In 2000, the Fleet Air Arm Museum conservation team embarked on an ambitious project to explore what remained of any original paintwork and markings on its WW2 Corsair fighter aircraft. The painstaking, inch-by-inch removal of a 1960s paint layer from the whole aircraft slowly revealed that the entire aircraft remained authentic and original in its 1940s wartime condition. The detailed forensic approach allowed the valuable and (many) unique details to be studied and preserved, allowing the team to chart the aircraft's history from factory to end of Royal Navy service. A unique and fascinating project that resulted in a true time capsule being exposed and preserved.


David Morris is Curator of Aircraft at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton. David joined the museum as an apprentice engineer in 1981 and went on to head the Aircraft Conservation department as Curator of Aircraft. He has led many conservation, restoration and exhibition projects at the museum.