RAF Cosford Museum visitors flock to see recovered Dornier aircraft
[gallery] Thousands of extra visitors have poured through the doors of RAF Cosford Museum since a Second World War German plane was taken there for restoration.
Officials said they have had 10,000 visitors in the two weeks since the Dornier arrived. It was lifted from the English Channel earlier this month after being shot down more than 70 years ago during the Battle of Britain.
Today the museum revealed that it will take up to two years for the restoration to be complete.
Spokeswoman Michelle Morgans said: "This plane has captured the imagination of visitors young and old. The number of people visiting the plane has exceeded our expectations and we are very happy with it."
Two weeks into their mammoth task, the staff at RAF Museum in Cosford are finally getting to grips with the conservation of the World War Two Dornier Bomber.
The only surviving German Second World War Dornier Do 17 was rescued from its watery grave in the English Channel earlier this month and has been taken to RAF Museum Cosford for conservation.
The team charged with bringing the plane back to its former glory have been spraying the aircraft with citric acid in water as part of the first stage of the conservation.
Darren Priday, deputy conservation centre manager, said: "We have been spraying the Dornier at frequent intervals.
"The citric acid is to soften the plant life that is on the plane and will also dissolve and soften some of the salt water that will be on the plane.
"The citric acid is added to water, so we can get the right pH level so it does not affect the plane. Water is normally about seven or eight pH but what we are using is 5.3pH.
"It has started softening it already so we have been cleaning the bits off some of the small parts.
"In July I will probably call a few people in and we will start cleaning down the larger parts of the plane.
"During this time, the growth will be carefully removed to aid with monitoring the condition of the metal skins underneath.
"We are hoping that by gently removing the marine growth we will find evidence of the original paint scheme.
"Some original paint is evident on the lower surface of the wing, inboard of the engines."
The spraying technique is being used for the first time by the museum and Mr Priday said he hopes it will be successful for them.
He said: "The usual technique that people do is to have a huge pool to immerse the craft in.
"That way, you need a crane to get the plane out to have a look at it. Using the spraying technique, you can keep going in and having a look whenever.
"None of us have done this before so it means we can learn as we are going along, and can keep an eye on how it is going much better."
The team have already completed the conservation of four steel wing bolts, which have been photographed and monitored for any change in condition.
They have also completed empty rounds, which will also be photographed and monitored for a change in condition.
The aircraft was shot down more than 70 years ago during the Battle of Britain and the project is believed to be the biggest recovery of its kind in British waters.
It had travelled from Ramsgate after being pulled out of the English Channel in a £500,000 recovery operation and a six-week mission involving 50 specialists.
Experts from the RAF Museum and marine recovery company SeaTech successfully lifted the plane from its watery grave at Goodwin Sands.
However, the new technology being used to conserve the plane at Cosford has actually been cost-saving.
Mr Priday said: "The Museum sat down and thought about what would be the best way to conserve the plane, and because it has never been done before and we are using new technology, we are very much having to learn as we go along. Hopefully we will get it right.
"To do it the old way, it worked out to cost about £60,000 to build a swimming pool that size, which is a lot of money.
"Then every time you want to look at it you have to get a crane, which would cost about £1,000 a time.
"Using the spraying technique will cost about £6,000. The money saving wasn't the reason we did it this way, but it is good, and we hope that this way will be successful."
The plane will eventually be reassembled and transferred to the RAF Museum at Hendon in London, where it will form the centrepiece of its Battle of Britain display.
How bomber will be rebuilt over two years:
All components are inside polytunnels and being sprayed with citric acid in water, pH balanced to approximately 5.3
Wing bolts have been soaked in citric acid, cleaned in fresh water and lightly coated in renaissance wax
Bullets have been soaked in fresh water they are brass so do not show signs of much corrosion
Large components wing, fuselage, tailplane are being left to soak for around two months to allow softening of marine growth
Work on conserving the larger items will start in earnest in around eight weeks time
Smaller items must be removed, protected and conserved ready to be returned to the aircraft at the end of the process
To finish the complete aircraft, workers are anticipating between 18 and 24 months
Once work is completed, the Dornier will be taken to RAF Hendon in London
