The Britten-Norman Trilander takes off on its maiden flight.
PLANS are being laid for a Trislander to fly in to Bembridge Airport to mark the 40th anniversary of its first flight.
Organisers hope it will be a fitting celebration of the maiden flight of the three-engined variant of the more successful Islander aircraft, produced by the Bembridge planemaker.
A commemorative booklet about the Trislander has been produced by the Britten Norman Aircraft Preservation Society and BN Historians, with proceeds aiding restoration of an historic Islander.
Former Britten-Norman employees and aircraft enthusiasts have been invited to an informal get-together next Saturday, September 11, at the Propeller Inn, Bembridge, starting at noon.
Since the plane, then known as the BN2-A Islander MkIII, made its maiden flight after being built in just six weeks from the finished drawings, it has been a familiar Solent sight, day in, day out since 1971, on the Southampton-Alderney route.
Designed by company founders John Britten and Desmond Norman, the Trislander has been described as "a triumph of ingenuity" by aircraft experts.
Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk