Can a thundering 1940s design wooden weapon-of-war be a work of art?
If it's passed through the hands of a team of engineering artists in a modest hangar at Ardmore Airfield, it absolutely can.
And what's even more special is that some of those hands are only in their 20s.
Apprentice aircraft technician Quinn Yeager can't quite believe he's working on one of Britain's most revered World War II fighter bombers, the twin V12-engined Mosquito.
"It's the sense of pride you get," he said while on his hands and knees installing wiring behind the cockpit instrument panel.
"This is my dream job, and I never thought I would be in this position in my life, let alone at the age of 20.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, working on something as rare as this beautiful machine."
This is Yeager's first Mosquito restoration, but NZ2308 is AVspec Ltd's fourth Mossie rebuild in the last 12 years. Those machines take the number of airworthy Mosquitos anywhere in the world to five — the other one being in Canada, where it was built during the war.
AVspecs owner Warren Denholm described the restorations as "an immense privilege".
"Mosquito number four has been easier than the first one we did.
"We have more technical information than previously, which has helped speed things up, and the team is now much more acquainted with the nuances of the aircraft."
Denholm credited all four projects to the foresight of the late Glyn Powell, who dedicated the last 25 years of his life to scouring the globe for plans and then creating the all-important moulds needed to shape the aircraft's wooden fuselage and wing.
Powell's years of toil in his Drury workshop — coupled with AVspecs' expertise in fitting the operating systems and engines — eventually captured the attention of wealthy American Warbirds collectors prepared to pay handsomely for the British "wooden wonders".
Powell died in late 2019 but had the satisfaction of seeing the first restored Mosquito take to the skies over Ardmore. His workshop remains open, with a team of five continuing to fashion the wooden airframes.
Denholm said of the latest machine, now undergoing an extensive battery of test flights before heading to Warbirds Over Wanaka at Easter: "It feels smooth, it's running really sweet... so we are happy.
"It's a great tribute to Glyn. I guess, if you can look down from above, he is clapping his hands, hopefully."
Asked if he had caught "Mosquito fever", Denholm said he had been "scratching the itch for quite a while now. It is a good itch to have, believe me. They are beautiful aircraft."
As for the price, only aviators with the deepest pockets need to come tyre-kicking — $12 million New Zealand dollars.
After its appearance at Wanaka, NZ2308 will be disassembled back at Ardmore, packed into containers and shipped to its new home in Texas. Members of the AVspecs team will then reassemble it for its billionaire oil tycoon owner.
Technician Yeager describes himself as "the most fortunate boy on the planet". He said he believed he had found his job for life.
"I'm loving it; it's unbelievable. "We need young people like me to come into the industry so that these Warbirds live on forever, so we will continue to see and hear them fly."
Aircraft technician Jaiden Denholm, aged 24, described the sound of the aircraft's V12 Merlin engines as "glorious" and "making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up".
He said attention to the most minor detail was essential in the restoration process.
"We like to show the world what we can do down here [in New Zealand].
"We have a lot of talented people, and they are super passionate about what they are doing.
"You obsess over the smallest little thing; it may be a differently shaped head on a rivet or a bolt that doesn't look quite right... but it has to be right."
And as spectators at Warbirds Over Wanaka will see next weekend, that's what makes for a magnificent $12 million flying work of art.
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