Second World War P51 Mustang completes flyover of ‘On Freedom’s Wings’ site in Norton Disnet to raise awareness and funds for full-scale Lancaster Bomber sculpture

In support of a landmark project honouring the airmen of the Second World War, a thrilling flyover has taken place.

The ‘On Freedom’s Wings’ project will see a full scale replica of a Lancaster bomber erected on the border of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire to mark the historic link that the counties shared with RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War.

To help raise awareness and extra funds for the project, on Saturday (March 29), pilot David Morley, 85, flew in his P-51 Mustang fighter over the Norton Disney hilltop site where the sculpture will eventually take pride of place.

David, who grew in Sutton on Trent during the war, had decided to get involved with the project as his father flew with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War — a precursor to the RAF — and had relatives who were a part of Bomber Command during the Second World War.

He took off from an airfield in Northamptonshire before flying up into Nottinghamshire and circling around the site several times, much to the delight of the small group of supporters who had gathered to witness the flyover.

The Mustang and the Lancaster also share a link, as both aircraft were powered by the British-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which would have been a familiar sound in the skies above Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire during the war.

Originally the flyover had also been due to include a pass over the dams of Derbyshire’s Derwent Valley, where the Lancasters of 617 Squadron practiced before the famous Dambuster raid.

However, at the last minute permission from the Civil Aviation Authority was not granted and the plans had to be changed.

The project is organised by the Bomber Gateway Trust, who are always looking for new and interesting ways to raise interest and funds for the completion of the project.

New trust chairman, Charlie White, said: “It was great to see the flyover.

“David flew around a few times and those that came down to support really enjoyed it.

“We’re grateful for people like David who are doing these things to raise awareness but from a different angle, and it helps keep [the project] in the public eye too.”

Charlie confirmed that they are still aiming for the sculpture to be in place by the end of this year, most likely towards the end of summer dependent on weather and site conditions.

The artwork is so large that it will be lifted into place in sections, with the main fuselage affixed to the support struts 30ft in the air before the wings and tail are added.