Hi all, I would just like to address some feedback. Thanks to everyone that has given me feedback, as it helps me to improve the content of the channel. Firstly, apologies for pronouncing H as haitch instead of aitch. I didn't realize that there was a difference and was just pronouncing it as I normally would. I'll fix that for future videos. Secondly, the Hornet did have counter rotating propellors, NOT contra rotating propellor as stated in the video. Sorry for this mistake. Cheers, Jarryd 👍✈️
Thanks for this video. My Dad flew the Hornet and I have a lovely photo of him sitting in the cockpit, engines running. It’s such a shame that it has largely been forgotten, hopefully the New Zealand build will rectify this.
cool images can you do an episode on the tse tse fly varient a 6lbs er in the nose has to be a sight. thanks for the video , like the pby catilina information on mosquitos is harder to come by
I was working at B.A.C. Stevenage in the late 1960’s & from our office on most days a procession of Victor bombers could be seen climbing away from Radlett. Imagine my surprise one day ,when amongst them l saw a Hornet. Where it was coming from ,going to or doing l never knew, but it has always intrigued me.
Very cool! You are quite lucky to have seen such a rare aircraft actually fly, I have never even seen one in a static display in a museum, if there are any left!
I would presume De Havilland at Hatfield, only a few miles down the A1 from Stevenage. Although out of service by then, my father was an inspector at Hatfield during and after the war an was involved in the producton of Hornets and Vampires at that time. By the sixties, one or two Hornets did return to Hatfield for their annual open days, every June I think it was?
@@johnp8131 My father worked at DH from 1939 to 1951 ,on Mosquitos,Hornete & Vampires/venoms,thus I have a somewhat special connection. Additionally, I have a toolbox he made from various wood offcuts he obtained during those years. He worked at Percival Aircraft before 1939 & after leaving DH went back to Hunting Percival until his death in 1959. Percival also built Mosquitos in WW II,also I did my apprenticeship there (1960-65) attending Hatfield College to study Aeronautical Engineering only leaving the aircraft industry after its destruction by the Labour government. So as you can see I have some attachment to the area,living in Luton until emigrating in 1973.
The Merlin 130 was a late variant of the engine that wasn't available mush before the Hornet first flew. It would have been interesting ro see the type with older engine specs to camper with the Mossie. By the way, Eric Brown ws the first pilot to land a twin engine aircraft (Mosquito) on a carrier - done by hanging the plane on its props. He had to go around on first attempt with carrier crew saying his wing tip hit the waves. He put it down successfully the second time around.
"By the way, Eric Brown ws the first pilot to land a twin engine aircraft (Mosquito) on a carrier - done by hanging the plane on its props. He had to go around on first attempt with carrier crew saying his wing tip hit the waves. He put it down successfully the second time around." Let me ask you a question. What exactly motivated your inclusion of this "by the way" in your comment? I'm just wondering if the British bought a carrier just because they needed to one-up the American carrier armada with some weird "first" like this. And the embellishment, did you come up with that on your own or copy it from some other British fanboi? I wonder if either you or the original author of that embellishment know what "hanging on its props" actually means. It means to climb vertically. Forward speed almost zero, 90 deg aoa . I can't see landing an unmodified Mosquito that way, as it would mean somehow timing the approach so that a tailhook mounted on the plane would engage the arresting gear which then would require that the main gear (unmodified of course) would then have to absorb the bulk of the plane slamming down on the deck. So sure of course you could modify the main gear and add a tailhook for a carrier landing, not a real problem there, but that "hanging on its prop" bullshit is, well, bullshit. No less than with any other plane making a carrier landing, it either comes in just above stall-speed, or it comes in well above stall in case it misses the wires and doesn't have safety-netting to catch it before it rolls off the far end of the flight deck and falls into the ocean in front of the carrier (no angled deck on that class of carrier). Also I wnoder what the Mosquitos' tactical dive limit was: "As a result of Doolittle's request, early in 1944 the P-38H Lightning, a Packard Merlin-powered P-51B Mustang and P-47C Thunderbolt were dived for compressibility testing at the RAE by Brown and several other pilots. The results of the tests were that the tactical Mach numbers, i.e., the manoeuvring limits, were Mach 0.68 for the Lightning and Mach 0.71 for the Thunderbolt; the corresponding figure for both the Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 was Mach 0.75, giving them the advantage in a dive. However the tests flown by Brown and his colleagues also gave a Mach number for the Mustang of 0.78, resulting in Doolittle being able to argue with his superiors for the Mustang to be chosen in preference to the P-38 and P-47 for all escort duties from then on,[21] which was available in growing numbers by very early 1944; for Doolittle's eventual move to air supremacy missions in leading the bomber combat boxes with the Mustangs by some 75-100 miles, instead of merely accompanying them nearby.[22][23]" Of course the Mosquito didn't really need carrier support though, did it, any more than the Mustang or the P-38 did. And it certainly wasn't of much use in a dogtfight especially with such a high stall-speed. So an interesting stunt but I really wonder just how often the Mosquito was flown off the flight deck of that carrier for actual combat missions. Like, for raids on Tokyo, for example. Which predated Eric Browns' stunt by almost 2 years.
