Replica bomber makes last flight

The Brooklands replica Vimy was built to recreate three famous flights

A replica wartime bomber has made its last flight before going on display at an aviation museum in Surrey.

The Brooklands Vimy, which is said to be the largest homebuilt aeroplane, was built to re-enact three flights that took place after World War I.

It is almost an exact replica of the original Vickers Vimy bomber.

Brooklands Museum said the decision to retire the aircraft was made in order to preserve it and it had nothing left to prove.

A statement from the museum said: "The decision by Brooklands Museum to retire the Vimy from active flying was not taken lightly."

The aircraft's final flight on Sunday depended on the weather, but staff at the museum said conditions were good.

The Vimy landed on a grass airstrip at neighbouring Mercedes-Benz World which was the first official use of the runway, a spokeswoman said.

She said the grass had to be checked before the flight, and the aircraft was flown in from Dunsfold on Sunday afternoon.

Atlantic crossings

The original Vickers Vimy was designed during World War I and The Brooklands Vimy was built in California in 1994 by John LaNoue.

The replica was built to re-enact the pioneering flights that took place after World War I - to Australia, South Africa and across the Atlantic.

Its most recent Atlantic crossing was in 2005 and it was donated to Brooklands Museum in 2006.

Since then it has been kept airworthy by volunteer pilots and ground crew and has been used in public displays.