Flying start to Dornier revival at RAF Cosford

The German aircraft was shot down by the RAF in 1940 during the Battle of Britain and spent decades in a watery grave off the Kent coast.

After it was discovered about five years ago just 50 feet under water at Goodwin Sands, near Ramsgate, a team of 50 specialists from marine recovery company SeaTech, finally lifted the wreckage from the English Channel in one piece on June 10, 2013, before it was taken to RAF Museum Cosford.

Those working on the wreckage at the museum today said the aircraft is in remarkable condition after spending 73 years at the bottom of the sea.

Experts have also discovered battle damage on the aircraft.

The team at Cosford have carried out intricate checks on the condition of the plane in an attempt to stabilise the aircraft and halt any further corrosion.

The aircraft has been kept in two 65ft long, specially made hydration tunnels being sprayed with a citric acid solution and is currently undergoing groundbreaking restoration which is expected to take several months.

The spraying technique will cost about £6,000 and a team of experts, staff and volunteers are currently six months into an estimated two-year project to restore it to its former glory.

Staff and volunteers are spending hours cleaning the small components of the plane – and several of them are already on display at the site's museum.

Darren Priday, deputy conservation centre manager at RAF Cosford, said: "As the Dornier lay at the bottom of the sea, the currents and tides have effectively been like rubbing sand paper over the aircraft for 73 years but she's survived remarkably well.

"This is a truly unique project with lots of unknowns and we are still learning day by day. All the signs from the work we have carried out so far are very positive, but there is still a long way to go."

Experts have admitted that restoration is a challenge and Mr Priday said: "We have spent the last six months spraying the Dornier at frequent intervals, usually three times an hour.

"The citric acid is to soften the plant life that is on the plane and will also dissolve and soften some of the salt water.

"The citric acid is added to water, so we can get the right pH level so it does not affect the plane."

He added: "We have started cleaning down larger parts of the plane and hope by gently removing the marine growth we will find evidence of the original paint scheme. Some original paint is evident on the lower surface of the wing.

"None of us have done this before but it means we can learn as we are going along, and can keep an eye on how it is going much better."

The team have already completed the conservation of four steel wing bolts, which have been photographed and monitored for any change in condition and completed empty rounds, which will also be photographed and monitored for a change in condition.

The fuselage and wings have remained in the purpose-built hydration tunnels and continue to be sprayed with citric acid in water in a bid to prevent any further corrosion.

Experts say that early indications show that the lengthy process is working as the solution is helping to remove layers of debris that have built up over the decades.

A number of smaller components have already been painstakingly worked on by apprentices and volunteers, including an engine valve, empty bullet cases, plus a tube from the flying controls.

As part of the final stage of treatment the parts will be coated in a layer of wax or a clear paint.

The museum has also been given several thousand original Dornier 17 production drawings by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company to help identify parts that can be utilised as part of the reconstruction process, but Mr Priday said it would not be discussed until further work has been carried out whether the aircraft could be put back together.

The wreck's inverted position and bent propellers suggests that it "ground looped" on landing.

It lay largely proud of the seabed at a depth of some 16m (52ft) and it is thought that it has only recently emerged from the sands, possibly within the last three years.

It took six weeks to lift the Dornier and is believed to be the biggest recovery project of its kind from British waters. It was hailed a complete success and cost £500,000.

Salvaging the wreckage involved attaching lifting equipment to the strongest parts of the aircraft's frame and raising it whole, in one single lift before it was brought to the RAF Museum Cosford on June 15.

After being lifted from the English Channel, the Dornier 17 was continually sprayed with water to ensure the aluminium structure did not come into contact with air. All the components were coated with a waterproof gel before the wings and the fuselage were loaded onto two separate lorries for the 230-mile journey to its new home in Shropshire.

More than 100 people visited the museum in June to see the dismantled aircraft arrive on the back of three lorries and the museum has since recorded thousands of visitors with the Dornier becoming one of its main attractions.

Visitors can watch the restoration process take place.

Museum spokeswoman Michelle Morgans said: "This plane has captured the imagination of visitors young and old. The number of people visiting the plane has exceeded our expectations and we are very happy with it."

For visitors who want to get even closer access to the aircraft, volunteers from the Aerospace Museum Society will be working on Dornier components every Tuesday and Thursday between 10.30am and 3pm in the museum's test flight hangar.

Visitors are now able to learn all about the Dornier, its recovery and its conservation in the Wargaming.net Dornier Interpretation Zone.

Alongside the aircraft there is a multimedia exhibit with archive footage, including the moment when the aircraft was successfully raised from the seabed.

Visitors with iPhones can also see a Dornier flying through augmented reality, via a newly developed app.

Ian Milroy, 65, from Telford, visited the museum to see the restoration process in action. He said: "I have applied to volunteer to help with the restoration, I am very interested, my father was in the RAF and I think it is amazing they managed to rescue it in such large pieces.

"Reading about the war is one thing, but for younger generations to see something from that time is amazing."

Bryan Kingsley, from Much Wenlock, said: "It is very impressive already and will be more so when it is all cleaned up and displayed."

It is believed it could take up to two years to complete. Mrs Morgans said: "Once the two-year restoration has taken place the plane will go to RAF Hendon in London where it will form the centrepiece of a Battle of Britain display."

More than 1,500 examples of the Dornier 17 medium bomber were built.

The twin engine, twin fin configuration together with the narrow fuselage and shoulder mounted engines gave the aircraft a distinctive silhouette and earned it the nickname The Flying Pencil.

More than 400 were employed by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.

Research by the Air Historical Branch and RAF Museum suggests they have identified the aircraft as Dornier 17 Z-2 Ser No 1160 of 7 Staffel, III Gruppe/ KG3. 7th Sqn of 3rd Group of Bomber Wing 3.

The aircraft was lost on Monday, August 26, 1940 when operating from St Trond in Belgium. The Dornier 17 was carrying four members of crew when it was shot down.

Two of the crew members died and the two that survived were captured as prisoners of war.

The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the investigation of all military aircraft crash sites in the UK and only issued a licence for recovery of the Dornier because it was not a war grave.

The aircraft's crew of four were all accounted for and no human remains were present in the aircraft.

The pilot was Willi Effmert, wounded (POW), aged 24.

The observer was Unteroffizier Herman Ritzel (POW), aged 21.

The wireless operator was Helmut Reinhardt, 27. He was killed and is buried in Holland.

Bombardier Heinz Huhn, 21, was killed and is buried on Cannock Chase.