Gotta wear your best suit when testing experimental aircraft. Imagine if you did it today, a test pilot rocking up to fly a prototype F-35 in a suit and tie😂 Thanks 👍✈️
@@gingernutpreacher It's all about Speed guys and the altitude that any particular plane functions best at , My best guess is that the 262 would be more than a match an an equal fight at the optimum altitude for the 262 , but that the Hornet would have been able to put up a better fight than say a Mosquito (My Favourite WW2 aircraft ) , this isn't taking Any of the individual Pilot Skills & experience or lock off into account which can make a huge difference in any air combat . Happy New Year All ! 😃
@@bono4671 Yeah, Pioneer Aero in NZ are collecting parts and information as we speak (unless they're in bed or something!) They bought the remains of a Hornet from Canada (TT193) A few years ago but unfortunately have other projects to finish first
A link to the article about the Sea Hornet restoration. warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/de-havilland-sea-hornet-airworthy-restoration-project.html Also there is a group rebuilding a static example facebook.com/dehavilland.hornet.F1/
@@TheMentalblockrock Haha, but in all seriousness it would be a great endeavor to do. If the original plans were available, while not easy would be possible. Most likely the biggest issue would be finding the correct engines as they are rare examples.
I am so glad to come across such a wonderful presentation. Very little has been available. New Zealand leads the world in reproducing wooden framed WW1, and both the Hornet and Mosquito, you might be boggled by what can be found online.
Thank you 👍✈️ Indeed they do, and have some great exhibits for aviation enthusiasts. I would love to see the Hornet under restoration their fly one day
Is it just me, or does the British give their aeroplanes and ships/boats the best names?! The mosquito, then the Hornet, and then the Vampire😆 I love the way they name their defence force equipment😜 Brilliant 👏
It is a little. Although, I think another shame is that not one hornet exists today. Hopefully that changes soon. Agree, its a terrific sound and feeling. Personally, piston engine aircraft have always been my favourite.
Beautiful aircraft....i cant believe nobody had the forethought that tropical heat and humidity ( not to mention monsoon rains and insects) were detrimental to the wood/ glue construction. Perhaps with jets coming into service, it was a good way to pay them off...
I recall seeing the remains of a Vampire rotting at a local field outside Sydney. That would have been in the 1990s. De Haviland did carry some of their wood technology into the jet age.
Great stuff mate, i always thought the Hornet had a bit of a bad press, but with jets on the way it's not surprising, i am very pleased that one is being restored in NZ, if there Mossies are anything to go by Wow, love to see her in the air, again good job,
@@AntiqueAirshow I really can't wait Jarred, it's so nice to see these airplanes back where they are supposed to be, those guys do a fantastic job for all of us aircraft enthusiasts we can never repay them.
Couldn't agree more. It is such a great sight and sound to see a Spitfire or a Mustang or any warbird at an airshow. Even seeing them in museums is great, especially those rare examples. We do indeed 👍✈
Great video - my first introduction to the type. Surprising - as I've been an active enthusiast and Mossie-lover for decades. Are any of these on display, or actually still flying, or at least, airworthy? Where? Thanks for any feedback.
Thank you 👍✈️ It does often get hidden behind other late war types. Sadly none exist today in any condition, however there is one under restoration to flight in New Zealand. Still a long way off though. Will be great when it is finished.
I believe it did not serve in Korea. I'm not sure how it compared to the P38, but would imagine it would of been more powerful, faster and had a greater range.
Such a beautifully streamlined aircraft, it is easy to see why it was that era's British "Ferrari of the sky"! Just like the Grumman F8F Bearcat it would have been a world beater if it had entered service one year earlier. Good video, I even subscribed!👍
Thanks, awesome 👍✈️ Great to hear somebody recognizing where it is from. The Battle of Britain is my favourite movie, and has had a big influence on my passion for historic aircraft, so it only seemed right to acknowledge it in my name.👍✈️
Great comment and a rare and nearly unknown aircraft. Too bad none were preserved. I've always wondered if performance would have been improved if the engines rotated outward (like the P-38) rather than inward.
Thank you 👍✈️. It is a shame none were preserved, but there is one under restoration in New Zealand. Amazingly this one should be able to fly so will no doubt make a great display someday. I'm not too sure, although they were contra-rotating propellers, as this was believed to eliminate torque.
Delamination from heat and humidity in the tropics was also a problem for the Mosquito, which is why for the RAAF in PNG and Rabaul in WW2 the Bristol Beaufighter was a better option.
Since it was a fighter it would have been nice to also discuss the armament. It looks like 4x20mm cannons, which would have been massive in those days, and far outclassing the .303 armed Spitfires
I agree, and in my newer videos I tend to focus in on this area more. Even for bombers. Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it. By the end of the war most designs similar to the Hornet tended to be armed with cannons.
By that time Spitfires were being fitted with 4x20mm cannons. The Spitfire was armed with 2x20mm + 4x .303 and 2x20mm + 2x .50 too. The cannons being standard from 1941
Only criticism is that the Mossie and Hornet weren't just balsa, the balsa was sandwiched between birch to create and shape strong lightweight panels and spars were fir and spruce. The pilots were certainly more vulnerable than today's guys who at least have some protection from enemy fire.
I don't have anything planned in that area currently, but I'll have a look and see what I can do. I do have a video about an American bomber from WW2 in the works though👍✈️
I thought the RAF would have been aware of de-lamination out in the Far East. A squadron of Mosquitos had been sent out in WW2 and they just dissolved during the monsoon.
Good question. I hadn't really realized until you pointed it out. It would make sense, as the nose of the aircraft is angled quite high up when on the ground.
The props weren't 'contra rotating'; they rotated inboard, which made the aircraft more uniformly controllable in the event of an engine failure. Great video, mate, but please spare us the 'haitch'; the correct pronunciation among educated English speakers is 'aitch'.
He 8s Australian, we have a large Catholic education system here, and "haitch" is sometimes called the "Catholic (or Irish) Aitch". Definitely sounds odd.
Ide really like to build something experimental based on this aircraft. Same design, just scaled down. And aluminum with some composite skin. Thanks man, I appreciate you. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Jeremy in Alabama.
