A talk by Eric Watkiss on the Saving Amy Airspeed Oxford Project at Hangar 42 Spitfire Visitors centre Airspeed Oxford Restoration Project and Amy Johnson.
A restoration of a very rare Royal Canadian Air Force Airspeed Oxford Mk V Serial Number EB 518 to static exhibition condition in memorial to Amy Johnson who flew from Blackpool Airport in an Airspeed oxford the day she went missing.
The substantial remains of Airspeed Oxford Mk.V EB518 were delivered to Hangar 42 at Blackpool Airport, Lancashire in early 2020, where the Lytham St Anne’s Spitfire Ground Display Team and the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team are restoring it to static condition.
The exhibit will ultimately represent Oxford Mk.II V3540, the machine in which famous aviatrix Amy Johnson was lost on January 5, 1941, after departing from RAF Squires Gate (today’s Blackpool Airport), but it’s also intended to be a permanent memorial to all RAF and Commonwealth crews who flew the type during World War Two.
EB518 was built in 1943 and was sent to 35 Service Flying Training School at North Battleford in Canada as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. It was struck off charge in August 1946 and stored outside until recovered by the Midland Aircraft Recovery Group during the late 1990s. On inspection, it became evident that the airframe’s wooden structure was beyond economical repair and would need to be replaced.
Some of the remains of EB518 which will be restored to represent Oxford Mk.II V3540.
