A celebration of the key role Windermere played in the development of seaplanes is to be held on England’s largest lake next week.
Wings over Windermere, from May 10 to May 13, will feature public flights of a replica of the UK’s first successful seaplane, Waterbird, weather allowing.
Ian Gee, chairman of Lakes Flying Company, which is behind the Waterbird project and Wings over Windermere event, said: “Nowhere else in the world can the public see anything like Waterbird flying.
“The replica Waterbird is unique for its era as a replica airworthy seaplane.”
The original Waterbird flew on Windermere in 1911.
He added: “There is an original 1929 floatplane in the USA and an original 1935 floatplane in Italy. Prior to 1936, taking 25 years as an era from 1911, there is no other airworthy original, restoration or replica seaplane.”
Four members of the Aero Club at Lake Como are coming to the Wings over Windermere event, including the owner of the 1935 floatplane.
Mr Gee said: “The other two seaplanes, both Huskies, are requested to attend in celebration of the heritage of the significant part played by Windermere in the development of seaplanes.
“They will participate even if the replica Waterbird is subject to postponement or cancellation due to inclement weather.
“They also give an opportunity to compare and contrast the replica Waterbird with modern seaplanes. The wingspan of a Husky is 7ft less than that of Waterbird.
“The event is also an acknowledgement of the solution used by the original Waterbird at Windermere of the ‘stepped’ float to enable an aeroplane to fly off the water, as patented by Captain Edward Wakefield.
“Every flying boat, amphibian and seaplane that has flown since is an heir to his efforts.”
The replica – the only one its kind in the world – made its first public flight last September, marking the culmination of a 13-year project to create an exact copy of the iconic Waterbird and take it into the air above Windermere, the original’s home.
Pilot Peter Kynsey achieved four hops of about half a mile each, reaching about 45mph and 45ft above the water.
A crowd of 500 lined Rawlinson Nab and applauded as the plane lifted into the sky. Prior to Waterbird landing in the lake in 2022, the last time a seaplane landed there was in 1994.
Mr Kynsey, 68, who specialises in flying heritage planes, will again be at the controls of Waterbird this year.
He said of last year’s flights: “Waterbird was unusual in that no one knew what to expect. Normally when you fly a prototype or other heritage planes, you have a good idea of what to expect.
“But with Waterbird, there is no one alive who has flown it. I was nervous when I was taxiing it out, mainly for all the people who had an investment in it flying, but once it took off, I could relax and enjoy the countryside around Windermere.”
In 2022, Waterbird was based on a private estate on the West side of Windermere. This year it will be based on the popular east side, on land next to Windermere Jetty Museum, off Rayrigg Road, Bowness.
The Rayrigg Wyke site is private and not open to the public. But between flights, visitors to the museum will be able to look across Rayrigg Wyke bay to see Waterbird in its temporary hangar.
Two other seaplanes will also be flying in and resting in the bay, to contrast and compare with Waterbird. Public viewpoints and facilities are at Brockhole, Windermere.
Apart from a modern engine, Waterbird faithfully recreates the detail of the original seaplane from 1911. The term ’seaplane’ was coined by Winston Churchill in 1913, as he became aware of their potential use in warfare.
The replica is constructed from wood, bamboo and wires: the same materials used to construct the original seaplane.
The 35ft aircraft, has a wingspan of 40ft and weighs just 1,000lb. It is powered by a Rotec 2800 radial engine, substituting for the original 50hp Gnome Rotary.
Waterbird was the first seaplane to successfully fly in the UK. She was commissioned by Captain Edward Wakefield from AV Roe & Co (Avro), of Ancoats, Manchester, as a landplane and converted to a seaplane at Windermere, where her original historic flight was on November 25, 1911.
The technology was also instrumental in the development of speed boats, which are featured alongside the steamboats in Windermere Jetty Museum displays.
The developments marked what became known as the golden age of Windermere, from the late 19th century until the early 20th century.
Swallow, the sister ship to the steam launch Osprey, now operated for visitor rides by Windermere Jetty Museum, and Waterbird were both built in 1911.
Another link between early seaplanes and steamboats is the Pattinson family.
T Cooper Pattinson DFC (1890-1971) flew RNAS seaplanes in World War I and flew a Short Sunderland flying boat and a water glider over Windermere during World War II.
May 10 marks 105 years since Captain Cooper Pattinson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for captaining a flying boat which shot down a Zeppelin.
The original Windermere Steamboat Museum largely collected by his son George Pattinson OBE had some exhibits related to aircraft.
The Pattinson family’s collection was accepted in lieu and loaned to the Lakeland Arts Trust (LAT) by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
A new complex has now been constructed on the same site and named the Windermere Jetty Museum.
Windermere Jetty Museum with the support of Lakes Flying Co have been successful in bidding to the RAF Museum for the transfer of ownership of the original surviving Waterbird parts, including the original float and the rudder, marked AV Roe, although their condition means they will need skilled conservation before going on public display.
Among the distinguished guests at this month’s event will be Jane Puckering, the daughter of John Parker, who was a seaplane pupil and then instructor at Windermere in 1915-1916.
He became chief test pilot for Shorts and in 1942 test-flew the first Windermere-assembled Sunderland flying boat when he was accompanied by Captain Cooper Pattinson.