That would be a great project. Would love to see how it would turn out. A guy built a 1/3 B-17 flying fortress that flies, so I'm sure something with the Hornet could be done. Thanks 👍✈️
It was overlooked because it came after the war, so wasn’t needed. And as jets arrived. So was out classed. Of course it was the best piston aircraft ever… it was the last. Same as the bear cat, tiger cat, fury/sea fury. If it wasn’t the best, it would have been pointless building it
It was built. Also piston engined planes had far better fuel efficiency so could loiter around areas much longer if needed. They were still using piston engined aircraft in Vietnam like the Skyraider.
@@mikeholland1031 two different subjects for discussion. 1). Why didn’t it achieve the fame and respect it deserved? . See my answer. 2). Under a totally different political background than actually existed at the time. Would it have been possible for a significant use to be found for it, which would have generated that level of respect. And for it to have been remembered as the thoroughbred that it undoubtedly was?
Thank you for your video, very enjoyable, and yes your pronunciation of the H is very important when speaking on a video. Otherwise I loved it. Just subscribed. Thanks.
Why do people who should research better confuse contra rotating with counter rotating (2:08). The Hornet had counter rotating propellers. Contra rotating has two propellers on the same axis.
De Haviland made wooden planes because they didn't Know how to make metal ones. They knew about tropical delamination issues from their experience with the Mosquito. The even made the Vampire out of wood. WTF!
Excellent comment, absolutely true.. de Haviland was years behind in aircraft construction technology, it was still building wood and fabric biplane when most manufacturers were building all metal monoplanes.. this failure to introduce new technologies led to the worst engineering failure in aviation history. (The Comet Disaster) and destroyed the company in 1958.
There was a design very similar to the Hornet produced in Argentina. It's performance was comparable to the Hornet but the major difference was that it was all metal, so it would not have had the same problems that the Hornet suffered with it's wooden airframe.
Idle thought. Drone technology. The woulds push toward E cars..will we see ( for domestic fun rather than military use ) will planes like this come back as electric..fairly light, no petrol or payload need, I could see it
The biggest is that the Mosquito had a crew of two and the Hornet was a single seat. There would be quite a few others, the hornet is smaller, but I can't think of them off the top of my head
Hm Pretty sure that the Mosquito as not the fastest piston-engined fighter the RAF had. I can think of several other candidates just with RR engines. but I wonder, what if you didn't think that it was the fastest that the RAF had? Would you still make a video about it?
The Mosquito wasn't the fastest, but I am discussing the De Havilland Hornet which is considered the fastest piston engine fighter. Even if it wasn't the fastest, there would be a good chance I' still cover the Hornet, as it lesser known and has an interesting history.
@@touristguy87 Sorry my apologies, I was meaning the fastest piston fighter in RAF service. I forgot to write that though. Compared to things like Heinkel's design and the Arrow I am unsure.
@@AntiqueAirshow really there is an obvious irony here in that you're not even sure if it actually was the fastest piston fighter in RAF service, therefore there's a good chance that some other plane is, which you don't even know about. That is because you don't understand either irony or irrelevance.
Capt. Brown said it was the best piston engined fighter he ever flew. It was a rare fighter that was totally over powered. It could do anything a single engined fighter could do....on one engine.
Hyperbole The idea that the Mosquito at 14,000 lbs empty could compete with the 9,000 lbs Sea Fury or late war 9’000 lbs Corsairs, both with more powerful engines than the Mosquito while having an engine shut down is just foolish.
Yeah it is interesting to consider, especially when they weren't used in Korea either. Ultimately though, while effective the Hornet was limited by the operating environment of the Far East
So poor old letter 8 is the only one that doesn't have an onomatopoeic descriptor? Huh -aitch works for me and lots of other speakers of English. By the way, riddle me though / tough / cough / bough etc.............
05:29 Pilots dressed well in those days ! There is no information, apart from speed, about the performance of this aircraft. It's hard to tell how it would have fared against an FW190 in the hands of a competant pilot. Would a laminated airframe have stood up to the G forces of a turning fight ? I can imagine this plane could boom and zoom but that would be about it. I'd like to hear more....
It is hard to know how it would of compared. I think you would be correct in the boom and zoom tactic. Possibly also as a long range escort or in the ground attack role. Photo reconnaissance as well. I'm not sure though, just hypothesizing.
I just subscribed to your channel, which I enjoyed very much, except for your insistance upon pronouncing the eighth letter of the alphabet. The letter is pronounced AITCH not “haitch” for we people who were taught to speak and pronounce correctly, It grates. I have retained my subscription, and trust that you will take this small criticism as a friendly reminder. I think that you may well be, or have lost some subscriptions because of this.
IMO, the Mosquito was the best bomber of the war, and the US totally screwed the pooch by not using the design. A crew of 2 could deliver an accurate bomb drop AND live to come home. The B17 was a piece of crap, and to this day I believe it was chose to enrich the industrialists, not to be effective. I'd not heard of the Hornet, so I'll watch this.
I guess the RAF also screwed the pooch by building all those piece of crap Lancasters instead of more Mosquitos. If only you'd been there to advise them.
The USAAF had to lobby hard to get supplied with the latest pressurised cockpit high altitude Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft in 1944 - the RAF wanted every one they could get.... but with Packard building large numbers of Merlin engines for the P51D, and Canadians knocking out Mossies for the RAF, I also never understood why the US didn't just license the design and build Mosquitos in the US, especially given their desire to bomb by day.
