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Bluebird K7 on Loch Fad, Isle of Bute, Scotland
Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7 takes to the water once again!
It's been over half a century since Donald Campbell became the only person to hold both the world land and water speed records simultaneously,the latter set in his jet-engined hydroplane, Bluebird K7, which crashed tragically on Coniston Water on 4th January, 1967.
It has taken 17 painstaking years and a small army of dedicated volunteers to restore Bluebird to her former glory and from 4th to 16th August 2018 this iconic craft undertook crew training at 'Loch Fad Fisheries' on Loch Fad on the Isle of Bute.
The Loch, usually better known for its outstanding trout and pike fishing waters, saw Bluebird's team work out how best to handle the craft which can reach speeds of up to 276 miles per hour.
Bill Smith, the project leader, has had a love of Bute since his fishing trips here as a teenager and then as a diver. He says: "Loch Fad is perfect for this crew-training exercise. It's just long enough for Bluebird to get moving and just deep enough that it won't be too difficult for divers to retrieve any dropped tools!" "It's pretty exciting for us right now because we've just ground-tested Bluebird and all her systems are running beautifully.
When she was put in the water at Loch Fad it was the first time in 50 years that Bluebird's engine was started while afloat."
During these photos Bluebird was piloted by Ted Walsh
A HUGE thank you to the wonderful people on Bute who made us all feel so welcome