18 October 2022
The Lakes Flying Company has won Aviation Heritage UK’s Robert Pleming Memorial Award for 2022 for its recreation and successful flying of Waterbird, an exacting replica of the first seaplane to fly with a stepped float.
At a ceremony held during its latest Members’ Meeting, held on Saturday 15 October at Hooton Park, Cheshire, AHUK also presented its Individual of the Year Award to Alan Matlock of the Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust, and its Group of the Year Award to the Royal Air Force Heritage Team.
AHUK also announced six Lifetime Achievement Awards to people who have made a sustained contribution to aviation heritage over many years.
The original Waterbird was built for Edward Wakefield by Avro, and flown from Windermere in 1911. No construction drawings survive for Waterbird, so the replica – including its game-changing stepped float which reduced water drag during take-off and has been used on all subsequent water-borne aircraft – had to be built using only a few period photographs as a guide. The project, which has involved building the replica using period materials like bamboo and a modern engine as the only significant departure from original, has taken 11 years to reach fruition with waterborne flights in the summer of 2022.
Alan Matlock received his Individual award for his leading the 2021 campaign to save the Spitfire Flight Shed, which had been the only surviving building from the World War II Supermarine factory at Eastleigh.
The RAF Heritage Team of Wing Cdr Erica Ferguson and Squadron Ldr Rick Lipscomb was recognised with the Group award for its outstanding work in building a strong working relationship between the RAF and heritage museums and collections.
The AHUK Lifetime Achievement Awards for 2022 went to:
Simon Ames OBE, for his outstanding contribution to flying display management over many years, especially at Biggin Hill, and the revival of active flying at Brooklands
Jean and Ken Fostekew, founders, curators and managers of the Museum of Berkshire Aviation at Woodley, Berks, from its origins in the mid/late 1980s up to the present day
Arthur Ord-Hume, Guildford-based pioneer light aircraft designer/ pilot/ promoter and aviation author
Francis Hanford, founder curator of the Trenchard Museum at RAF Halton in 1999
David Hassard, for his work since 2012 on the ongoing ‘Kingston Aviation Centenary Project’ to commemorate the creation of the Sopwith Aviation Company at Kingston upon Thames in 1912
Steve Sims of the East Midlands Aeropark, for his work of over 20 years in restoring its Avro Vulcan.
Aviation Heritage UK represents the interests of around 100 member museums, collections and other organisations involved in the preservation of the nation’s aviation heritage.
