Date: 10 June

Time: 7.00pm – 8.30pm (Doors open 6.15pm)

Cost: £7.50 per person

Wednesday 10 June 2015 will mark two years since the world’s last surviving Dornier Do 17 was successfully lifted from the bottom of the Dover Straits. The breath taking moment the aircraft surfaced from the water was captured live on TV and sparked interest from around the globe.

The project has captured the imagination of not only aviation fans and historians, but also scientists and engineers alike, fascinated in the process of conserving the airframe. The Museum has been inundated with questions from visitors wanting to know more about the project and this June there will be a chance for visitors to find out more about the project at the ‘Dornier Do 17 Two Years on Lecture’ taking place on 10th June.

The process so far has seen the aircraft systematically sprayed with a low concentration citric acid based solution inside purpose built hydration tunnels at the RAF Museum Cosford. This process helped to remove marine accretions and subsequently neutralised corrosion impurities in the aluminium aircraft structure. Confident that the citric acid solution has done its job, the fuselage was removed from the tunnels in September 2014, followed by the wings and engines in January 2015 and is now undergoing treatment inside the Museum’s Conservation Centre.

This evening lecture will be led by those involved in the recovery of the aircraft and will examine the challenges faced in raising the aircraft from the seabed, the science behind the hydration tunnels and the latest phase of conservation. Attendees will also be able to get up close to some of the smaller components found on the Dornier Do 17. The lecture will take place in the Museum’s National Cold War Exhibition starting at 7.00pm (doors open 6.15pm). Attendees will also have exclusive access after the lecture to view the Dornier fuselage and wings first hand inside the Conservation Centre.

Guest speakers include:

Darren Priday – RAF Museum Conservation Centre Manager

Darren was the leader of the team of RAF Museum engineers who stripped and prepared the Dornier for road transportation once raised from the seabed. He has managed the team of Technicians, Apprentices and Volunteers working on the Dornier since its arrival at Cosford in June 2013. Darren has travelled across the UK and Europe giving talks on the Dornier project.

Professor Mary Ryan – Imperial College London

Mary continues to offer guidance at each stage of the conservation process and has worked closely with the Museum from the project’s inception. Mary’s current research is in the area of applied electrochemistry and corrosion, with a focus on deposition of nanostructures and the study of self-forming nanocrystalline oxides; as well as fundamental work on degradation and stability of metal systems.

Martin Barker – Seatech – Director of Diving Operations (formerly)

Martin managed the team of divers from Seatech who salvaged the Dornier from the water. He was also the designer of the lifting frame that was used for protecting the delicate aircraft. Seatech Civil and Marine are an established under-water and multi-disciplined company offering commercial diving services.

Ian Thirsk – RAF Museum Head of Collections

Ian has played a major role in overseeing the Dornier project from the aircrafts discovery around 5 years ago. As Head of Collections, Ian is responsible for all aspects relating to the RAF Museum’s collection of ‘large 3D objects’, essentially the aircraft, vehicle and boat collections. This includes all aspects relating to their acquisition, disposal, restoration and display.

Places at the lecture cost £7.50 per person and parking on the night is free of charge. Tickets for the lecture are now on sale via the Museum’s website www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. Or for more information, please call the Museum on 01902 376252.

The lifting of the Dornier was made possible thanks to support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. Additional support has come from EADS, 328 Support Services, the RAF Historical Society, the RAF Museum American Foundation and the generosity of the public. The exhibition and conservation of the Dornier is supported by Wargaming.net.

www.rafmuseum.org

Tags: 2015, May, News, RAF Museum Cosford