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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br />
Pic: MaxWillcock/BNPS<br />
<br />
Pictured: The port-side 450hp engine which give a maximum speed of 225 miles, with a range of 1,600 miles.<br />
<br />
Britain's first secret spy plane whose heroic pilot took crucial reconnaissance photos of Germany ahead of World War Two has been restored and will fly again.<br />
<br />
The Lockheed 12A Electra 1203 was covertly used by the Secret Intelligence Service to photograph airfields, factories and dams in the months before war was declared in 1939.<br />
<br />
By this point, it was very dangerous to have spies on the ground, so this was the best way to learn about Adolf Hitler's preparations for the impending conflict.<br />
<br />
The plane's pilot, Sidney Cotton, is said to be the inspiration for James Bond.

BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)
Pic: MaxWillcock/BNPS

Pictured: The port-side 450hp engine which give a maximum speed of 225 miles, with a range of 1,600 miles.

Britain's first secret spy plane whose heroic pilot took crucial reconnaissance photos of Germany ahead of World War Two has been restored and will fly again.

The Lockheed 12A Electra 1203 was covertly used by the Secret Intelligence Service to photograph airfields, factories and dams in the months before war was declared in 1939.

By this point, it was very dangerous to have spies on the ground, so this was the best way to learn about Adolf Hitler's preparations for the impending conflict.

The plane's pilot, Sidney Cotton, is said to be the inspiration for James Bond.