The first step in the recovery of a WWII seaplane which became stranded on Loch Ness has taken place.

The Catalina, which is usually based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire, suffered an engine failure meaning it was left stranded on the Loch on 17 October 2020.

The plane, called 'Miss Pick Up' was moored to a buoy and its owners launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money needed to repair and return it to Duxford.

It was lifted out of the water and now sits alongside the Loch where the repairs will take place.

In an update posted to the ‘gofundme page’ Matt Dearden, one of the pilots of Miss Pick Up, praised the team involved in the lift.

He said: "This was a very delicate and difficult operation which was executed to absolute perfection by everyone involved, all of whom we are again very grateful for their help."

The operation to lift the 1943-built aircraft out of the water cost £13,000, and the owners estimate they will need around £16,000 more to complete the repairs.

Remaining costs include the transportation of a new engine from Duxford to Scotland, more crane hires to lift the damaged engine off the plane and replace it with the new one, and another lift to get the aircraft back into the water.

https://uk.gofundme.com/f/misspickup

www.catalina.org.uk/?s=miss+pick+up