It’s Aitch not Haitch! Sorry but it grates! The rest is great, very informative!……Sorry I’ve just watched to the end and I don’t think you know much about aircraft and are just reading from a script, for example what is a rdome it’s ray dome which cover the radar hence radome and it’s Solent not slont or whatever it was you said! A little bit of preparation and research always makes a video more interesting, it may be pedantic but I bet there quite a few people out there raging at their screens saying the same! For us aviation buffs this is the sort of thing that makes us leave cinemas when producers use Bf 108’s instead of Bf109’s! Again sorry but please check and confirm before putting a video out.
na.... maybe its just me, but i find the mozzie and hornet to be ugly. the nose just seems too short. whereas the comet dh88 has a longer nose, and with its slight bulge always makes me think of a bull-terrier... sorta cute :)
Ah, I detect an antipodean speech impediment - the aspirant letter H. Still, one makes allowances for our colonial natives. Regarding technical issues, the Hornet was never lucky enough to be fitted with contra-rotating propellers. It did however have contra-rotating engines. It was also not the first aircraft to utilise redux bonding - the Mosquito before it was.
Not Australian, it is specifically a Carholic education thing, not common outside of the Catholic education system, but it is our largest private education sector.
Hi all,
I would just like to address some feedback. Thanks to everyone that has given me feedback, as it helps me to improve the content of the channel.
Firstly, apologies for pronouncing H as haitch instead of aitch. I didn't realize that there was a difference and was just pronouncing it as I normally would. I'll fix that for future videos.
Secondly, the Hornet did have counter rotating propellors, NOT contra rotating propellor as stated in the video. Sorry for this mistake.
Cheers,
Jarryd 👍✈️
Thanks for this video. My Dad flew the Hornet and I have a lovely photo of him sitting in the cockpit, engines running. It’s such a shame that it has largely been forgotten, hopefully the New Zealand build will rectify this.
You can pronounce H however you want. Don't change just because some people talk differently.
cool images can you do an episode on the tse tse fly varient a 6lbs er in the nose has to be a sight. thanks for the video , like the pby catilina information on mosquitos is harder to come by
Contra rotating is a perfectly ok term. Means exactly the same.
@@JohnyG29 Exactly!! As long as people can understand what you are saying, who cares?
One of my favorite late war designs! Would have been a great escort fighter in WW2. Great video!
Thank you👍✈ It is a great aircraft. So sleek.
I was working at B.A.C. Stevenage in the late 1960’s & from our office on most days a procession of Victor bombers could be seen climbing away from Radlett. Imagine my surprise one day ,when amongst them l saw a Hornet. Where it was coming from ,going to or doing l never knew, but it has always intrigued me.
SL owes vast majority to West,
ua-cam.com/video/U52tT5hgtSk/v-deo.html
Share....
Very cool! You are quite lucky to have seen such a rare aircraft actually fly, I have never even seen one in a static display in a museum, if there are any left!
I would presume De Havilland at Hatfield, only a few miles down the A1 from Stevenage. Although out of service by then, my father was an inspector at Hatfield during and after the war an was involved in the producton of Hornets and Vampires at that time. By the sixties, one or two Hornets did return to Hatfield for their annual open days, every June I think it was?
@@johnp8131 My father worked at DH from 1939 to 1951 ,on Mosquitos,Hornete & Vampires/venoms,thus I have a somewhat special connection. Additionally, I have a toolbox he made from various wood offcuts he obtained during those years. He worked at Percival Aircraft before 1939 & after leaving DH went back to Hunting Percival until his death in 1959. Percival also built Mosquitos in WW II,also I did my apprenticeship there (1960-65) attending Hatfield College to study Aeronautical Engineering only leaving the aircraft industry after its destruction by the Labour government. So as you can see I have some attachment to the area,living in Luton until emigrating in 1973.
Love seeing young people do history like this. Cheers!
Thanks 👍✈️
The Merlin 130 was a late variant of the engine that wasn't available mush before the Hornet first flew. It would have been interesting ro see the type with older engine specs to camper with the Mossie.
By the way, Eric Brown ws the first pilot to land a twin engine aircraft (Mosquito) on a carrier - done by hanging the plane on its props. He had to go around on first attempt with carrier crew saying his wing tip hit the waves. He put it down successfully the second time around.
"By the way, Eric Brown ws the first pilot to land a twin engine aircraft (Mosquito) on a carrier - done by hanging the plane on its props. He had to go around on first attempt with carrier crew saying his wing tip hit the waves. He put it down successfully the second time around."
Let me ask you a question. What exactly motivated your inclusion of this "by the way" in your comment?
I'm just wondering if the British bought a carrier just because they needed to one-up the American carrier armada with some weird "first" like this.
And the embellishment, did you come up with that on your own or copy it from some other British fanboi?
I wonder if either you or the original author of that embellishment know what "hanging on its props" actually means.
It means to climb vertically. Forward speed almost zero, 90 deg aoa . I can't see landing an unmodified Mosquito that way, as it would mean somehow timing the approach so that a tailhook mounted on the plane would engage the arresting gear which then would require that the main gear (unmodified of course) would then have to absorb the bulk of the plane slamming down on the deck. So sure of course you could modify the main gear and add a tailhook for a carrier landing, not a real problem there, but that "hanging on its prop" bullshit is, well, bullshit. No less than with any other plane making a carrier landing, it either comes in just above stall-speed, or it comes in well above stall in case it misses the wires and doesn't have safety-netting to catch it before it rolls off the far end of the flight deck and falls into the ocean in front of the carrier (no angled deck on that class of carrier).
