panoradiant for de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre photos by mark schuster

DRAFT - NOT FOR PUBLICATION

VIRTUAL PANORAMA TOUR OF THE
de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
Incorporating the Mosquito Museum

photos by mark schuster mark@panoradiant.co.uk

	FIRST TIME USERS PLEASE READ THIS Click on a mirror-ball image to go to its panorama then navigate in any direction with your mouse. To make the panorama fill the screen click the furthest right hand button.
The Wooden Wonder Hangar This is the secret hangar in which the first prototypes of the Mosquito fighter-bombers were built in record time in 1941.on a farm not far from the de Havilland factory in Hatfield The earliest prototypes were test flown by Geoffrey de Havilland himself. Although not evident from its rounded appearance, the fuselage is substantially made of wood, much of it balsa, which was shaped with concrete formers.
	In one corner of the hangar is a dismantled prototype Mosquito. Unsurprisingly this more than seventy year old aircraft is in very poor condition: Its yellow paint, denoting “prototype”, is peeling and the adhesive of its wooden body is becoming “unglued”, yet this historic aircraft is due for renovation by the centre’s team of volunteers, when finished will look much the same as it did when it first took to the air seven decades ago. Prominent in this picture is also a pretty little chipmunk, the aircraft that many RAF pilots made their first flights in.
As well as Mosquitoes there is a Chipmunk trainer, Vampire fighter and a tiny Humming Bird dating back to the 1920s in the hanger. In one corner, almost screened from view, is a See Vixen in the early stage of refurbishment. Hanging on the wall are its wings.
	Outside on the pad The Vampire T11 is a two seat, side by side, trainer. Until the 1960s RAF fighter pilots began their flying training on propeller aircraft such as the Chipmunk and only after passing on these would they go on to jet trainers such as the Vampire or Gloster Meteor. Later these modified fighters were replaced by aircraft like the Jet Provost, easier to fly and obviating the need for prior experience flying propeller planes. To the left of the T11 is another variation of the Vampire; the Venom. This saw service as both a land and carrier based aircraft.
The carrier based, twin engined, twin boomed, Sea Vixen fighter is certainly not one of de Havilland's prettiest aircraft. The pilot sat in a cramped offset cockpit while his observer sat within the body of the aircraft on the other side and without any forward view. The aircraft was armed with rockets and de Havilland's own air-to-air missiles, probably the reason for the massive, all thermionic valved, radar set along with radar dish all housed in the nose cone.
	The Dove went into production in 1945 and saw service around the world as a small passenger aircraft. Parked along side it on the pad is the Jet Dragon D 125, a very successful executive or company jet which went into production in 1965. This is probably the third D 125 built and was sold to to Hawker Sidderley, the firm which made its turbo jet engines
The four engine Heron is a direct descendent of the twin engine Dove and went into service around 1951. In a way it can be seen as a larger version of the Dove, economically employing many of its parts.

Photos and Web design - Mark Schuster		Photographed during April and May 2011 at the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre http://www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk/

With thanks to Ralph Steiner of the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre for information and for facilitating the photoshoot Les Hyde formally of BAe Hatfield for further detail and history Wikipedia for dates and technical details
	Photos (c) Mark Schuster 2011 contact mark@panoradiant.co.uk