By Isle of Wight Observer
The Wight Aviation Museum are urgently appealing for the help of the public to rescue an important part of the hovercraft story on the Isle of Wight.
The museum is asking for donations to rescue an original Cushioncraft CC7, built at St Helen’s Duver. In addition, the museum is appealing for the skills and knowledge of those that were originally involved in its production who are still here and able to assist.
The Wight Aviation Museum need to raise around £15,000 to cover the purchase, transportation and refurbishment of the Cushioncraft, which will be brought back to the Island, so the museum can put the craft on display to the public at Sandown Airport in the summer when the museum opens.
The reason for the request is the unexpected availability of the craft. The aviation museum received a call from Warwick Jacobs, who founded the world’s first Hovercraft museum in 1986. Jacobs said: “My first thought was this naturally belongs on the Isle of Wight, paying tribute to the work of Britten Norman!”
The museum will have to act quickly if they are to secure this icon of engineering excellence for British aviation heritage, as it is highly likely this will be sold off to a potential buyer from overseas at auction in January of next year.
Isle of Wight Observer