Also I wnoder what the Mosquitos' tactical dive limit was:
"As a result of Doolittle's request, early in 1944 the P-38H Lightning, a Packard Merlin-powered P-51B Mustang and P-47C Thunderbolt were dived for compressibility testing at the RAE by Brown and several other pilots. The results of the tests were that the tactical Mach numbers, i.e., the manoeuvring limits, were Mach 0.68 for the Lightning and Mach 0.71 for the Thunderbolt; the corresponding figure for both the Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 was Mach 0.75, giving them the advantage in a dive. However the tests flown by Brown and his colleagues also gave a Mach number for the Mustang of 0.78, resulting in Doolittle being able to argue with his superiors for the Mustang to be chosen in preference to the P-38 and P-47 for all escort duties from then on,[21] which was available in growing numbers by very early 1944; for Doolittle's eventual move to air supremacy missions in leading the bomber combat boxes with the Mustangs by some 75-100 miles, instead of merely accompanying them nearby.[22][23]"
Of course the Mosquito didn't really need carrier support though, did it, any more than the Mustang or the P-38 did. And it certainly wasn't of much use in a dogtfight especially with such a high stall-speed. So an interesting stunt but I really wonder just how often the Mosquito was flown off the flight deck of that carrier for actual combat missions. Like, for raids on Tokyo, for example. Which predated Eric Browns' stunt by almost 2 years.
This is a great video, the Eric Brown quote at the end sums up the greatness of the Hornet.
This plane and the Grumman Tigercat are some of my favorites.
Awesome, both are great aircraft👍✈
I never heard of the Tigercat at so I looked it up and yes it's a nice plane.
Haha, the pilot is wearing his best suit @ 56 seconds in! THanks, that was a very interesting video TE!
Gotta wear your best suit when testing experimental aircraft. Imagine if you did it today, a test pilot rocking up to fly a prototype F-35 in a suit and tie😂 Thanks 👍✈️
It's a shame it hadn't been available a couple of years earlier , it would have made an excellent long range escort fighter . Thanks for the video.
Yeah it is a shame. Have to believe it would been very effective in combat, but also ground attack. 👍✈
Would it if still been susceptible to the 262?
@@gingernutpreacher For that you need the Gloster Meteor!
@@TheMentalblockrock no that was no faster and all the speed record's were after the war with bigger engine's
@@gingernutpreacher It's all about Speed guys and the altitude that any particular plane functions best at , My best guess is that the 262 would be more than a match an an equal fight at the optimum altitude for the 262 , but that the Hornet would have been able to put up a better fight than say a Mosquito (My Favourite WW2 aircraft ) , this isn't taking Any of the individual Pilot Skills & experience or lock off into account which can make a huge difference in any air combat . Happy New Year All ! 😃
I'm not sure the Mosquito was ever overlooked, I get the impression it was quite well regarded then and now.
I would agree with that. However the Hornet is a more hidden aircraft.
He never said the Mosquito was overlooked. He was specifically referring to the Hornet.
One of my favourite aircraft
Nice, it is a very cool aircraft👍✈️
I hope I live long enough to see that NZ project fly
It will be a great sight to see. Hopefully its not too far away 👍
@@bono4671
Yeah, Pioneer Aero in NZ are collecting parts and information as we speak (unless they're in bed or something!) They bought the remains of a Hornet from Canada (TT193) A few years ago but unfortunately have other projects to finish first
A link to the article about the Sea Hornet restoration. warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/de-havilland-sea-hornet-airworthy-restoration-project.html
Also there is a group rebuilding a static example facebook.com/dehavilland.hornet.F1/
@@AntiqueAirshow
Yeah, nothing else for 4 years!
Yeah it has been awhile. It seems to be quite the undertaking. Hopefully an update soon 👍
The Hornet is one of my all time favourite aircraft and it is such a shame that not one example of this beautiful bird survives today.
Awesome, it is a great looking aircraft. It is a shame, but hopefully one day there will be one flying.
it's made of plywood, so lets go down B&Q, get the wood and make one!
@@TheMentalblockrock Haha, but in all seriousness it would be a great endeavor to do. If the original plans were available, while not easy would be possible. Most likely the biggest issue would be finding the correct engines as they are rare examples.
I am so glad to come across such a wonderful presentation. Very little has been available. New Zealand leads the world in reproducing wooden framed WW1, and both the Hornet and Mosquito, you might be boggled by what can be found online.
Thank you 👍✈️ Indeed they do, and have some great exhibits for aviation enthusiasts. I would love to see the Hornet under restoration their fly one day
A golden nugget of research...well done sir...
Thank you👍✈
Is it just me, or does the British give their aeroplanes and ships/boats the best names?! The mosquito, then the Hornet, and then the Vampire😆 I love the way they name their defence force equipment😜 Brilliant 👏
It is quite interesting. Some great ones out there. Another favourite of mine is the de Havilland Flamingo.
In La Lal Land they have to keep it simple!
If the Japanese called the Zero Max the outcome could have been different😂
@@christophercook723 Is that the same la-la-land where you still make no sense?!
@@azzajames7661 l do not live in the United States of the Continent of America. Thankfully.
I hear you, but Wildcat, Hellcat, Bearcat and Tomcat are not bad.
I missed a few but you get the gist of it.
Great vid mate really enjoyed it
Thank you 👍✈️
Very cool aircraft that I was unaware of, thanks for sharing.
👍✈️
Bit of shame jets ended some of these beauties too soon. The sound from these engines really vibrate through your body.
It is a little. Although, I think another shame is that not one hornet exists today. Hopefully that changes soon.
Agree, its a terrific sound and feeling. Personally, piston engine aircraft have always been my favourite.
Beautiful aircraft....i cant believe nobody had the forethought that tropical heat and humidity ( not to mention monsoon rains and insects) were detrimental to the wood/ glue construction. Perhaps with jets coming into service, it was a good way to pay them off...
I recall seeing the remains of a Vampire rotting at a local field outside Sydney. That would have been in the 1990s. De Haviland did carry some of their wood technology into the jet age.
Great stuff mate, i always thought the Hornet had a bit of a bad press, but with jets on the way it's not surprising, i am very pleased that one is being restored in NZ, if there Mossies are anything to go by Wow, love to see her in the air, again good job,
Thank you👍✈️ I can't wait either, it will be quite the sight to see.
