UPDATE: Arrival of historic warplane in Kelowna postponed

(UPDATE: June 6 @ 11:05 am) - The highly-anticipated arrival of a historic warplane in Kelowna has been postponed.

KF Aerospace announced this morning that the de Havilland 98 Mosquito will not be making the flight from Vancouver to Kelowna this morning due to mechanical issues.

Details on the rescheduled flight will be shared soon.

(Original story: June 2 @ 9:30 am) - Amid all the large passenger planes that land in Kelowna every day, a historic warplane will be landing at Kelowna International Airport (YLW) next week.

Weather permitting, the de Havilland 98 Mosquito will touch down at YLW on Monday around 11:15 am.

It’s only fitting that the plane famous for hitting top speeds on decisive wartime missions will touch down in the Okanagan, its new home, on the 78th anniversary of D-Day.

Once it arrives in Kelowna, the aircraft will taxi to the KF Aerospace apron where it will be parked for a welcoming celebration before later being stationed in the KF hangers.

Affectionately known as ‘Mossie’ or ‘the Wooden Wonder’, the WW2 fighter-bomber boasts an unusual wooden frame.

The British-designed, twin-engine, two-seat, mid-wing bomber made its debut with the Royal Air Force in 1941.

It was used extensively as an allied night-fighter against the German Luftwaffe and quickly became one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world, clocking speeds over 640 km/h.

KF project supervisor, D’Arcy Barker said the plane was an incredibly potent aircraft and played a vital role in the allied victory in WW2.

“It could pack a similar bomb load as a B17 and fight in any theatre at any time of day or night, at high or low altitude,” he explained.

“It was truly a multi-role aircraft, at home in seemingly any operation. That’s what made it so special. Without it, where would we be? Thankfully, we’ll never know.”

The public will not have access to YLW to watch the plane land, but they can view the spectacle from outside the airport’s fences.