Over £20K raised for WWII seaplane with engine failure on Loch Ness

More than £20,000 has been raised for a Second World War seaplane which suffered an engine failure as it attempted to take off from the Loch Ness, according to the Daily Mail.

The PBY Catalina flying boat named ‘Miss Pick Up’ had landed on the freshwater loch, drifting helplessly, when her starboard engine failed to re-start.

The flying boat was returned to the shore and moored overnight with the help of RNLI Loch Ness before it was lifted out of the water by crane.

Now, Plane Sailing, the Cambridge-based team of pilots and volunteers who operate the IWM Duxford-based plane, have set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money for the plane’s damaged engine. 

The team, who has so far raised more than £20,000, explained that the funds would help fly the aircraft back to the safety of their home base in Duxford, Cambridge. However, the money raised so far falls short of the true cost of the operation and the team has increased its target to £29,400.

The donations will also go towards crane hire, transporting a spare engine from Duxford to the Loch Ness, boat hire and workshop facilities for engine preparation.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, former RAF Harrier pilot Paul Warren Wilson, leader of Plane Sailing’s Catalina operation and The Catalina Society, says: “The logistics involved are massive. Once the damaged engine is replaced we need to put her back onto the water so she can be flown home, otherwise she will be at the mercy of the harsh Scottish winter on a Loch (which as we all know is home to a certain wee beastie!) rather than her usual cosy hanger in Duxford.

“The damage this could do to the aircraft – an important piece of aviation history – could be irreparable. We have been absolutely staggered and humbled by the generous donations from so many of Miss Pick Up’s supporters.”

The Second World War seaplane, which appears at up to 20 air shows a year, is not operated for profit and Plane Sailing’s sole mission is to keep the aircraft flying and honour her legacy.