Second World War Mosquito plane’s arrival at Kelowna’s KF Aerospace delayed

The arrival of a historic Mosquito warplane at KF Aerospace has been postponed due to mechanical issues.

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The historic de Havilland 98 Mosquito was supposed to arrive in Kelowna for 11:15 a.m. Monday, coinciding with the 78th anniversary of D-Day, which is being marked in ceremonies across the globe.

The Second World War fighter bomber, featuring a unique wooden frame and famous for hitting top speeds in wartime regions, will eventually be stationed in the KF hangars and a new landing ceremony will be scheduled.

On this day 78 years ago, Allied troops landed on the beaches codenamed Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats. On that single day, 4,414 Allied soldiers died and more than 5,000 were wounded.

It was the largest invasion ever assembled, before or since, landing 156,000 Allied troops by sea and air on five beachheads in Normandy, France.

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