The volunteer crew creating a replica Sunderland flying boat cockpit at Pembroke Dock have been highly praised by Wales’ senior RAF officer.

Air Commodore Adrian Williams, Air Officer for Wales, took the captain’s seat in the cockpit which has recently been fitted with fully working control column and other equipment. It is a major - and unique - display at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in the town’s former Royal Dockyard Chapel.

“It was really encouraging to see the progress this great project has made in recent months,” said Air Commodore Williams.

“The Sunderland Trust volunteers that are building the replica cockpit are an amazingly dedicated group of people, showing great commitment and skill in creating a cockpit that is faithful in every detail to the original Sunderland aircraft.

“Once the cockpit has been completed, I believe it will give all visitors an experience that will be as lifelike as possible of what it must have been like to have been operating and flying a Sunderland all those years ago. I feel sure that the completed cockpit will be a great asset to the Sunderland Trust and will help build further understanding amongst both local people and visitors of the special military heritage that Pembroke Dock has.”

The cockpit project has been funded through the Ministry of Defence Community Covenant and has already involved thousands of hours of volunteer team work. Assistance has come from local firms, including: Pier Engineering, of Pembroke Dock, which has made the working controls and Chris Gammon, of GRP Mouldings of Pembroke Dock, who has provided fibreglass materials. Chris is also a member of the Sunderland Trust Dive Group.

SIGMA, of Haverfordwest, provided the signage and photos displays and Cleddau Marine Upholstery supplied the upholstery for the pilot and co-pilots’ seats. Slipscreens, of Pembroke Dock, very generously donated all of the glazing for the canopy of the replica cockpit, apart from the Perspex Astrodome on the top of the cockpit which is the original recovered from the wreck of Sunderland T9044 in the Milford Haven Waterway.

Air Commodore Williams was welcomed by members of the cockpit crew - headed by Rik Saldanha - and also met for the first time the recently appointed Heritage Centre Manager, Stuart Berry.

Work continues to fully complete the cockpit which is unique to any UK museum and a splendid reminder of the wonderful Sunderland flying boat and its 20-year connection with Pembroke Dock and its RAF heritage.

The Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre is open daily (apart from Sundays) from 10 am to 4 pm and a programme of autumn events is now being finalised. www.sunderlandtrust.com