@@AntiqueAirshow I really can't wait Jarred, it's so nice to see these airplanes back where they are supposed to be, those guys do a fantastic job for all of us aircraft enthusiasts we can never repay them.
Couldn't agree more. It is such a great sight and sound to see a Spitfire or a Mustang or any warbird at an airshow. Even seeing them in museums is great, especially those rare examples. We do indeed 👍✈
another informative effort thank you
Thank you 👍✈
Impressive aircraft!! @03:19 #2s Feathered. Cheers!
It sure was. That is interesting, and I actually never picked that up. Thanks for pointing it out 👍✈️
Merry Christmas everyone nice to see your channel growing it’s doubled since I subbed 👍🏻👍🏻
thanks for the positive comment and support👍✈️
An absolute tragedy that none were preserved.
Thank You.
Great video
Thank you 👍✈️
Stunning plane..
Very much so 👍✈
05:25, I swear he's wearing a suit and tie! Excellent!!
Most likely. It seems that this wasn't all too uncommon back then. Imagine doing that today with an F-35 😂
It was so fast that when one landed at an American airbase in Britain, the staff were looking all over for the jetpipe nozzles.
Intrigued about this story!
Enjoyed that 😊
👍✈️
There are some surviving parts of a Hornet at the Mosquito Museum and I think some of the concrete plugs used for its construction are also there.
That is really interesting. Hopefully there will also be one flying soon.
Great video!
Thank you 👍✈
Great video - my first introduction to the type. Surprising - as I've been an active enthusiast and Mossie-lover for decades. Are any of these on display, or actually still flying, or at least, airworthy? Where? Thanks for any feedback.
Thank you 👍✈️ It does often get hidden behind other late war types. Sadly none exist today in any condition, however there is one under restoration to flight in New Zealand. Still a long way off though. Will be great when it is finished.
Thanks, TE, Geoffrey will be proud! I'll watch for it.
Amazing that one is being restored to flying condition :)
Agree it is. Very excited to see it fly some day 👍✈️
Excellent video 📹
Overshadowed by dad 👨
The remains of a sea Hornet where recovered in Saskatchewan Canada. It is being restored to flying condition in New Zealand.
The RAF flew Hornets out of Butterworth in north Malaya (as it was called then).
Did it fly in Korea?
How did it compare with the P38?
I believe it did not serve in Korea. I'm not sure how it compared to the P38, but would imagine it would of been more powerful, faster and had a greater range.
Such a beautifully streamlined aircraft, it is easy to see why it was that era's British "Ferrari of the sky"! Just like the Grumman F8F Bearcat it would have been a world beater if it had entered service one year earlier. Good video, I even subscribed!👍
It is indeed. Very sleek lines and performance was supposedly very impressive. Indeed it would have been. Thank you, welcome aboard 👍✈️
The propellers were "handed" rather than "contra-rotating".
yes correct, my mistake. Thank you for the pick up.
Love your UA-cam name, I figured it out instantly from Battle of Britain. Great name mate!!!.
Thanks, awesome 👍✈️ Great to hear somebody recognizing where it is from. The Battle of Britain is my favourite movie, and has had a big influence on my passion for historic aircraft, so it only seemed right to acknowledge it in my name.👍✈️
Great comment and a rare and nearly unknown aircraft. Too bad none were preserved. I've always wondered if performance would have been improved if the engines rotated outward (like the P-38) rather than inward.
Thank you 👍✈️. It is a shame none were preserved, but there is one under restoration in New Zealand. Amazingly this one should be able to fly so will no doubt make a great display someday. I'm not too sure, although they were contra-rotating propellers, as this was believed to eliminate torque.
I read that they did try outwards, but it reduced the tail surfaces effectiveness at low speed.
Very well done m8!!!.
Thank you👍✈️
Delamination from heat and humidity in the tropics was also a problem for the Mosquito, which is why for the RAAF in PNG and Rabaul in WW2 the Bristol Beaufighter was a better option.
Indeed. The Beaufighter was well suited to operations in PNG, and performed very well
The Japanese called the Beaufighter "Whispering Death".
Great
Thanks 👍✈️
Since it was a fighter it would have been nice to also discuss the armament. It looks like 4x20mm cannons, which would have been massive in those days, and far outclassing the .303 armed Spitfires
I agree, and in my newer videos I tend to focus in on this area more. Even for bombers. Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it.
By the end of the war most designs similar to the Hornet tended to be armed with cannons.
By that time Spitfires were being fitted with 4x20mm cannons. The Spitfire was armed with 2x20mm + 4x .303 and 2x20mm + 2x .50 too. The cannons being standard from 1941
@03:19 #2 Feathered. Cheers!
Only criticism is that the Mossie and Hornet weren't just balsa, the balsa was sandwiched between birch to create and shape strong lightweight panels and spars were fir and spruce. The pilots were certainly more vulnerable than today's guys who at least have some protection from enemy fire.
Ahh yes thanks for the pick up 👍✈️. Definitely a unique construction for that time period
Could you do a u.s interwar bomber design?
I don't have anything planned in that area currently, but I'll have a look and see what I can do. I do have a video about an American bomber from WW2 in the works though👍✈️
Sorry, how was the wood bonded to metal in the wings? Couldn’t understand what you said.
It utilized some type of adhesive redux that acted like a glue. Hope this helps
The wood was not bonded to metal, the wooden structure was covered in fabric and painted with dope containing Aluminum pigment.
I thought the RAF would have been aware of de-lamination out in the Far East. A squadron of Mosquitos had been sent out in WW2 and they just dissolved during the monsoon.
