RON DUPAS COLLECTION
No. 978B. de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito PR.Mk.35 (CF-HMS) Spartan Air Services Ltd.
Photographed by Ron Dupas

de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito B.Mk.VII

12/15/2015. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "After the war a number of surplus Mosquitoes were used on commercial operations. Fifteen Mk.35s were bought in the UK by Spartan Air Services Ltd. of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Ten, comprising nine B.Mk.35s and a PR.Mk.35, were used for air survey work in Canada as well as in Latin and South America. The remaining five Mosquitos were broken up for spares.

Under the RAF serial RS700 the pictured aircraft was built as a Mosquito B.Mk.35 by Airspeed Ltd. at Hampshire, England in 1946. In 1951 it became the prototype PR.Mk.35 pressurized high-altitude photo-reconnaissance aircraft, the following year it was assigned to No. 58 Squadron. After ony two years it was withdrawn from use and put into storage. In 1955 it became one of the Mk.35 Mosquitos purchased by Spartan and was converted by Derby Aviation Ltd. at Burnaston Airfield in the UK. Modifications included installation of an additional fuel tank in the bomb bay, an extra-clear perspex nose cone, a DF loop and a modified rear hatch for the cameraman. Registered CF-HMS the aircraft was ferried to Canada in July 1956 and subsequently it was based in Colombia. After expiration of the CofA on May 13, 1961 the aircraft was stored in Canada.

In 1963 Lynn Garrison of Calgary, Alberta bought the aircraft for the Air Museum of Canada in Calgary, however, this museum was disbanded and the aircraft was stored for over forty years at various locations. Presently the aircraft is undergoing long-term restoration at the Bomber Command Museum of Canada at Nanton, Alberta."


Created November 9, 2001