Forum for all "old aircraft" related news, background, discussions and research.
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Forum for all news, background, discussions and research on vintage aircraft, warbirds and wrecks & relics (stored, preserved, dumped etc). Actual logs -especially those of active airfields- are preferred to be posted in the appropriate Spotters forums.
Work begins on Friday to raise a unique World War II aircraft from the floor of the English Channel just off the Kent coast.
The Dornier 17 aircraft is the last of its kind, and lies in 50ft of water on the Goodwin Sands. The salvage is just the start of a two-year restoration project by the RAF Museum in Hendon.
But more than 70 years on from the great air battles that saved Britain, not a single Dornier 17 was thought to have survived.
Then five years ago, a diver discovered the wreck of a plane, lying on its back in 50ft of water on the Goodwin Sands. Subsequent surveys confirmed it was a Dornier 17, and almost complete.
The RAF Museum resolved to salvage it and put it on display at its Hendon base. To do so its raised half a million pounds, including £345,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
"This aircraft is going to be the only one of its type in existence in the world. There are little bits and pieces - the RAF Museum have a tail section, for one. But this aircraft is complete and therefore its price from a historical viewpoint is invaluable."
Last edited by Stratofreighter on 10 Jun 2013, 22:24, edited 3 times in total.
The Dornier 17 Project - New Lift Attempt Today
10th June 2013 By Paul Hudson, Head of Marketing in Dornier Do 17
Dornier 17 - Urgent Update - Aircraft has been lifted from the seabed - photos to follow asap please keep watching BBC News channel for coverage.
The Royal Air Force Museum has identified two weather windows in which to attempt the raising of the Dornier 17.
The first of these weather windows will occur this afternoon between 3:30 pm and 6:00 pm, the second tomorrow morning between 3:30 am and 6:30 am. These timings have been judged to be best in terms of the combination of low winds and slack water tides.
The Museum has therefore instructed the crew of the GPS Apollo to make an attempt to raise the Dornier this afternoon, weather conditions permitting. This attempt will be reported live on the BBC News Channel and we will be tweeting live from the scene with images and commentary as the lift happens.
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