Hundreds of people lined the shores of Windermere at the weekend to watch flights commemorating the vital role England’s largest lake played in the development of the seaplane.
A unique replica of Waterbird, the UK’s first successful seaplane, made several short flights and taxied into where the crowds gathered at Lake District National Park visitor centre at Brockhole and Low Wood Bay Resort.
On the Friday afternoon the Red Arrows flew over the site.
The Wings over Windermere event also included a flypast by a 90-year-old Spitfire and a demonstration of how far seaplanes have progressed with a display by an Aviat Husky.
But the star of the shows on Friday and Saturday evening was the replica Waterbird, which took more than 10 years to develop, build and test after designs for the original were discovered in the archives of the makers AV Roes and company, later known as AVRO, in Stockport, Manchester.
The aircraft is mostly made of bamboo and wires and is very susceptible to wind, making it hard to fly.
The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Götke, usually flies navy jets at the speed of sound and at up to 40,000ft.
In Waterbird he barely reached 50mph and 60ft above the water, but he was obviously in awe of the experience.
He said: “It was a privilege and humbling to be at the controls of such an historic plane.
“She did beautifully. It’s amazing to think how they used to fly in the old days, fully open in the air and just controlling her through flight.”
He said the biggest difference was the lack of stability and the time it took for the controls to change the flight path.
“One thing is for sure – she’s definitely an unstable beast. You’ve definitely got to keep her on the straight and narrow, but it’s just amazing,” he added.
The events are organised by The Lakes Flying Company Ltd, which built the replica, and were free to attend.
Among the spectators at Brockhole was 91-year-old David Brailsford, who worked at AVRO in the 1950s and 60s, mainly on Vulcan aeroplanes.
He had been AVRO apprentice of the year in 1956, and received his certificate from Alliott Vernon-Roe, the founder of AVRO with his brother Humphrey, back in 1910.
It was only a year later they built the plane that was converted into a seaplane and fitted with the innovative stepped floats, which enabled seaplanes to take off from water.
“It was wonderful to see the replica fly,” said Mr Brailsford. “I was thrilled to bits to see something so important in the airplane world.”
After the flights on Friday, members of the team made themselves available for an informal question and answer sessions at Low Wood Bay Conference centre.
They were Ian Gee, chairman of the Lakes Flying Company Ltd, which organised the Wings over Windermere event; Aviat Husky pilot Angus Whyte; Waterbird pilot Lieutenant Commander Chris Gotke and chief engineer Dr Bill Brooks.
Lt Cdr Chris Gotke, Air Force Cross, is presently the Fixed Wing Commander at the Empire Test Pilots’ School, of which he is a graduate.
Dr Brooks is Chief Technical Officer and test pilot for Skyfly Technologies, which this summer successfully completed Europe’s first airfield-to-airfield flight of a fully electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Mr Gee, a retired solicitor from Kendal, has been the driving force behind the 10-year project to get the replica Waterbird built and off the water, and its subsequent flights.
English Lakes Hotels and the Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa have historical links with seaplanes. Michael Berry OBE, father of the hotel group’s current chairman Simon, and grandfather of Managing Director Ben, campaigned to have commercial seaplane operations at Windermere.
A Tiger Moth seaplane famously landed at the hotel back in 1979, with the event featuring in Mr Michael Berry’s book on the history of Low Wood.
Mr Gee said: “The pilot taxied Waterbird as close as permitted to the shore at Brockhole, to give spectators the chance to get see this unique plane close up.
“We are very grateful to English Lakes Hotels, who also sponsored the accommodation of key personnel, for giving us the opportunity to let the public meet and question the key players.”
The Windermere event follows months of planning with detailed licences and permissions from the Lake District National Park Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Planning is further complicated by Waterbird being stored at Liverpool Airport, having to be reassembled and transported by trucks each time it is flown.
A permanent home by the Lake is being sought, which could mean more frequent flights and chances to see the replica plane up close.
Mr Gee said: “We were lucky with the good weather windows each evening.
“Organisers are delighted to remind people of the vital role that Windermere played in the development of seaplanes.
“Every such plane built since Waterbird has used a stepped float that made it possible to break the surface tension and lift from the water.
“There is no other event like this anywhere in the world.”
The replica Waterbird project has won seven awards from various organisations in the aeronautical community.
A permanent exhibition recording the vital role played by Windermere in the history of the development of aeroplanes is now open at Windermere Library on the first floor.
It explains how the first successful flights taking off from water in the UK happened on the lake and how this later led to the establishment of a naval seaplane school and the building of a flying boat factory on its shores during the Second World War.
The exhibition highlights the exploits of Captain Edward Wakefield, who initiated the development in the UK of aeroplanes able to take off from water and patented the stepped float.
