VH-WWS  de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito PR.41

                           

                               This Mosquito was acquired by World Wide Aerial Surveys, as US company, in 1954 and given
                               the registration N1597V.    It was ordered by the RAAF as a Mk 40 but converted to a PR41 on
                               the production line and delivered as A52-313.  It was employed, along with N1596V (A52-306),
                               on various survey contracts in 1955 ostensibly in New Guinea and Borneo, although persistent bad
                               weather forced the abandonment of the task of surveying that latter island.  In February 1956 it was
                               taken off the US register and registered in Australia as VH-WWS, and DCA approval for high level
                               surveys of mainland Australia was finally given in October of 1956.   The CofA was only granted for
                               one year, since by that time wood bonded aircraft were already coming under increased scrutiny by
                               the Department.    VH-WWS was scrapped at Mascot in August 1957.  The above photograph
                               was taken in a Mascot hangar shortly before the aircraft was broken up.