Pilots train in lake for north Atlantic flight competition

The pilots have received training in how to deal with ditching their aircraft in the sea and life raft survival in a lake at Lower Swanwick

Pilots have been practising safety training for a flying competition by plunging into a Hampshire lake.

Crews have been simulating ditching their light aircraft in the water and escaping from a submerged plane at Andark Lake near Southampton.

Teams from Europe and North America are taking part in the Greenland Air Trophy (GAT2021) contest which involves flying from Scotland to north-east Canada.

Organised by VintageAirRally, it is due to start on 21 June.

The training simulated how to escape from a submerged plane

Pilots and their crew members are due to set off on the contest next month

The pilots will face challenges during the contest including concentrating throughout a long flight over cold water with limited fuel and unpredictable weather.

They will also have to make precision short take-offs and landings, including at a remote former Second World War US Air Force base.

The contest ends on 2 July with the winning team awarded the Greenland Air Trophy.