Yes I agree, it does seem rather short sighted to have sent the Hornets to the Far East
Probably a good plane, but I'm fan of the Mosquito!
And Hornets wasn't even available when it really mattered. 😜
That's fair, the mosquito was a very good plane. Yes that's very true. Needed to be around a few years earlier.
Great!
Thank you 👍✈️
At 4:32, are pilots standing up to see over the nose?
Good question. I hadn't really realized until you pointed it out. It would make sense, as the nose of the aircraft is angled quite high up when on the ground.
DeHavilland had this thing where they would take a bunch of plywood and some glue, and make any number of awesome aircraft out of it.
They really did have habit for that.
The props weren't 'contra rotating'; they rotated inboard, which made the aircraft more uniformly controllable in the event of an engine failure.
Great video, mate, but please spare us the 'haitch'; the correct pronunciation among educated English speakers is 'aitch'.
He 8s Australian, we have a large Catholic education system here, and "haitch" is sometimes called the "Catholic (or Irish) Aitch". Definitely sounds odd.
Ide really like to build something experimental based on this aircraft. Same design, just scaled down. And aluminum with some composite skin. Thanks man, I appreciate you. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Jeremy in Alabama.
That would be a great project. Would love to see how it would turn out. A guy built a 1/3 B-17 flying fortress that flies, so I'm sure something with the Hornet could be done. Thanks 👍✈️
Get a wiggle on then, make your dream come true, it's the only way, best of luck.
Cracks me up that the RAF ignored all technical information about hot/tropical issues relating to timber as solved by CAC/DAP/RAAF on the Mozzie.
Yes it is really quite interesting that they didn't learn from past experience.
⭐️⭐️🎩⭐️⭐️ Actually The Grand Slam Mosquito MK2 was the fastest piston plane ever, ever ever, they’ll never let us have that one again. Fullstop.
there is some parts of a hornet in the de Haviland musium
Nice, that makes sense. Hopefully in the future we will have one fully restored
The Best Fighter ever Built....................................... MOSQUITO XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
These are counter-rotating props
The OG Hornet :D
A baby mosquito on steroids..... fine looking aircraft. 👍
Yep that sums it up really well 👍✈️
It was overlooked because it came after the war, so wasn’t needed. And as jets arrived. So was out classed.
Of course it was the best piston aircraft ever… it was the last. Same as the bear cat, tiger cat, fury/sea fury. If it wasn’t the best, it would have been pointless building it
It was built. Also piston engined planes had far better fuel efficiency so could loiter around areas much longer if needed. They were still using piston engined aircraft in Vietnam like the Skyraider.
@@mikeholland1031 two different subjects for discussion. 1). Why didn’t it achieve the fame and respect it deserved? . See my answer.
2). Under a totally different political background than actually existed at the time. Would it have been possible for a significant use to be found for it, which would have generated that level of respect. And for it to have been remembered as the thoroughbred that it undoubtedly was?
@@Olleetheowl I do not know, nor had I ever heard about one until a cpl of years ago I guess they didn't make too many of them.
Thank you for your video, very enjoyable, and yes your pronunciation of the H is very important when speaking on a video. Otherwise I loved it. Just subscribed. Thanks.
Thank you. I'm working on it and trying to improve. Great, thanks 👍✈️
Why do people who should research better confuse contra rotating with counter rotating (2:08). The Hornet had counter rotating propellers. Contra rotating has two propellers on the same axis.
De Haviland made wooden planes because they didn't Know how to make metal ones. They knew about tropical delamination issues from their experience with the Mosquito. The even made the Vampire out of wood. WTF!
Excellent comment, absolutely true..
de Haviland was years behind in aircraft construction technology, it was still building wood and fabric biplane when most manufacturers were building all metal monoplanes.. this failure to introduce new technologies led to the worst engineering failure in aviation history. (The Comet Disaster) and destroyed the company in 1958.
There was a design very similar to the Hornet produced in Argentina. It's performance was comparable to the Hornet but the major difference was that it was all metal, so it would not have had the same problems that the Hornet suffered with it's wooden airframe.
Ahh interesting, I never knew.
Never had .erlin engines pratt whitely 1200hp. Underpowered slower. Need 1600hp merlin
The argie version. Do your research ok
De Havilland's Second Stealth Fighter
Idle thought. Drone technology. The woulds push toward E cars..will we see ( for domestic fun rather than military use ) will planes like this come back as electric..fairly light, no petrol or payload need, I could see it
I agree and can see it happening to. 👍✈️
It would have flown circle's around the P51 , which was a brilliant plane too !
It would of been very interesting to see it go head to head with a P-51
@@AntiqueAirshow The P51D was a very good fighter but not as good as it's contemporary Mk.XIV Spitfire or late production Mk.IX.
So what is the difference between the mosquito and the Hornet?
The biggest is that the Mosquito had a crew of two and the Hornet was a single seat. There would be quite a few others, the hornet is smaller, but I can't think of them off the top of my head
Hm
Pretty sure that the Mosquito as not the fastest piston-engined fighter the RAF had.
I can think of several other candidates just with RR engines.
but I wonder, what if you didn't think that it was the fastest that the RAF had?
Would you still make a video about it?
The Mosquito wasn't the fastest, but I am discussing the De Havilland Hornet which is considered the fastest piston engine fighter. Even if it wasn't the fastest, there would be a good chance I' still cover the Hornet, as it lesser known and has an interesting history.
@@AntiqueAirshow faster than the twin engine Heinkel?...the Arrow?
@@touristguy87 Sorry my apologies, I was meaning the fastest piston fighter in RAF service. I forgot to write that though. Compared to things like Heinkel's design and the Arrow I am unsure.
