Uncovered WWII Blueprints Could Be Used to Restore a Mosquito Plane

Airbus uncovered something unexpected while shuttering its factory in Flintshire, UK: a trove of aircraft blueprints dating back to World War II. Though the sketches are nearly 70 years old, a team of aviation enthusiasts wants to use them to get an iconic plane back in the air today.

The old technical drawings, of which there are 20,000, include blueprints for the de Havilland Mosquito, Atlas Obscura reports. During the 1940s, the British aircraft performed many roles for the Allied forces as a fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance plane. Even more impressive than its capabilities was its design: Constructed almost entirely from balsa and plywood, it earned the nickname “The Wooden Wonder.” The plane has earned cult status in aviation circles in the time since, and there’s even a group, the People’s Mosquito, dedicated to rebuilding a Mosquito that crashed in 1949.

The wooden body that makes the vessel famous also makes it notoriously difficult to preserve. Many metal aircraft from World War II are still around today, while most of the Mosquitos have rotted beyond recognition. In the face of such challenges, the People's Mosquito team views the newly discovered blueprints as a game-changer. The group's operations director, Bill Ramsey, described the find to BBC Radio as “a complete collection of drawings for every mark and modification that was ever made to a Mosquito.”

If the project members can successfully restore the plane to its former glory, it will be one of four Mosquitos capable of flight today. To achieve that goal they must raise $7.8 million in total. Only then will they fully realize their motto: “To fly; To educate; To remember.”

[h/t Atlas Obscura]