recent past, disrupting much of the work.

None-the-less, the Mosquito is progressing. You may not be able to tell, but the fuel tanks are now installed and the electrical systems are for the most part, installed as well. My visit came a week or so before the Merlin engines were put on their mounts to check fitting, etc, then they were to be sent for overhaul.

It took these pictures in April of 2006, so I imagine there has been some progress on the Mossie, but how much, I'm not sure.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Cheers,

David

Bob's Spit






Bob's Mossie

Nice Mossie! You're right David..I wonder how she's doing now!
Thanks for posting!

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Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

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Trae

Great stuff. Can't wait to see more of the Mossie's progress.

The Spit, if I remember rightly, isn't flown, but has the engine run up every so often.

Were there ever any pics of it flying?

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Cheers

Daren

I visited Bob Jens's a few years ago......

What a great guy.

Just showed up and presented myself as an enthusiast......

And took 2 hours of his personal time to show me around.

This is a a great effort to save what might be the last flying Mossie with the original wood structure.

All the effort that was made to insure the structure integrity with x-ray's and ultrasound must have cost him an arm & a few legs

Either Air Classics or Warbirds International did an article on the Spit, complete with air-to-air pics, prior to it being sold to Jens.

There is an article in Aeroplane Monthly about it. He has installed the engines and mounts temp for alignment etc then they are being removed again and sent to the us for overhaul the cost of overhaul is to be around 70 000 each.. The spit hasn't flow in 6 years but he regularly starts her up and taxis her. The mossie hasn't changed much since these pic's were taken however all the electrics are now completed in the wings and work is ongoing on the fuel and hydraulic systems. All of the cockpit instruments will be fitted and are original but they will be replacing the radio with a modern one.

If anyone knows where there are parts for her bombay please comtact him as they are missing most of the bombay internal fittings which were removed by Spartan many years ago.

I think this is a fantastic project considering Kermit's is now permanentlgy rounded it will be our only chance to see a flying mosquito here in canada!

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Cheers,
Peter

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hey david, great pics and story!! i too live in the lower mainland and i was wondering if you could give me some info on where and how i could see these planes for myself. i assume that they are at the south terminal somewhere. hopefully i can provide the next update for all of us! thanks alot, sim.

hey david, great pics and story!! i too live in the lower mainland and i was wondering if you could give me some info on where and how i could see these planes for myself. i assume that they are at the south terminal somewhere. hopefully i can provide the next update for all of us! thanks alot, sim.

Hey,

Yeah, the Spit isn't flown, but Bob did mention that once the Mossie is completed that he'd really like to do some aerial photos with the two, and then after that, he's not sure. I don't think he owns them with the intent to make a profit on resale. I think he's more interested in having his own piece of aviation history.

Bob told me that the Spitfire actually has very low hours on the engine and airframe. It missed participating in WWII, but was a member of the RCAF and did cold weather trials in Canada's North, then came back down and began being passed through several owners until it got to Bob.

I've gone past to visit Bob and his planes three times in the last few years and he's always quite happy to show them off. If anyone wants to go see them, just look up Bob Jens when you're in town.

Cheers,

David

groundpounder... Yes they are located in the South terminal located inside Penta aviation.

Bob told me he hopes to be flying the Mossie a few times in the right hand seat also

Then with the intent of maybee......eventually give the 2 planes out to a museum.

I did ask flying museum or not He just looked at me...smiled....and did not answer my question......

Post number 400 for me. Yahooooooo

It was also, at one point, fitted with a pair of Tiger Moth skis on its wheels for take-off: as soon as the Spit left the ground, the skis dropped free.

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Cheers

Daren

I also believe that it has the original engine as fitted to it when built; if so, this has to be an almost unique warbird case. IIRC one of the wings is not orig though (not that that makes any difference).

cheers

greg v.

Not too widely known that in 1970 a Texas farmer rebuilt the aircraft and crashed on the first flight, just about ripping off one of the wings.

N5505A, 2nd March or May 1970, Mercedes Texas.

Are there any US sleuths able to track this record?

PeterA

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=3164&key=0

Bela P. Havasreti

Bela,

Many thanks for that.

What a terrible waste.

Massive Coolant problems and material failure.

Hours on type - zero.

PeterA