@@AntiqueAirshow you could make a simple table with the top speeds of the various candidates
@@AntiqueAirshow really there is an obvious irony here in that you're not even sure if it actually was the fastest piston fighter in RAF service, therefore there's a good chance that some other plane is, which you don't even know about. That is because you don't understand either irony or irrelevance.
I’m curious why no version was used in the Korean War
Same here
Capt. Brown said it was the best piston engined fighter he ever flew. It was a rare fighter that was totally over powered. It could do anything a single engined fighter could do....on one engine.
Hyperbole
The idea that the Mosquito at 14,000 lbs empty could compete with the 9,000 lbs Sea Fury or late war 9’000 lbs Corsairs, both with more powerful engines than the Mosquito while having an engine shut down is just foolish.
It was a superb fighter. He rated it very highly, supposedly even stating it was the Ferrari of the sky.
But it wasn't a Mosquito. Yes similar, but a new design.
If it looks good, it is good...
After the experience with the wooden Mosquito delaminating the RAF sent the wooden Hornet too the Far East?
Yeah it is interesting to consider, especially when they weren't used in Korea either. Ultimately though, while effective the Hornet was limited by the operating environment of the Far East
We knew how to do it, ONCE !
Great video, Thankyou. A silly pedantic point but, pronunciation of the letter "H" only has one 'h' in it at the (back) end. Pronounced "aitch'.
Thanks, you beat me to it!
So poor old letter 8 is the only one that doesn't have an
onomatopoeic descriptor? Huh -aitch works for me and lots of other speakers of English. By the way, riddle me though / tough / cough / bough etc.............
Only in the "official British" pronunciation.
Pronounced "haich" in lots of countries.
CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THIS MADE IT INTO THE WAR ?? IT COULD VE DONE EVERYTHING THE MOZZY DID POSIBLY BETTER
05:29 Pilots dressed well in those days ! There is no information, apart from speed, about the performance of this aircraft. It's hard to tell how it would have fared against an FW190 in the hands of a competant pilot. Would a laminated airframe have stood up to the G forces of a turning fight ? I can imagine this plane could boom and zoom but that would be about it. I'd like to hear more....
It is hard to know how it would of compared. I think you would be correct in the boom and zoom tactic. Possibly also as a long range escort or in the ground attack role. Photo reconnaissance as well. I'm not sure though, just hypothesizing.
No , the Rolls Royce of the sky ......
Yes that is a fair point 👍✈️
Hearing the words ‘aircraft’ and ‘scrap yards’ coupled together makes me sad.
Very much agree. It's a shame, particularly when not even on was preserved
Imagine that made of carbonfibre with turboprops
I was just thinking the same thing.
F**k Wished I had Been in That SQD..............
All the armchair critics, from aviation to spoken English, on here. Do us all a favour......start your own sites....
It looks like a f@©€^ up Whirlwind. 🤔
There is no Hay in "H" (aitch).
Delamination? Should have used Ados!
To Young to know 1948 child….
Britain's best planes were made of wood. Interesting
I just subscribed to your channel, which I enjoyed very much, except for your insistance upon pronouncing the eighth letter of the alphabet. The letter is pronounced AITCH not “haitch” for we people who were taught to speak and pronounce correctly, It grates. I have retained my subscription, and trust that you will take this small criticism as a friendly reminder. I think that you may well be, or have lost some subscriptions because of this.
Supermarine Spiteful was faster - 494 mph.
IMO, the Mosquito was the best bomber of the war, and the US totally screwed the pooch by not using the design. A crew of 2 could deliver an accurate bomb drop AND live to come home. The B17 was a piece of crap, and to this day I believe it was chose to enrich the industrialists, not to be effective.
I'd not heard of the Hornet, so I'll watch this.
Ask the germans if they though the B-17 was a piece of crap
I guess the RAF also screwed the pooch by building all those piece of crap Lancasters instead of more Mosquitos. If only you'd been there to advise them.
The USAAF had to lobby hard to get supplied with the latest pressurised cockpit high altitude Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft in 1944 - the RAF wanted every one they could get.... but with Packard building large numbers of Merlin engines for the P51D, and Canadians knocking out Mossies for the RAF, I also never understood why the US didn't just license the design and build Mosquitos in the US, especially given their desire to bomb by day.
It’s Aitch not Haitch! Sorry but it grates! The rest is great, very informative!……Sorry I’ve just watched to the end and I don’t think you know much about aircraft and are just reading from a script, for example what is a rdome it’s ray dome which cover the radar hence radome and it’s Solent not slont or whatever it was you said! A little bit of preparation and research always makes a video more interesting, it may be pedantic but I bet there quite a few people out there raging at their screens saying the same! For us aviation buffs this is the sort of thing that makes us leave cinemas when producers use Bf 108’s instead of Bf109’s! Again sorry but please check and confirm before putting a video out.
“H” is pronounced “aitch”, not “haitch”. Great video otherwise.
I’m so glad you made this comment. It saved me having to do it. The narrator’s speech is not as clear as I’m sure we’d all like it to be.
Not everywhere.
It's not D Haitch... it's D Aitch.
It's AITCH not HAITCH.
na.... maybe its just me, but i find the mozzie and hornet to be ugly. the nose just seems too short.
whereas the comet dh88 has a longer nose, and with its slight bulge always makes me think of a bull-terrier... sorta cute :)
Ah, I detect an antipodean speech impediment - the aspirant letter H.
Still, one makes allowances for our colonial natives.
Regarding technical issues, the Hornet was never lucky enough to be fitted with contra-rotating propellers. It did however have contra-rotating engines.
It was also not the first aircraft to utilise redux bonding - the Mosquito before it was.
Not Australian, it is specifically a Carholic education thing, not common outside of the Catholic education system, but it is our largest private education sector.
Aitch is pronounced aitch, not Haitch