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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)
Pic: WilliamHosie/BNPS
Williams father Bill's replica S.5 before the fatal crash in 1987.
British pilot William Hosie is attempting to build a working replica of the historic S.5 Schneider trophy seaplane, 33 years after his father was killed in an identical aircraft.
William Hosie, 58, needs to raise £275,000 to construct a unique Supermarine S.5 from scratch, using the original blueprints of the famous aircraft designed by R.J.Mitchelll in the 1920's.
The project has an added poignancy as his father, Bill Hosie, perished aged 57 flying an identical S.5 replica he'd built over Mylor, Cornwall, in May 1987.
Once complete, William hopes to fly the unique seaplane at airshows as a reminder of Britain's proud history from the pioneering days of aircraft and as a tribute to his late father.
The Supermarine S.5 won the prestigious Schneider Trophy in Venice in 1927 with a speed of 281mph. If Will, from Taunton, Somerset, succeeds, his will be the only working Supermarine S5 in the world.