Bruntingthorpe: Fears 'historic' VC10 passenger plane to be scrapped

The VC10 ZD241 aircraft dates back to 1968

A campaign has begun to "urgently relocate" a historic passenger plane over fears it could be scrapped.

Enthusiasts said a VC10 at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, should be moved after the museum where it is based closed.

The VC10 Rescue and Relocation Project said it was the last running aircraft linked to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

Bruntingthorpe's owners say however, no aircraft is to be scrapped.

Fears over the future of the VC10 ZD241 first surfaced after it was confirmed "aviation activities" - including taxiing down the runway - were not required by the new lease holders at the site in Lutterworth.

Visitors can ride on the plane as it taxis down the runway

It meant the closure of the Cold War Jets Museum at Bruntingthorpe.

Volunteers have been exploring options for a new home for the VC10, which dates back to 1968, preferably where it can still taxi with visitors on board.

They need £438,000 to strip it down and relocate to a site in Gloucestershire.

Chris Haywood, a former VC10 pilot, said the plane is "an iconic piece of British design, engineering and manufacturing".

"We feel it is important she is kept in running condition both as an example of that period of airliner, but also so the public can continue to learn about and experience the sights, sounds and smells of such a majestic piece of history," he explained.

VC10s were also used by the Royal Air Force

C Walton Ltd, owners of Bruntingthorpe, said in a statement on their website, that there are no plans to "scrap any of the historic British aircraft currently onsite".

It said they are pursuing the possibility of establishing an aviation museum on land near the airfield, but there are "practical implications" over whether this would be "viable".

BOAC was a state-owned airline created in 1939 and ceased operations in 1974, following its merger with other firms to form British Airways.

The RAF also used VC10s during the Cold War.