Flying again, the in memory of our
A FIRST World War plane is airworthy again after being lovingly restored by its pilot's grandsons.
The Bristol Scout biplane, serial number 1264, was used by Sublieutenant Francis “Bunnie” Bremner, who served with the Royal Naval Air Service at Gallipoli.
His aircraft has now been returned to full working order by brothers David and Rick Bremner, who found its remains in their grandad's shed when he died in 1983. They spent an esimated 10,000 hours and £100,000 honouring their old man's wish to get 1264 airborne.
Along with friend and amateur pilot Theo Willford, they scoured the globe for parts and ended up going to New Zealand to find an engine.
Display
The vintage aircraft took to the skies again last year and went on display for the first time yesterday – at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, where “Bunnie” was once based.
David, 65, said: “We grew up less than 10 miles from my grandfather, so we heard all his war stories.
“After he died we found three souvenirs in his workshop: a stick, rudder bar and magneto, and we guessed that these were from his plane.
“Then in 2002 our friend Theo Willford suggested we rebuild 1264 and the research started.”
The aircraft has a wingspan of 24ft and is 20ft long.
Now it is believed to be the only flyable Bristol Scout Type C.
David, who works as a mechanical engineer and is chairman of the _British Microlight Aircraft Association, said he believed his grandfather would be proud.
He said: “Although he talked about flying a lot he had never mentioned keeping these parts before.
“We had the parts for years and had the idea in the back of our minds that one day we would try to rebuild the plane.
“But it was Theo who actually got us to make a start.
“The only thing we didn't make ourselves was the engine, which we got from a New Zealand-based company . It's is an actual 1917 engine in beautiful condition.”
Sub-lieutenant Bremner's first posting was to provide air support during the Gallipoli campaign. In January 1916, during the final evacuation