 Hawker Tempest II fighter aircraft are being stored and restored in Lincolnshire
DEADLY PLANES TO BE RESTORED FOR NEW MUSEUM
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08:00 - 05 February 2008
Three Hawker Tempest II fighter aircraft are being stored and restored in Lincolnshire, it has been revealed.
The Hawker Tempest IIs, once among the most powerful and deadly aircraft in the world, are being kept by aeroplane enthusiasts.
But although little is known about the location of two of them, one could soon be thrust into the limelight if plans for a new aviation museum are approved.
A collection which includes a Tempest and around a dozen other vintage aircraft could be housed in a museum in Wickenby, near Lincoln, under the plans.
It would put on display one of the best collections of old planes in the UK - offering visitors the chance to see legendary fighters such as the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane.
But, in a break from the norm, visitors would also be able to take to the skies in some of the rare planes.
The plans are the brainchild of Gerry Cooper, who currently runs a surveying business at Wickenby Airfield.
Although he has been collecting antique planes for years, his day job allows him to fly over some of the world's most exotic locations as a radar surveyor.
Now he has decided to take his love of classic planes a step further by branching out into museums.
"Lots of people see jumbo jets when they go on holiday, but not many people appreciate how we arrived at the planes we have today," he said.
Under blueprints currently being looked at by planners at West Lindsey District Council, the new museum would be based in a hangar at the airfield. | 
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