MEDWAY AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION SOCIETY Ltd

Getting the floatplane into the Cathedral was a minor miracle, with the whole aeroplane being broken down into its various major items and being passed through a glass door measuring only about 1.5 m wide and 2.75 m high, before being reassembled on a beaching trolley within the cathedral.  The wings had to pass between the massive pillars and into the aisles.  Support was provide by a specialist logistics firm (Hewitt's) and transport by Swain's.  Luckily, the whole process went without any significant hitches, although some damage was caused to one wing during disassembly at the completion of the festival. 

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The main sections of the floatplane, comprising the fuselage, each wing and the two floats, were transported the short distance from MAPSL's workshop on flatbed lorries, with the smaller sections being taken in a van.  All sections were carefully moved by hand into the nave of the Cathedral through the glass doors of the west front.  There was only about 20 cm clearance for the inboard end of each wing!  Once inside, the floatplane was fully assembled using a hoist - this was actually the first time that everything had been brought together at the same time!  Each wing was located and pinned in the lower wing mounts before raising the tip so that the upper wing mount could be located and pinned.  Disassembly at the completion of the "Floatplane Festival" followed the reverse procedure, however, some damage was caused to the rear of the starboard wing when a strop became snagged, but this has since been rectified.  The sectioned Pobjoy Niagara engine was also displayed at the festival in its motorised form. 

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As a result of displaying the Short Scion floatplane in a location where members of the public who were unlikely to visit a specialist aviation museum, MAPSL was presented with Robert Pleming Award for Innovation 2025 by Aviation Heritage UK.