De Havilland DH 98 Mosquito

Mosquito Markings
Just before D-Day (the June 6, 1944, invasion of France), black and white stripes were applied almost overnight to a vast majority of US and British aircraft to clearly identify them during the Normandy landings. In the rush to mark all the aircraft, masking and spraying sometimes gave way to more expeditious method of painting them by hand.
Invasion stripes, like the ones being applied by the ground crewman in the museum's exhibit, would have completely encircled the wings and fuselage. The 25th Bombardment Group adopted a red tail for their Mosquitoes in August 1944 and removed the invasion stripes from the upper wing and upper fuselage surfaces in September 1944.
The aircraft on display is a British-built B. Mk. 35 manufactured in 1946 (later converted for towing targets) and is similar to the P.R. Mk. XVIs used by the USAAF. It was flown to the museum in February 1985. This Mosquito, serial RS709, has been restored to a Mk. XVI configuration and painted as NS519, a weather reconnaissance aircraft of the 653rd Bombardment Squadron based in England in 1944-1945.
www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Vis...

[@texasbeast239]

Those dual props and that reverse-swept trailing edge are iconic.
As a Texan, it's the only Mosquito I approve of.

[@ZATennisFan]

That aircraft deserves a far longer video than this… One of the true all time great aircraft designs…

[@michaelburke5907]

Absolutely one of the most beautiful birds ever built. Genius on wing. Brilliant

[@Chilly_Billy]

I've always liked the Mossie in the colors of the 653rd Bombardment Squadron. I have a kit and decals to make aircraft "U" from that unit.

[@kennethhummel4409]

The flying lumberyard is such an iconic aircraft.

[@jamesdonnelly4267]

I love the cockpit shots at the end. It’d be great to see more interior shots on other videos.

[@robertmoffitt1336]

My absolute favorite British aircraft! ❤️ Awesome video! I like the music better on this one, than the first one you did on the Mossie from two years ago! Please do one of these for my all time favorite WWII aircraft, the venerable P-40!

[@USAFmuseum]

Thanks so much Robert! We hope you are doing very well. The P40 is a challenge to fly the drone over but there should be a short clip here on YT.

[@gavinoreilly1501]

I love the mosquito, but my favorite plane by far is still the B-36! I talked with one of your employees about it for over an hour! I think his name was Terry.

[@Kelly-tt1sx]

Amazing!!! ❤

[@eugeneostrander-iw2np]

Mosquito -- the only propeller driven aircraft to shoot down a ME - 262 , and made of WOOD at that !!!

[@jameswilkinson6637]

Why does it have AAF markings as it was a WWII British plane.