Dornier conservation work off to a flying start

But over the last 12 months it has been undergoing a slow and steady transformation as part of a painstaking conservation project.

Today marks a year to the day since the last surviving German Dornier Do 17 was rescued from its watery grave.

The long-awaited recovery of the Second World War bomber, which was shot down over the English Channel during the Battle of Britain, made headlines around the world.

It has spent its first year on land at the RAF Cosford Museum near Wolverhampton where the different parts of the rescued fuselage have been placed into purpose built hydration tunnels as part of the conservation work.

And it won't be going anywhere soon – the wreckage will remain in the tunnels for several years while staff spray pieces with a citric acid based solution to combat the damage caused by spending decades on the seabed.

A team of apprentices have also removed some of the sea growth from the wreckage in a precise operation using plastic scrapers.

The conservation work will take years to complete – bosses still don't know exactly when it will be finished – but once it is done the plane will be transported to the RAF Museum in London where it was be displayed.

Darren Priday, conservation centre manager at RAF Museum Cosford says: "It has been a challenging year but the project has provided us with a lot of new information and we have learnt a lot about this process.

"It is long and tedious work but in the end the results will be there for all to see when the Dornier eventually goes on display."

Bosses say they have managed to complete a 'significant amount of work' in the last year.

The forward fuselage has been de-riveted and separated from the tail boom, which suffered major damage during its period on the seabed.

Being able to separate the two sections has allowed the conservation team to focus effort on the interior of the forward fuselage, and work on this area is said to be progressing well.

The spraying process has also proved effective on the propellers and both units which will shortly be placed on purpose built stands in readiness for the next stage of their conservation.

Ian Thirsk, head of collections at RAF Museum said: "For the past 12 months the RAF Museum has made tremendous strides with the conservation of this unique aircraft." However, much like the rescue effort, the conservation project hasn't been without its difficulties.The hydration tunnels, which are used to spray the parts of the plane, require daily maintenance in order to keep the spraying system operational.

And during the early phases of the project, parts of the marine life that had been broken down by the citric acid that was sprayed onto the plane began to clog up the filter system.

As a result of this, the museum upgraded the filtration system to counteract the problem. This also improved the museum's ability to keep the system operating at all times.

Staff have also enlisted the help of a professor from Imperial College London to offer guidance.

Professor Mary Ryan has been on hand at each stage of the conservation process and has worked closely with the museum from the very start of the scheme.

Mr Thirsk added: "As the last surviving example of its type, the Dornier 17 will make a hugely significant addition to our German aircraft collection at Hendon and help us to communicate the wider story of the Battle of Britain to our audience."

For those wishing to gain even closer access to the aircraft, volunteers from the museum's aerospace museum society are working on Dornier components every Tuesday and Thursday between 10.30am and 3pm in the test flight hangar.