Pilots raise more than £20,000 for Second World War seaplane named 'Miss Pick Up' which suffered an engine failure on Loch Ness
More than £20,000 has been raised for a Second World War seaplane which suffered an engine failure as it attempted to take off from the Loch Ness.
The PBY Catalina flying boat named 'Miss Pick Up' had landed on the freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands when her starboard engine failed to re-start.
The flying boat, which is one of the world's only airworthy Catalina flying boat, was returned to the shore and moored overnight with the help of RNLI Loch Ness before it was lifted out of the water by crane.
Now, Plane Sailing, the Cambridge-based team of pilots and volunteers who operate the IWM Duxford-based plane, have set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money for the plane's damaged engine.
The Second World War named Miss Pick Up had landed on the Loch Ness when it suffered engine failure
The PBY Catalina flying boat, which is one of the world's only airworthy Catalina flying boat, was returned to the shore and moored overnight
The team, who have so far raised more than £20,000, explained that funds would help fly the aircraft back the safely of their home base in Duxford, Cambridge.
The donations will also go towards crane hire, transporting a spare engine from Duxford to the Loch Ness, boat hire and workshop facilities for engine preparation.
Former RAF Harrier pilot Paul Warren Wilson is the leader of Plane Sailing's Catalina operation and The Catalina Society.
He said: 'The logistics involved are massive.
'Once the damaged engine is replaced we need to put her back onto the water so she can be flown home, otherwise she will be at the mercy of the harsh Scottish winter on a Loch (which as we all know is home to a certain wee beastie!) rather than her usual cosy hanger in Duxford.
'The damage this could do to the aircraft – an important piece of aviation history – could be irreparable.
The plane, which usually appears at around 20 airshows a year, is operated by Plane Sailing- a Cambridge-based team of pilots and volunteers
The plane was moored overnight before it was lifted out of the lake in Scotland by crane
'We have been absolutely staggered and humbled by the generous donations from so many of Miss Pick Up's supporters.
'Yesterday the future looked bleak. Today, with the Cat safely on dry land again, there is a light glimmering at the end of the tunnel.'
The Second World War seaplane, which appears at up to 20 airshows a year, is not operated for profit and Plane Sailing's sole mission is to keep the aircraft flying and honour her legacy.
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat that was used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escort, search and rescue missions, and cargo transport.
It was produced for the US Navy but was also also flown by the RAF and played a vital role in the Second World War in combatting German U-boats in the Atlantic.