Tue, Dec 04, 2018
AA810 Has Been Recovered From A Mountainside In Norway
A rare RAF Spitfire aircraft has been recovered from the side of a mountain in Norway where it crashed after being shot down in 1942. The pilot of AA810, Flt. Lt. Alistair 'Sandy' Gunn, was captured and placed in a German prison camp, where he took part in the "Great Escape". He was captured and executed by the Gestapo, according to a report from Fox News.
The airplane was a specially modified Spitfire that was intended for long-range reconnaissance flights. It was was being flown by Gunn on a mission to photograph German dockyards and the movements of the German battleship Tirpitz.
According to a Facebook page established by the group restoring AA810:
"The Operational Record Book for 1 PRU shows that AA810 crashed with 49hrs and 47 minutes of operational flying making it the highest front-line-houred machine of all the surviving flying Mk1s.
"When the aircraft was recovered in July 2018, some 70% of the aircraft remained intact either at the wreck site or in the immediate local area, making this one of the most substantial recoveries in recent decades. With the site largely covered in snow for the most of the year and what wasn’t covered in snow being submerged in a peat bog, the level of preservation was superb, including a lot of the rubber fittings.
"The aircraft is now undergoing a full restoration to flying condition and will incorporate a significant amount of original material. A few elements of the aircraft that are not suitable to be used in an airworthy rebuild are being incorporated into various memorials."
The project organizers have partnered with Kennet Aviation to provide CAA A8-23/25 oversight for the restoration to flight of Sandy’s Spitfire. Some outsourced work will be carried out by third parties which will be announced shortly, however the project will be completed and flown from Kennet’s Old Warden facility.
AA810 is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022 with a first flight for early in 2023. Ongoing maintenance support post first flight will also be carried out by Kennet Aviation.
(Images from Facebook)
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