Restored 1967 Islander aircraft unveiled in the Isle of Wight
A RESTORED 1967 Islander aircraft which was one of the first to be flown by Aurigny has gone on display in a museum in the Isle of Wight after nearly a quarter of a century’s work.
A group of enthusiasts, the Britten-Norman Aircraft Preservation Society, took on the project after the plane was found derelict in Puerto Rico in the late 1990s.
The aircraft – registration G-AVCN and nicknamed ‘Charlie November’ – was the third one produced by Britten-Norman at Bembridge Airport in the Isle of Wight and is the oldest of its type still in existence.
It was moved to the Wight Military and Heritage Museum at Northwood, near Cowes, in December 2020, but the Covid pandemic significantly delayed its official unveiling as an exhibit.
Chris Unitt, an Aurigny pilot between 1973 and 1979, was among the guests at the unveiling.
He had a chance to sit again in the cockpit of the plane he had flown nearly 45 years ago, which he remembered as ‘more than just a plane’.
‘It was almost our mascot,’ said Mr Unitt.
‘It was our original Islander and a favourite.’
He said modern Islander aircraft were very different in the cockpit.
‘What’s amazing about this rebuild is that they’ve not just returned it to an Islander, they’ve returned it to how it was originally.’
Mr Unitt said that Guernsey resident and former Aurigny engineer Graham Gilbert had helped during the restoration project, which was also supported by local company Anglo-Normandy Aero Engineering.
Bob Wealthy, chairman of the preservation society, said some 300 people saw the new exhibit on the day it was unveiled.
They included James Morton and Alex Norman, respectively the nephew and son of Britten-Norman founders John Britten and Desmond Norman.
In a short speech ahead of the official unveiling by Mr Norman, Mr Wealthy said the society’s trustees were grateful to the restoration team for its dedication, skills and perseverance.
He also thanked the society’s support team, supporters’ club and others who had helped the project through donations, fundraising and support at various events.
‘BNAPS has received funding awards from several organisations, including the National Transport Trust, Wight Aid, the Daisie Rich Trust and the Isle of Wight High Sheriff’s Trust Fund. Our grateful thanks go out to these organisations,’ he said.
Charlie November’s maiden flight was from Bembridge on 24 April 1967.
It entered service with Aurigny on 1 March 1968.
It later flew in the Caribbean before being left at Isla Grande Airport in Puerto Rico, where it was stripped of useful parts.
After it was discovered there, Britten-Norman historians, assisted by sponsorship from aviation consultant Airstream International, worked to get it to the Isle of Wight in early 2000.
The society is now preparing a book on the restoration, Saving Charlie November, which it hopes to publish soon.
