Is there something you can put on the seals

230 Volts

What exactly was the ‘deal’ for the RAF Museum; a seventeen year loan (followed by an option for another seventeen years)? What was in it for the RAF Museum; apart from free storage of an exhibit that there wasn’t room for after it was donated by Spain?

I’d like to see it back in the RAF Museum; it would be a great addition to the Battle-of-Britain hall (if that hall wasn’t being emptied)…

If I remember correctly when it was sent across the Channel in 1991 it received a 2,000 hour maintenance/restoration job including corrosion treatment and a repaint. It has since been on indoor display in a controlled environment, free of charge and well cared for. Which in itself must be a bonus for the RAF Museum. IIRC the RAF Museum also received a considerable number of components from various crash site recoveries to aid ongoing restorations, in return.

Whilst I understand your sentiments re keeping it in the UK, it tells a very important story in the Netherlands. That of the 37 Dorniers in active MLD service before and during World War II in the East Indies. Amongst the many deployments they had, was one to aid the British Armed Forces in the defence of Singapore in December 1941, the evacuation of many hundreds of refugees (both military and civilian) to Australia who went on to fight for the Commonwealth forces from there, and five Do’s serving as a seperate unit in the RAAF (and a sixth on clandestine ops to New Guinea, this being the aircraft represented in the current colour scheme). I would say that as far as British history is concerned, its current location is a very fitting one to tell a story or two…

Summer 1966 I would say. The L749 (OE-IFE) was broken up for scrap in August that year apparently.

At least some hangars at Schphol are named after aviation pioneers, I think. Current examples include Hangar 10 “Albert Plesman” and Hangar 14 “Leonardo da Vinci”.

It was indeed the hangar’s name.

From the very reliable SGLO database:

http://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/item2.php?PN=KG417

And a September 12th, 1944 aerial view here: http://www.geldersarchief.nl/zoeken/?mistart=0&mivast=37&mizig=284&miadt=37&milang=nl&misort=last_mod|desc&miview=gal1&mizk_alle=Driel&mibj=1943&miej=1945

Bottom left corner the old brick works at Driel, then moving diagonally to the RH top of the picture there is the Janssen homestead called “Zeldenrust”, the light square would seem to be the football pitch mentioned in several reports. High centre of the photo is the ferry crossing. The works, homestead and football pitch all were demolished in the 1960s to make way for a pass-by channel for the locks installed at the time. There is a good chance the crash site could either have been where the current canal is, or might just still be on the current canal bank (southern bank the the Rhine).

The database in the above link also holds a considerable number of aerial photos taken early 1945.

Lancs had escape hatches in the nose and canopy. Kinda silly to try to bail out by climbing back over the spar.

Not very silly if the aircraft in question was on fire, out of control, with high G-forces. The nearest exit is not always accessible, or even the easiest way to get out…

Continental treasures were lost too, mostly around WW2. The early collection of aircraft stored for the planned museum At Schiphol was partially destroyed in German bombardments in May 1940 (a Fokker F.VII among them). Surviving aircraft (including a D.VII and freshly captured G.I, D.XXI and Douglas 8A) were carried off to the museum at Berlin (which itself was destroyed late in the war, a story in itself). The only aircraft to survive was the only original Fokker Spin, which came back to The Netherlands via Poland eventually and is now displayed in Lelystad.