THE WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust – which keeps its aircraft at Maldon district's Stow Maries First World War aerodrome – will use a £24,000 heritage lifeline grant to service and repair the two planes so they can fly again next year.

In the week that marks 101 years since the end of World War One, the Government grant has been welcomed by Dick Forsythe, Chief Trustee, who told Maldon Nub News: "We will be getting the planes – our BE2 and Albatross – serviced and trying to expand our education remit.

"In the current situation that will be with webinars.

"We are also hoping we will be able to fly the planes at events again next season.

"The trust's aim of keeping the legacy of World War One aviation alive really sums up what we're all about."

The trust is a key part of activities at Stow Maries, not only for the planes but with its reconstruction of a World War One flight simulator, known as a 'Rocking Nacelle'. During the Great War, a Rocking Nacelle was an aircraft cockpit shorn of its tail, nose and outer wings and mounted on a gimbal with the controls for training pilots. There was a gun mounted on the upper wing for practice on ranges against moving targets.

While the target practice is obviously not a feature included in the replica simulator, the trust has introduced a virtual reality headset. The use of the headset is not possible in the current pandemic situation, though Mr Forsythe, a former RAF pilot who himself flew the first Chinook helicopter back into base in Hampshire, hopes its use will soon be possible again to help give budding pilots a chance to experience what flying a World War plane would be like.

With a clear passion for preserving knowledge of the history of wartime aviation, Mr Forsythe tells how he has followed in a family tradition, with his father before him having been an RAF pilot, too.

He added: "Our planes are really built just as they were and we have a chief pilot who knows just how to handle them."

The Albatros and the BE2

The German Albatros and British Aircraft Factory BE2 are authentic flying replicas (built in 2016 and 2014 respectively) of two iconic World War I aircraft. The Albatros DV, a development of an earlier design, was an advanced design with a distinctive streamlined fuselage. Flown on the Western Front it was responsible for a period in 1917 when German fighter squadrons dominated the skies over the trenches. The Trust's example is finished in the colours of Bavarian fighter ace Otto Kissenberth, who scored 20 victories.

The BE2 is a much more humble two-seater reconnaissance aircraft from earlier the in the war. Stable and reliable it was a vital component in trench warfare, spotting for artillery.

Outclassed by German fighters such as the Albatros later in the war it was diverted to home defence, flying at night against German Zeppelins from bases such as Stow Maries. Three Zeppelins were shot down by BE2s, a remarkable feat given the extreme heights they were operating at.

More information on the work of the WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust is available by visiting the website here or the trust's Facebook page here.