Operation Nightingale was a three year project to restore and conserve MAVC’s Douglas C47 Dakota KG651 within a purpose built structure to protect the aircraft from the elements and to tell the story of RAF Metheringham’s role as an Air Evacuation Centre for the US Army 162nd General Hospital.
Through this work our aim was to:
The Dakota is now successfully under cover in her own hangar but, there is a continuing need for maintenance on the airframe and every donation received will help towards this.
Through this work our aim was to:
- Improve visitor access to inside the Dakota, which in the past has been limited by adverse weather conditions, especially wind and rain.
- To be able to share the role of RAF Metheringham in the repatriation of injured US army personnel between May 1945 and May 1946.
The Dakota is now successfully under cover in her own hangar but, there is a continuing need for maintenance on the airframe and every donation received will help towards this.
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Local companies support the restoration and maintenance of KG651
The condition had deteriorated in spite of our best efforts, as all inactive aircraft do outside. The restoration and conservation of this 77 year old aircraft is an ongoing task and there are always jobs to do to improve the display as well as maintain and conserve it for the future. With the Dakota now housed out of the weather its long term future looks more assured and the restoration work can be undertaken in much warmer and drier conditions. This work has all been undertaken by our team of volunteers with some invaluable support from local businesses that we would like to call out. The construction of the Dakota Hangar started in September 2019. The hangar was built around the Dakota (the framework is actually a recycled and extended barn donated by Dyson Farms, or Beeswax as it was then) as it would be impossible to move it in after construction. The main contractor, Skinns of Walcott, did a fantastic job of not denting the Dakota when working all around it; really not an easy task at times! Progress was hampered by bad weather and Covid but Skinns returned to site to install the walls so the aircraft was now properly sheltered for the winter of 2021 / 2022. |
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Seen below are some photos of how it used to be and how we got to where we are today.
The Dakota hangar is a large financial and logistical undertaking for a small museum that is funded mainly by donations and run by unpaid volunteers. We have asked for help from many sources and we have received several generous donations from supporters in the UK and abroad. We have used local businesses and contractors as much as possible and several have been very generous. Recently, Witham Oil & Paint very kindly donated the two pack epoxy paint for the newly laid concrete walkways after we asked them for some advice about how to finish the concrete paths for the public display area.
As the hangar is large, most jobs tend to be large (and expensive) as well. After we were given detailed instructions for preparation and application of the paint it took our floor painting team of six, two full days to complete the task but it looks splendid now. Project leader Ian Brett said “We have been very fortunate with many local firms supporting our efforts. A big thank you to Witham Oil & Paint for all your help, it has been very much appreciated.”
Check out the video below to see our volunteers transforming the hangar floors using the materials supplied by Witham Oil & Paint.
As the hangar is large, most jobs tend to be large (and expensive) as well. After we were given detailed instructions for preparation and application of the paint it took our floor painting team of six, two full days to complete the task but it looks splendid now. Project leader Ian Brett said “We have been very fortunate with many local firms supporting our efforts. A big thank you to Witham Oil & Paint for all your help, it has been very much appreciated.”
Check out the video below to see our volunteers transforming the hangar floors using the materials supplied by Witham Oil & Paint.
