AVIATION enthusiasts are raising money to get the First World War plane they built from scratch and by hand up in the air.

Sophie, a Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter, is Scotland’s only flying First World War aircraft and was built in a workshop in Congalton, near East Fortune.

Aviation Preservation Society Scotland (APSS), which built the plane with the help of its volunteers, is encouraging people to adopt a square foot of the plane in a bid to raise £12,000, which will help certify the plane and allow it to fly for at least a year.

The group has been building the plane using original plans, techniques and aircraft-grade material for the past 20 years, having been asked to build it by the National Museum of Flight.

The group was at the point of testing the engine for the first time when lockdown struck, forcing its workshop to close.

Gerard Lohan, APSS member and trustee, said: “We were planning to invite everyone to her maiden flight around August and from there start doing the major fundraising we need to buy our workshop/shed and make it fit for purpose.

“That purpose being to build more aircraft, attract more volunteers and offer training in heritage skills to the community.

“I think once it is actually flying and people see it, it will start looking after itself.

“But we just need to get it over the line and up in the air.

“This project has been the focus of these guys’ lives for a long time and they keep going.

“This is amazing work they wouldn’t have dreamt of doing.”

On the techniques they used to build the plane, he said: “We thought that, if we were going to do it, we were going to do it properly and by hand like they did at the time.”

He added that the name Sophie “just sprang” to him one day but that the plane is also referred to as “beast” or “old girl”.

If the money cannot be raised to get Sophie in the air, the Aviation Preservation Society may be forced to sell her to a collection in England.

Gerard said: “Building this aircraft has meant the world to us and we want to share it with the community.

“It has not been as bad as for people who have lost their jobs or whose businesses have closed but [lockdown] was a shame because the sooner we get it into the air, the sooner we are in a position to show it.

“It would be lovely to get it in the air round about now, but now it could be next year.

“We want people to feel like they are part of the plane; it is their aeroplane as much as ours. It is totally about the community.”

He also noted the potential jobs, volunteering opportunities and events, such as re-enactments, that could come to the local community should the money be raised and the plane stay in Scotland.

A portion of the money will also go towards improving the group’s workshop, allowing members of the public to visit the plane and it to become a “social asset” in the community.

So far, £4,000 has been raised.

To donate, go to localgiving.org/charity/savesophie

For more information on APSS and its Strutter project, go to www.strutteraviation.com