Up, up and away for 10-tonne Miss Pick Up at Loch Ness
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A stricken Catalina seaplane was removed from Loch Ness in dramatic scenes.
Miss Pick Up, a WWII flying boat – the last airworthy example in the UK – flew again, this time on the back of a crane as the 10-tonne plane was lifted from the water, in a meticulously planned manoeuvre by owners, The Catalina Society.
The 32-metre wingspan seaplane had been in the loch, balanced on a buoy, since last Sunday when she experienced engine issues and had to be rescued by the RNLI.
Matt Dearden, a volunteer pilot with The Catalina Society, said Miss Pick Up would be staying in the area for two weeks while her engine is changed and her old engine sent away for repair.
It is then hoped to do a trial flight between Loch Ness and Inverness Airport, before making her journey south to Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, where she is based.
The group said it has launched an appeal to raise £29,400 to complete the work to get her home. It has so far raised more than £22,000. Donations to uk.gofundme.com/f/misspickup
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