A near-$10 million restoration project on a World War Two fighter bomber for a Texan billionaire is nearing completion at Auckland's Ardmore airfield.
Seven Sharp reports a small team of craftsmen at Avspecs Ltd are restoring a De Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber for a Texan billionaire oil baron.
Warren Denholm of Avspecs said the detail they've gone into with the restoration "is just off the planet really".
They're approaching 80,000 man hours of work, "which is an unholy amount", and the project has cost nearly $10 million, he said.
The aircraft had ended up forlorn on an airfield in California in the 1960s or '70s.
It's the third Mosquito, also known as "the Wooden Wonder", to be crafted at Avspecs.
When it's test flown next month, the plane will join the two that came before it as the only airworthy examples of De Havilland Mosquitos in the world.
A Mosquito will be the star turn at the Warbirds Armistice open day at Ardmore Airfield this Sunday.
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