Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2013/January 2014 | Page 38

Historic Islander is
still taking shape
A group of enthusiasts are continuing
their painstaking quest to restore a
genuine piece of Island history, writes
Peter White.
The project they have undertaken
is to re-build one of the first Islander
aircrafts ever to be constructed on the
Isle of Wight. The ultimate goal is to have
the historic Britten-Norman aircraft
G-AVCN ready for the “Islander 50”
celebrations in June, 2015.
The event will mark the importance
of the first flight of the prototype B-N
Islander on June 13, 1965 as a highly
successful example of Island enterprise.
The aim is that the restored Islander will
be displayed in its original Aurigny Air
Services colours as worn on March 1, 1968,
nearly three years after the prototype test,
when it flew the airline’s inaugural flight.
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Although the restored Islander will
never actually be able to take to the air
again, it will act as a lasting tribute to John
Britten, Desmond Norman and all who
contributed to the success of their venture,
despite many setbacks along the way.
Britten-Norman Aircraft Preservation
Society (BNAPS) was set up to restore the
aircraft, which was the third Islander ever
to be built, and the oldest in existence. It
was initially found abandoned in Puerto
Rico, and after lengthy negotiations a
group of experts went to the Caribbean,
took the aircraft apart, put it into a freight
container and transported it back to the
UK in early 2000, with the support of
various organisations.
At the time the plan was that it would
be restored to flying condition. Alas that
never materialised and the shell of the

aircraft was left to rot under a tarpaulin
in Bembridge until the project was
resurrected in 2009.
The following year the remains of
the dilapidated shell were surveyed
to see if they could be moved without
further damage, and in July 2010 it was
carefully taken to a workshop in the
Bembridge area. The workshop also
had to be renovated before work on the
aircraft could begin in earnest towards
the end of 2011. Since then positive
steps have been taken in the restoration
programme, even though it remains
a race against time to have it fully
completed by the summer of 2015.
As far as possible all the original
components from the aircraft are being
used, but if any are missing then the
equivalents are being sourced. The floor